25m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:30pmThird Ashes Test live: Day four at Adelaide Oval

1m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:54pm

72nd over – Carse carries on

He zeroes in on the off stump of Travis Head, who’s able to squirt the ball away through point, with Harry Brook’s deflection taking it past his teammate and into the outfield for two more.

Head cops another one on the thigh, and jogs through for a leg bye.

6m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:50pm

71st over – Alex Carey faces Ben Stokes

He ducks under a short ball.

The next one is a bit better directed and Carey tucks it around the corner for a single. Just like yesterday, I don’t think Trav is sprinting too many twos this morning.

Head hammers a cover drive and it takes a superb stops by Joe Root to turn a certain boundary into another single.

7m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:48pm150 for Travis Head!

It’s another gift of a delivery — short and outside off — and Travis Head throws his flashing blade at it, launching it over third man for four.

He’s reached 150 off 205 balls.

His Test average at this ground currently sits over 88 from eight games.

11m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:44pm

70th over – Carse is back …

… back of a length, that is. And Head drops behind point for one more.

He gets onto Carey’s pads and that’s another single to deep backward square.

Carse has Head on the hop as the ball seams back in at him. He manages to get it away behind point and jog through for a single. The throw comes in, forcing Head to put in some effort for the run, which is the right call from the English fielders. Unfortunately, the direct hit at the bowler’s end ricochets away for an overthrow.

15m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:41pm

69th over – Stokes continuing with the old ball

And he starts down the leg side too.

He angles in at Travis Head from around the wicket and Head cops it on the thigh.

Oh so close for Stokes as Head pushes at one and chops he inside edge past his stumps for a single.

Another thickish edge, this time off the outside of Carey’s blade, runs away behind point and that’s one more to the tally.

A flashing whips from Head earns him another single to deep backward point and Carey blocks the last ball of the over.

19m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:36pm

68th over – Alex Carey facing Brydon Carse

Carse instead of Archer is an interesting choice, although perhaps Jofra is being saved for the new ball’s arrival midway through this session.

Four! Carse starts wide and short (aka his stock delivery for much of this series) and Carey clatters it through cover.

Carey has a look at another one, but it’s straight to point.

Carse sprays one down leg and Jamie Smith moves really well to make a diving, one-handed stop.

24m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:31pmBen Stokes bowls his first over of the innings to start day four(Getty)

England is looking for “something magical”. Can he provide it one more time?

He’s around the wicket to Alex Carey, who’s defending outside off.

The first runs of the day come as Stokes strays onto Carey’s pads and he clips behind square for a single.

Just the one run from the over.

32m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:23pm

Will Australia declare?

Morning Jon. We could be in for a real test cricket day. Wonder if Pat will have enough faith in his bowlers to declare at 450 lead so we could see a Bazball chase or will he just bat to the death to ensure the Ashes ? As a test cricket tragic I hope he lays it on the line.

– Phillip

Surely the big question today is whether Australia will declare at some point. Will Australia give England a chance to chase a target or bat this test to a draw and deny them the ashes?

– Doc

Let’s not spend too much time speculating about declarations until Australia gets to at least lunch with wickets still intact.

(Getty)

England has a “no more draws” mentality under Brendon McCullum (although maybe that’s changed on this tour too) and needs to win to keep the series alive anyway, so they can’t bat out a draw. Plus, we know England loves chasing and the batters are at their best when no-one expects them to pull it off (unfortunately, everyone expects them to do the unexpected now, so the expectation is always there).

Australia is 4-271, leading by 356 runs with Travis Head 142* and Alex Carey 52* on their home deck. Head chucked a wobbly a few years back when he was run out on 175, so we know he desperately wants a double, and Carey has the chance to score twin tons in a Test in front of friends and family.

These guys should just bat properly and long trying to grind England into the dirt.

If there’s a collapse — say 6-50 — that’s still a 400-run lead and SHOULD be defendable.

All that to say, I don’t think Cummins should be thinking about a declaration before tea.

36m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:20pm’Knackered’ Stokes needing a ‘bit of time to himself’

Ben Stokes was a notable absence from the bowling crease yesterday, not bowling a single over of his side’s 66.

He looked like he was struggling with some sort of groin issue in the field and for much of his mammoth innings with the bat.

But, speaking after the close of play yesterday, assistant coach Jeetan Patel said the England captain just needed “a bit of time to himself” after a massive effort so far in the series.

“From what I understand, he’s pretty fit to bowl,” said Petal.

“I think he’s pretty knackered and taken a lot out of himself to get through to this point in the game…I think he might be a bit tired and need a bit time to himself right now.”

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean Stokes isn’t carrying a knock.

But it does mean that the England camp doesn’t want us to think he’s carrying a knock.

44m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:12pmWe could see the fastest Ashes win in 104 years today

In 1921, the first Ashes series in England since the start of World War I, Australia won the first three Test in just eight days of play.

Warwick ‘Big Ship’ Armstrong leads Australia out for the first Test at Trent Bridge. (Getty)

But that was back in the days when the team cards featured names like Stork Hendry, Tich Richmond,  Nip Pellew, ‘Young Jack’ Hearne and Lord Tennyson.

In the 100-plus years since, 11 days is the quickest any series has been decided — with Nasser Hussain joking he was “quite proud” of holding that record since 2001.

We enter day four in the third Test with just nine days’ play under our belts.

Could we see the series won faster than any team in the past century today?

Australia leads by 356 runs with two set batters at the crease. England has to go for the win to stay alive in the series and to satisfy their own insistence on their ‘no more draws’ philosophy, so Pat Cummins shouldn’t be thinking about a declaration any time before tea today.

49m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:06pm

Quick hits from day three

It was another really good day of Test cricket in Adelaide yesterday, which means there was A LOT to unpack.

If you don’t have time to dive into all the machinations and hand-wringing, check out our quick hits for a quick rundown of everything you need to know.

54m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 11:01pm

What happened on day three

England showed admirable fight with the bat on Friday morning, then actual skill and tactics with the ball, only for two of South Australia’s favourite sons to rip out their hearts in the evening.

1h agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 10:54pm

Travball don’t lie

For the second time this summer and fourth straight year on this oval, the day belonged to Travis Head.

Dean Bilton is at Adelaide Oval, and doesn’t even need to look at the field to know who Australia’s favourite cricketer is …

1h agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 10:40pmWelcome to day four in Adelaide(Getty)

As we enter just the 10th day of play in this series, Australia could retain the urn in record time today. Will it happen, or will England finally find a Bazball moment?

For the latter to happen, the tourists would have to find a way to prise two of South Australia’s favourite sons from the crease, which has proved a difficult task for them all summer long.

Play on day four isn’t far away, so let’s get into it!