Australia add 110 for final three wickets - skipper Pat Cummins contributing a vital 36 and Todd Murphy tonking three sixes in a quick-fire 34 - to nudge tourists into a 12-run lead; watch day three live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday from 10.15am (first ball at 11am)
Saturday 29 July 2023 10:18, UK
England bowled Australia out for 295 to trail by 12 runs after two days at The Kia Oval as they push for a series-levelling victory in the fifth and final Ashes Test.
Australia - 61-1 overnight, some 222 runs behind - were negative in their approach with the bat for most of the day, adding just 234 runs from the 78.1 overs bowled before being bundled out on the stroke of stumps.
It could have been a much better day for England, though, had it not been for some vital lower-order runs and a typically belligerent 71 from Steve Smith, who was perhaps a touch fortunate not to be run out when on 42 and with the score on 193-7.
Smith appeared to suffer the same fate as Ricky Ponting famously in 2005, run out by a sprightly sub fielder (George Ealham), but the third umpire deemed that Jonny Bairstow had disturbed the stumps prior to the ball being in hand and that the bail wasn't fully out of its groove before Smith made his ground.
Instead, Smith notched yet another Ashes fifty and the Australian tail wagged, with 110 added for the final three wickets - skipper Pat Cummins contributing a vital 36 and Todd Murphy smacking three sixes in a quick-fire 34 - to secure the visitors a slender lead ahead of a fascinating third day's play.
Though Australia would eventually topple England's first-innings score, their approach in doing so was questionable right from the off, with just 54 runs added to their overnight score from the morning session.
James Anderson and Mark Wood set the tone by bowling four straight maidens, with four byes off Wood's second over the only blemish. Remarkably, 'extras' would finish the first hour as Australia's top scorer with 12.
The pressure eventually told, with Marnus Labuschagne departing for a painstaking nine off 82 balls as Joe Root claimed an incredible one-handed catch low to his left at slip off Wood (2-62).
For all of England's commendable, miserly work with the ball in the morning, that was the only wicket they had to show for their efforts but that soon changed after the lunch interval, with five falling for 70 runs.
Stuart Broad (2-49) kick-started things with a terrific opening burst that brought the wicket of Usman Khawaja (47) lbw fifth ball - his 150th Ashes wicket - while his dismissal of Travis Head (4) to a thin nick behind in his next over took him to 20 for the series and to the top of the wicket-taking charts.
Mitchell Marsh (16) gave the briefest of glimpses into the shot-making prowess which has become his trademark, launching Broad for one glorious straight six over his head and into the sightscreen, before chopping one onto his stumps to secure Anderson (1-67) the wicket he was so desperately searching for.
Root (2-20) added the scalp of Alex Carey (10), caught at short cover, while a Wood bouncer did for Mitchell Starc (7) shortly before tea.
At that stage, England held a 98-run advantage but a combination of Smith, some determined lower-order batting and some misfortune in the field saw the home side frustrated in the final session.
Smith made the most of his run out reprieve, while Cummins too survived a tight lbw call when on 10 to Broad shortly after the second new ball was taken. Initially given out, the hooping delivery into the right-hander was ultimately shown to be missing leg stump by the finest of margins.
Smith eventually succumbed to a Chris Woakes (3-61) slower ball, top-edging a legside hack high into the air with Australia still 44 runs shy of England, but Cummins evoked memories of his match-winning 44 not out in the first Test at Edgbaston and Murphy delivered some lusty blows to earn the touring side a lead.
Woakes was the man again to make the breakthrough, ending Murphy's fun by pinning him lbw, while Cummins was claimed superbly on the long on boundary by Stokes to end the innings and signal stumps.
England seamer James Anderson:
"I think we have had a good day. Maybe we are little bit disappointed that they got past us, but I thought we stuck at it. Credit to Cummins and Murphy, who batted really well.
"I think we bowled really well in that first session. I was surprised Australia didn't try something - walk at us, put us off our lengths, do something different.
"I was pleased with the way I bowled all day. I felt in good rhythm and that I was getting the ball to carry through... I just tried to hit the pitch as hard as I could. I got a bit of swing and seam movement now and then but I was just trying to keep it as simple as possible."
Australia's Steve Smith after top-scoring with 71:
"You look at the scorecards and they are similar. It would have been nice to have got a bigger lead as the wicket was pretty good.
"There was a bit of swing around but the wicket played quite nice. A lot of us got in and had good starts but were not able to go on with it.
"There was no set plan [to grind it out]. We talked about the batters playing what they saw in front of them. I think England bowled well this morning, did not give us lots of freebies.
"You want to keep the scoreboard ticking as much as possible but guys are allowed to bowl well. You have to respect those periods at times."
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting:
"I think Australia will be disappointed, to be honest.
"Steve Smith talked about how good the wicket was. There was some swing but that's just part of playing Test cricket in England.
"Australia turned up this morning 61-1 and I'm sure they will have had a much bigger picture in mind than what we've seen, bowled out for 295.
"England did bowl really well this morning but I don't think there was enough pressure put back on them.
"Australia have been lucky to escape and get out of jail a bit with the late runs from Cummins and Murphy at the end."
Watch day three of the fifth Ashes Test live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday. Build-up starts at 10.15am with the first ball at 11am. Stream The Ashes and more with NOW.
