England vs Australia: Day three of the first Ashes Test in a nutshell
Test in the balance as Smith again frustrates England
Saturday 3 August 2019 19:57, UK
Why spin will win it, Warner's woes against Broad and Smith directing traffic. The signpost moments from day three at Edgbaston...
The Report
England were held up by Steve Smith once again on day three of the first Ashes Test as Australia closed on 124-3, a lead of 34, writes Sam Drury at Edgbaston.
After England were bowled out for 374, giving them a first-innings lead of 90, they quickly removed David Warner (8) and Cameron Bancroft (7) before Smith, with the help of Usman Khawaja (40) and Travis Head (21no), guided his side out of trouble.
The former Australia skipper was unbeaten on 46 when bad light brought play to a premature close and England will try once more to oust Smith on day four with the match still firmly in the balance.
Moment of the Day
Rory Burns rightly stole the headlines on day two for putting England in pole position and it was his dismissal, for a doughty 133, that sparked Australia's fightback. It was always going to take some delivery to prise him from the crease and - even allowing for the helpfulness of the pitch - Lyon came up with a beauty, zipping one through a little quicker from around the wicket and finding sufficient turn to take the edge. It would have done for most - although Lyon was within a fraction of putting his foot in it by overstepping.
England were 296-5 before the breakthrough, just 12 runs ahead but with five wickets sitting handsomely in the bank. But Lyon quickly enjoyed further success when Moeen Ali shouldered arms and when Peter Siddle removed Jonny Bairstow, England had lost three wickets in 11 balls and the Test was right back in the balance.
Stats of the Day - from CricViz Analyst
- Keaton Jennings averages more than Jonny Bairstow in the last 12 months of Test cricket
- Moeen has now been bowled three times when leaving the ball in Tests. The only player since 2006 to have been dismissed in that manner more often is Shane Watson (4)
- Ten runs in the match represents Warner's lowest return in an Ashes Test
The Ashes - Live
Talking Point
Who is 'captaining' Australia and does it matter? Avid viewers would have noticed former skipper Smith directing plenty of traffic during England's first innings and understandably so - captain Tim Paine would be a fool for not drawing on his vast experience.
There's a strong argument to say that but for taking the charge of the side, Paine might not be in this Ashes squad, let alone team, and an even stronger argument to say that he's only keeping the spot warm until Smith is eligible to lead the side again - he is unable to take up any leadership role for Australia until the ban imposed by Cricket Australia ends in March 2020. But does that count for anything when he is playing such a proactive role in setting fields and implementing tactics? And can you attribute Smith's imperious form in part to not having the off-field burdens of captaincy on his shoulders? If so, Australia might just have the best of both worlds.
Tweets of the Day
What they said
Chris Woakes: "Having them 34-3 is not a bad spot and if we come back well in the morning and get a couple of wickets quickly, 50-5 is not looking so bad.
"We didn't go searching for wickets or set negative fields on purpose if we did do that. On this surface, if you bash a good length straight it is hard to score boundaries if you set the right fields but we probably didn't bowl the right lengths."
Mike Atherton: "From here on in, both sides will fancy their chances. England more so at the moment but you don't want to be chasing too many on that last day pitch.
"It is going to be slow but I don't think it will deteriorate markedly but it won't get any better that's for sure so England won't want to be chasing more the 220-230."
David Lloyd: "If you look at Moeen Ali, he has been such a player for England but in his last 15 or so Tests he has been in the doldrums with the bat. His bowling is fine but they need more runs from him in the position that he bats. Jonny Bairstow also needs to be more productive where he is batting."
Watch day four of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia live on Sky Sports The Ashes and Main Event from 10am.
You can also follow over-by-over commentary and in-play clips on our rolling blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
