Australia’s Scott Boland appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of England’s Joe Root on Day 3 of the primary Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 18, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
England’s batters confronted threatening clouds above and hostile Australian bowlers beneath as the most recent twist in a dramatic Ashes opener at Edgbaston noticed the hosts lowered to 28-2 at stumps of their rain-hit second innings on Sunday for an general lead of 35.
A pitch inspection at 6 p.m. native time led to play being referred to as off for the day with solely 10.3 overs bowled up to now within the England innings. Monday’s forecast is generally rain-free however Tuesday afternoon might see heavy rain and thunder.
Play was first interrupted early within the afternoon session with England at 26-0 and buoyed from dismissing Australia for 386 proper earlier than lunch which gave Ben Stokes’ workforce a slim first-innings lead of seven runs. Usman Khawaja was out for an outstanding 141 as Australia closed in on England’s 393-8 declared.
When play resumed after 75 minutes, England went on to lose each its openers in a disastrous mini-session of solely 4 overs underneath floodlights. Rain was heavier this time and gamers once more left the sector — faster than after they got here on — with England having elevated its rating by simply two runs at the price of two wickets. In one ray of sunshine for England, it survived a doubtlessly match-deciding attraction for a catch towards its high batter Joe Root.
Australia captain Pat Cummins, who scored a six-laden 38 at No. 8 in sunshine, took 1-9 in 5.3 overs because the climate deteriorated within the afternoon. Scott Boland grabbed 1-1 in two overs.
Ben Duckett (19) edged Cummins to Cameron Green, who once more confirmed his brilliance within the subject by diving low to his left at gully. The dismissal survived a evaluate regardless of the replay initially drawing jeers from house followers.
Three balls later Zak Crawley (7) was caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Boland.
Enter Root, Australia’s nemesis within the first innings along with his twenty ninth check century, who skipped on to the pitch regardless of the growing gloom and doom on what had been a largely unthreatening wicket.
Root survived an early attraction towards Cummins for a catch behind. Two balls later, heavy rain compelled the groups off once more. Ollie Pope and Root are each on 0. Even underneath England’s aggressive “Bazball” type of cricket, neither batter would have possible wished to get again out Sunday.
England earlier ran by the Australia tail after the guests had resumed on 311-5.
England seamers Stuart Broad (3-68) and Ollie Robinson (3-55) bounced their approach by the decrease order. At 338-5, Australia had appeared like taking a helpful first-innings lead however Robinson claimed the important thing wicket of Usman Khawaja and solely Cummins supplied extra resistance.
England had dominated the morning session to arrange a one-innings shootout at an exciting first check that retains dwelling as much as the hype and hopes of each side to function a showcase for the longest format of cricket.
Khawaja, who hit his first check century in England on Saturday, was bowled after advancing towards Robinson after which failing to cease the yorker with the ball hitting his off stump. That ended a helpful partnership for the seventh wicket of 34, with Cummins offering 27 of these runs. At that stage Australia was 21 runs behind.
Robinson later defended his celebration at Khawaja’s wicket with expletive-laden phrases seemingly aimed at the batter.
“It’s the Ashes, it’s professional sport. If you can’t handle that, what can you handle? When you’re in the heat of the moment and have the passion of the Ashes that can happen,” Robinson said. “We’ve all seen (former Australia captain) Ricky Ponting and other Aussies do that to us so just because the shoe’s on the other foot, it’s not received well. It’s my first home Ashes and to get the big wicket at the time was special for me.”
James Anderson (1-53) had made the breakthrough for England within the fifth over of the morning session, bowling Carey for a 99-ball 66. It was Anderson’s 1,one hundredth first-class wicket and 686th in check cricket. Carey had already been dropped by his English counterpart Jonny Bairstow off Anderson in the identical session.
Cummins got here to the crease at the beginning of the vacationers’ tail however once more confirmed he can undoubtedly bat, and smashed Moeen Ali (2-147) for a six after which one other in the identical over, casting a dampener over the 36-year-old allrounder’s birthday which noticed him depart the sector with a finger harm and obtain a high quality for utilizing a hand spray the day earlier than. Ali, who had come out of check retirement for the injured Jack Leach, despatched down a few full tosses and later left the sector.
Australia had lowered the deficit to 16 when Nathan Lyon hooked a short-pitched supply from Robinson to offer Duckett a low catch close to the boundary. No. 10 Scott Boland provided a tame close-range catch to Ollie Pope at foolish level after one other rising supply from Broad.
Cummins, who hit three of Australia’s 9 sixes, was the final man out, once more to a short-pitched supply from Robinson and caught by Stokes.
