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Ok, that\u2019s enough from this page for one day, I\u2019ll see you back here when the caravan pitches up in Melbourne. Time to redirect you to the more considered content from the likes of Geoff Lemon, Barney Ronay, and first, Ali Martin.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I\u2019m clutching at straws but surely managing to take the third Test into the fifth day constitutes a moral victory for England in the Ashes?\u201d pleads Colum Fordham. \u201cAh how sweet is the taste of victory!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Jim Lines asks the question that once began as a taunt but must now be given serious sporting (if not financial) consideration. \u201cWith the anomalous exception of 2010\/11, the Aussie-hosted Ashes have been embarrassingly one-sided for decades. Given the calendar pressures combined with the diminishing status of first-class cricket, at what point does is it reduced to a three-Test series?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Travis Head and Alex Carey wrested this match away from England yesterday, but the tourists could still take some hope from engineering an Australian collapse from 311-4 to 349 all out. With momentum behind them and Ben Stokes in the line-up, an unlikely target of 435 was not beyond the realms of possibility, but first the brittle top order would have to survive a testing 20 minute spell before lunch. Ben Duckett was unable to do just that, continuing his wretched tour with another soft dismissal.<\/p>\n The afternoon session saw Ollie Pope come and go quickly, and demand serious interrogation of England\u2019s selectors should be be seen in his playing whites on Boxing Day in Melbourne. The other Englishman battling for his place at the start of the tour, Zak Crawley, seems likely to end it more secure than ever of his status. Today he compiled a studied 85, building a series of promising partnerships before he became one of Nathan Lyon\u2019s three victims.<\/p>\n The spinner turned the match his side\u2019s way with the scalps of Crawley and Ben Stokes to beautiful deliveries, and Harry Brook to the kind of brain fade that is become the hallmark of the batter\u2019s career. Amongst all that Pat Cummins dismissed Joe Root for the 13th time in Tests, Mitchell Starc was warned twice for running onto the protected part of the strip, and Cummins may have rolled an ankle in the outfield, hardly bowling in the final session.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.27 EST<\/p>\n Close of play Day 4: England 207-6 (Target 435)<\/p>\n The battle for the Ashes survives another day, but that is only because Australia were denied the time to administer the last rites this evening. England\u2019s performance was full of bright moments but as is now customary Australia\u2019s superior skill shone through in the end.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 63rd over: England 207-6 (Smith 2, Jacks 11) Jacks survives the final over of the day, despite Head beating his outside edge, and England reach stumps.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 62nd over: England 207-6 (Smith 2, Jacks 11) After 17 dot balls without any indication England cared about scoring Smith is able to work a delivery through the ring on the legside for a single. And like London buses two come along at once! One over left in the day\u2019s play.<\/p>\n \u201cBazball has failed, but no differently than its predecessors,\u201d explains Lindsay Went. \u201cIn England\u2019s 34(!) Test defeats in Australia since 1989, there has not been a single close loss involved. There\u2019s a lone 5 wicket loss and a solo 98 run loss. As for the rest, there\u2019s six innings defeats, eleven by 200 runs or more, nine by 8 wickets or more with the remaining eight falling in between. And people stay up all night to watch this? That\u2019s devotion – or insanity!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 61st over: England 205-6 (Smith 1, Jacks 10) Head races through an over Jadeja-style as Jacks joins Smith in dead-batting everything. The Ashes<\/a> will remain alive, technically, for another day.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 60th over: England 205-6 (Smith 1, Jacks 10) Smith is hell bent on getting to stumps, crawling to one from 25 deliveries. It\u2019s not without risk though, playing back to Lyon and tickling an edge that avoids an ugly bowled dismissal and catching Carey unawares with the keeper already rising to collect the bouncing ball and unable to pouch the catch off his laces.<\/p>\n Colin Brushwood with some inconvenient truths for the future of English cricket. \u201cAfter every Ashes away stuffing the ECB goes all Yes Minister: a review, a white paper, a shake up blah blah blah. But nothing will make a difference. England will never contain a team of housing estate players who might get stuck right in to the Aussies. Cricket<\/a> may as well be croquet or show jumping in the cities. Grassroots? Sold to developers for flats.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 59th over: England 205-6 (Smith 1, Jacks 10) Australia review a Head delivery that straightens and beats Jacks on his outside edge. They think there was a feather but DRS disagrees.<\/p>\n Nathan Lyon\u2019s 68 Test wickets at the Adelaide Oval is now the joint-second best return by a bowler at an Australian Test ground. Shane Warne also has 68 at the Gabba, behind only Dennis Lillee\u2019s 82 at the MCG.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 58th over: England 199-6 (Smith 0, Jacks 5) Jacks dabs away three Lyon deliveries then sweeps uppishly for a single.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mate came around today and forced Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s Megalopolis into the Blu Ray player,\u201d begins Chris Paraskevas. \u201cA sprawling, egotistical, overblown, irreverent financial and critical disaster that has provided the perfect thematic compliment to England\u2019s impending series defeat and the collapse of the Bazball Empire (playing on the laptop with the movie as soundtrack). Who cares about a competitive series? Leave that sentiment for the India visits: this is all about getting to 5-0! Long live Bazalopilis.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 57th over: England 198-6 (Smith 0, Jacks 4) Australia bring Head back into the attack, presumably goading England into some more comedy dismissals before sundown. Smith doesn\u2019t take the bait, dobbing away a maiden.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 56th over: England 198-6 (Smith 0, Jacks 4) Jacks may well be a golfer, keen for a Sunday tee time at Kooyonga. He aims a couple of lusty reverse sweeps at Lyon, connecting with one that reaches the cover boundary, but in a manner that brings into question his awareness of the match situation.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 55th over: England 194-6 (Smith 0, Jacks 0) For fear of returning to the weeds of an English postmortem, the past two dismissals are examples of Australia\u2019s brilliance more than England\u2019s failings. A brilliance made even more stark when the spinners of both teams are compared side-by-side. However, 177-3 becomes 194-6 as a direct consequence of Brook\u2019s latest brain fade\u2026<\/p>\n Smith sees off a Boland maiden. Presumably the English keeper is not a golfer.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.39 EST<\/p>\n 54th over: England 194-6 (Smith 0, Jacks 0) That was another superb demonstration of Lyon\u2019s ability to generate drift, dragging Crawley out of position and opening the gate to allow the ball to jag through. He almost repeats the trick to Jacks to conclude a wicket maiden but gets too much purchase off the surface.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not my rhetorical questions causing England to collapse, it\u2019s Tony McKnight\u2019s attention. \u201cI know this makes me a poor fan, and I know it\u2019s fanciful, but I\u2019ve gone away from the game 3 times because it\u2019s too stressful (they couldn\u2019t could they?), and then each time I come back, \u2018just for a minute,\u2019 just checking in\u2019, we lose a wicket, (Root, Brook, Stokes). Apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n With the coda, in case we were unconvinced of his superpower: \u201cyou can add Crawley to the list.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Crawley st Carey b Lyon 85 (England 194-6)<\/p>\n Why do I ask these rhetorical questions? Lyon sends down a textbook delivery that beats Crawley through the gate. Carey gathers it with the minimum of fuss and whips off the bails with the England opener still balanced on his front foot a metre outside his crease. The end is nigh.<\/p>\n Nathan Lyon rips through England\u2019s middle-order at Adelaide Oval. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.43 EST<\/p>\n 53rd over: England 194-5 (Crawley 85, Smith 0) Crawley continues his lone hand, whipping Boland to the midwicket fence for a boundary. Then he rotates the strike to reveal a typically skittish-looking Smith. There\u2019s half-an-hour of play remaining today. Are we coming back tomorrow?<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Stokes b Lyon 5 (England 189-5)<\/p>\n Lyon comes around the wicket to Crawley now and again the batter tries to sweep (reverse) the opening delivery. He fails to connect, raising the prospect of an lbw. He goes again next ball, this time sending a decent stroke out to the point sweeper to move into the 80s. Stokes is still watchful, dotting from the crease, but even in a hyper-defensive mode he can\u2019t keep out a Lyon pearler! From around the wicket the ball drifts onto leg stump, draws the England skipper forward, bounces and spins past the shoulder of the defensive stroke and clips the top of off-stump. That\u2019s why he\u2019s the GOAT. Masterful delivery.<\/p>\n 52nd over: England 189-5 (Crawley 80)<\/p>\n Ben Stokes is bowled by Nathan Lyon as Australia close on victory in the third Ashes Test. Photograph: Quinn Rooney\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.45 EST<\/p>\n 51st over: England 188-4 (Crawley 79, Stokes 5) Scott Boland replaces the out-of-sorts Starc but he overpitches to Stokes who batters him Lara-like through the covers with a massive stride and runner\u2019s lunge.<\/p>\n Speaking of West Indian greats, the superbly named Andy Roberts has come steaming in from the sight-screen. \u201cWatching and reading along here, enjoying the cricket so far,\u201d he begins, softening us up, \u201cbut I need to get something off my chest.<\/p>\n At the risk of sounding like a pedant of the first order, I can\u2019t stand it when people talk about Australia \u201cwinning the Ashes\u201d during this 25\/26 series, or \u201cwinning the Ashes\u201d in England. Australia can\u2019t win the Ashes because they already hold them. They will continue to hold them until England can muster a definitive series victory. Until then, Australia will RETAIN the Ashes. They RETAINED the Ashes in England by drawing the series, and are likely to RETAIN the Ashes in this Australian summer with a series win. When people get it wrong, they are fundamentally misunderstanding the nature of an Ashes contest. It is not just another series that you win lose or draw; there is a prize that needs to be won – wrested from the holder clearly and totally. The outcome of the Test series – win, lose or draw – is secondary to who wins or retains the Ashes.<\/p>\n Okay, rant over. I\u2019ll get back to relaxing by the pool and waiting for the Australian win. I\u2019m calling 150 runs.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 50th over: England 183-4 (Crawley 78, Stokes 1) Crawley has dealt with Lyon so far by sweeping him early in an over, and he does just that again, whipping him powerfully for four through square-leg. Thereafter the bowler adjusts a fraction shorter allowing the tall batter to play him from the crease and pick his spot for an easy single. Stokes remains watchful.<\/p>\n Gervase Greene adds more meat to the bones of the \u201cwhy don\u2019t Australia get pelters for not winning in England\u201d question.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralia in England has almost always been competitive, whereas England are rarely so over here. Lest we forget those last six tours (and there\u2019s a sample bias there, as it dates from the demise of the all-time great Australian dynasty) saw two series drawn and three of four series narrowly lost. The corresponding English tours Down Under were for the most part laughably one-sided. 2006\u2019s 0-5, 2013\u2019s 0-5, 2017\u2019s 0-4 and 2021\u2019s 0-4. Or to put it another way, overall in the six series in England, England won 14 Tests and Australia 8. In the past six series in Australia, England won 3 Test and Australia 19. Share<\/a><\/p>\n 49th over: England 178-4 (Crawley 73, Stokes 1) \u201cThis is the best I\u2019ve ever seen Crawley bat,\u201d purrs Justin Langer, offering the opener a backhanded compliment amidst a thorough takedown of England\u2019s inability to bat for time. Stokes is actually the man on srtike during the over, allowing another off-colour Starc over to mostly pass through to the keeper.<\/p>\n A lovely two act play from Philip Rebbeck:<\/p>\n 17:04: \u201c\u2018Hoist by his own petard\u2019 is already past tense Jonathan. And I hope it doesn\u2019t happen to Brook.\u201d<\/p>\n 17:05: \u201cOh dear.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.13 EST<\/p>\n 48th over: England 178-4 (Crawley 73, Stokes 1) That\u2019s the fourth time in six innings Brook has got himself in, and on three of those occasions he has got himself out. The margin between success and failure is wafer thin.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.13 EST<\/p>\n WICKET! Lyon b Brook 30 (England 177-4)<\/p>\n Lol. Option b it is then.<\/p>\n Nathan Lyon is recalled, Harry Brook misses the reverse sweep, and off balance he can scarcely believe the ball cannoned into his off stump. Another ugly dismissal for the prodigiously talented Englishman.<\/p>\n Harry Brook is bowled by Nathan Lyon at Adelaide Oval. Photograph: Gareth Copley\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.47 EST<\/p>\n 47th over: England 176-3 (Crawley 72, Brook 30) Starc looks a shadow of his usual self bowling without rhythm from around the wicket. Brook is either a) starting to look very dangerous and ready to prove his class, or b) just about to be hoisted by his own petard.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a very basic understanding of cricket, so just wondering, since Australia hasn\u2019t won an Ashes in England in a very long time either, why doesn\u2019t Australia seem to get judged as harshly?\u201d Very fair question Rina. I think because around those series Australia have won the World Test Championship, a bunch of 50-over World Cups, and only lost by fine margins (2023 & 2019 both 2-2 draws, and 2015 2-3). There hasn\u2019t been the abject failure on the scale England tend to deliver on a quadrennial basis.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 46th over: England 171-3 (Crawley 70, Brook 28) After 30-or-so deliveries #diggingin Harry Brook has started to resemble his usual self. He takes Head for seven runs from three deliveries, including a powerfully struck reverse sweep for four. Crawley moves into the 70s with what is becoming a characteristically straight bat and straightforward off drive.<\/p>\n WinViz is still drunk, reckoning England have a 13% chance of victory. Pretty sure it\u2019s been at least 10% all innings.<\/p>\n Allow content provided by a third party?<\/p>\n This article includes content hosted on embed.bsky.app. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45th over: England 158-3 (Crawley 65, Brook 20) The final drinks break of the day has been taken. Starc resumes, still from around the wicket, and still displeased with his landing foot. He looks as unthreatening as he has all series and England continue to milk offside runs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 44th over: England 153-3 (Crawley 61, Brook 19) Head replaces Lyon and he almost makes an immediate breakthrough! Brook advances but gets beaten in flight, the ball spins into his pad and ricochets away, fortunately for him well out of reach of Carey with a stumping in the offing. Crawley moves into the 60s.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of me expected to wake up to Travis Head and Alex Carey still batting,\u201d emails Guy Hornsby, \u201cso I\u2019m going to take this as an England micro-win for now. As despondent as this series has been in terms of expectation v reality, each Test has seen more of an attempt to revert to more game awareness, from the last innings in Brisbane to now. It\u2019s all a bit after the Lord Mayor\u2019s show, sadly. There is a next to zero chance of a win or draw, but they are valuing their wicket, which is something in scant supply recently. Australia are just incredibly and consistently good.<\/p>\n I\u2019m flying to Melbourne today and will be at the MCG on Boxing day with my daughter Leila and brother Dave. I\u2019d be much happier if we were playing like this than how we were at Perth. At least it\u2019s progress.\u201d<\/p>\n Pack for all weather Guy. It was 40C earlier this week down here but the forecast for Boxing Day is just 20, and the G can be an unforgiving blustery corridor when it wants to be.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 43rd over: England 147-3 (Crawley 57, Brook 19) Mitchell Starc replaces Scott Boland in the attack. In case you\u2019re unaware, Starc has received two warnings by the standing umpire for running into the danger area. One more and he will be ordered out of the attack. Starc\u2019s explanation for his miscalculations is the uneven landing area in the popping crease forcing him to adjust his approach angle. He begins his latest spell from around the wicket \u2013 not over \u2013 as he normally would, to avoid further controversy. He doesn\u2019t like his landing position there either, dropping short and wide allowing Brook and Crawley easy runs behind square on the offside.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 42nd over: England 143-3 (Crawley 56, Brook 15) Lyon is getting a lot of turn now from out of the rough, but the variability is still there off the flat. All of which means Carey\u2019s job behind the stumps is incredibly difficult, but he shows superb foot and glovework \u2013 especially down the legside. Standing up to Boland in the previous over he also whipped the bails off for a speculative legside stumping. He is having quite the series.<\/p>\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t another solution to a lack of talent be sending young talented (and fringe) players to play their trade in Australia, South Africa and the Caribbean?\u201d asks John. \u201cDidn\u2019t do Alex Hales or Phil Salt any harm.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 41st over: England 139-3 (Crawley 53, Brook 14) Right on cue, the mischievous young Hal Brook rocks back and whips Boland off a length over midwicket for four. He then puts his cue in the rack for the remainder of the over. The Yorkshireman is 14 off 40 deliveries. He has yet to settle but, like Crawley, he is grinding, mostly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be forgotten that Australia hasn\u2019t won any of the last 6 Ashes series in England (4 losses, 2 draws),\u201d reminds Warren from Brisbane. \u201cEngland are quite good in England.\u201d<\/p>\n Excellent reminder Warren. And why I\u2019m not against the whole Bazball methodology. They identified a weakness (winning in Australia) and established a plan to rectify it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 40th over: England 135-3 (Crawley 53, Brook 10) Lyon is getting increasingly assertive as he grows into his work. England respond with a series of reverse sweeps. Crawley then goes back to a length delivery that keeps low and requires a nervous stab to stop it from shivering his timbers.<\/p>\n Brian Withington remains glued to his box. \u201cWho is this opener and what has he done with Zak Crawley? And while we ponder that, can we have the mischievous young Hal Brook back please?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 39th over: England 131-3 (Crawley 52, Brook 7) \u201cThat\u2019s the worst batting I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d laments Ricky Ponting, as Harry Brook moves to the offside and attempts to scoop Scott Boland from a yorker length, only to lose his balance and squirt an under edge towards square-leg. That was to the fifth delivery of a trademark line-length Boland over, with the batter on seven from 29 deliveries, with the score at 131\/3 chasing 435. Barney could file a 2,000 world column on that shot as a microcosm of the tour.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I bow to no man or woman n my respect for Joy Division\/New Order and Ceremony, surely a better choice for England would be Atmosphere,\u201d emails Sam. \u201c\u2018We walked in silence\u2019 is probably a fair description of the batman getting back to the dressing room.<\/p>\n BTW, if there\u2019s one word that strikes me for the English performance, it would be \u201cunderdone\u201d. I\u2019m no expert on preparation, but one side (with a few honourable exceptions) is still playing like they just got off the plane, did a session in the nets and then went out for the toss.\u201d<\/p>\n This one goes out to Sussan Ley and the rest of the Hacienda massive.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 38th over: England 131-3 (Crawley 52, Brook 7) The pitch is starting to give Lyon the natural variation that makes him so dangerous. The odd one is holding its line while others are spitting out of clouds of dust. Crawley is less able to sweep his way out of trouble and gets a little lucky when a backfoot prod from the crease carries a long way in the air without being intercepted by a fielder.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 37th over: England 131-3 (Crawley 52, Brook 7) Boland is less accurate this over, allowing Crawley and Brook to work singles standing tall, then he slips a touch straight and raps Crawley on his pads. The Victorian is adamant he should have an LBW but the umpire, and captain Cummins, disagree \u2013 accurately as Hawkeye confirms.<\/p>\n Allow content provided by a third party?<\/p>\n This article includes content hosted on embed.bsky.app. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 36th over: England 129-3 (Crawley 51, Brook 6) Australia\u2019s frontline spinner replaces the part-timer and Crawley punches Lyon away for three to bring up a hard earned 50. A diligent knock from the opener, demonstrating to his critics that he has the fortitude to grind out a rearguard knock. Brook does not relish his time at the crease, missing on his inside edge to have the veteran off-spinner bellowing for an LBW. No dice. Probably doing too much. As if to prove the point a delivery later in the over spins from outside off down the legside above the height of the bails. Hmmm, not what England wanted to see, but that was nice from Garry.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.09 EST<\/p>\n 35th over: England 123-3 (Crawley 47, Brook 4) Cummins has a rest to allow Boland another spell, which in turn brings Carey back up to the stumps. Just the single from it.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an Aussie I completely agree with your overview of why Bazball hasn\u2019t been a failure – but the issue is with the overall talent pathways in England,\u201d emails Luke.<\/p>\n \u201cCurious what you think of the current county system. Is the current administration not picking from county cricket a symptom of it not functioning as it should? Comparing it to the Aussie shield system with 6 teams – I wonder if there\u2019s too many county sides diluting the quality? Would a system with like 4-8 \u201crepresentative sides\u201d of sets of counties be viable? Give English players a higher level of red ball cricket to learn at – before they enter the national team?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a complicated problem. Lots of people suggest there are too many counties, but then the first and second division set-up should moderate that issue to a degree. Moreover, many of the counties at risk of merging or being cast aside exist as community assets in their own right independent of the English high-performance pathway. Then you have the inescapable realty of English weather making early season matches dominated by medium-pace seam on soft green pitches and so reducing the exposure of spin bowlers and conditioning the techniques of batters. Add in the congested calendar (especially the overlapping IPL) and the importance of white ball cricket to the bottom line, and you have a system not set up for Test match success.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 34th over: England 122-3 (Crawley 46, Brook 4) Head is into his fourth over and there is plenty of noisey chirping around the bat as Brook tries, and mostly fails, to assert himself on the contest. Eventually he rotates strike before Crawley profits from an unguarded mid-off to run three.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 33rd over: England 118-3 (Crawley 43, Brook 3) Lovely shot from Crawley, picking the length early and pulling Cummins effortlessly for four in front of midwicket. Cummins has 3\/24 from 10 overs. The rest have 0\/94 from 23.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 32nd over: England 113-3 (Crawley 39, Brook 2) Head is still in the game and he draws a false shot from Brook that isn\u2019t far from a regulation leading-edge caught and bowled.<\/p>\n Back to the previous post and the topic of Joy Division\u2019s Ceremony, this has long been a favourite version of mine, by the overlooked Galaxie 500.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 31st over: England 110-3 (Crawley 38, Brook 0) Crawley absorbs a Cummins maiden with no alarm.<\/p>\n \u201cI prefer at this point to think of a song to sum up the performance,\u201d emails David in Tokyo. \u201cI\u2019m thinking Joy Division\u2019s \u201cCeremony\u201d (the gritty Radiohead cover): This is why it\u2019s so unnerving \/ Then again the same old story\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 30th over: England 110-3 (Crawley 38, Brook 0) Head continues and he gets a ripper to turn and bounce on Crawley, draw the bat-pad edge and is unfortunate it doesn\u2019t go to hand on the legside. The opener nurdles himself off strike before Brook dots a couple to work his way into the contest.<\/p>\n In case you were wondering, that is the 13th time Cummins has taken Root\u2019s wicket in Test cricket. I\u2019m confident plenty of them looked exactly like that one too, line and length, the ball holding its line after pitching and inducing the false stroke.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Root c Carey b Cummins 39 (England 109-3)<\/p>\n Pat Cummins takes responsibility from the other end after Tea and he sends down five unerring dot balls before a sixth tickles the edge of Root\u2019s bat and carries through to Carey. England\u2019s pre-Tea optimism evaporates.<\/p>\n 29th over: England 109-3 (Crawley 37)<\/p>\n Joe Root feels the pain of being dismissed by Pat Cummins at Adelaide Oval. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.50 EST<\/p>\n 28th over: England 109-2 (Crawley 37, Root 39) Australia begin after Tea by chucking the ball to Travis Head. And why not? On his home deck, buoyed by plundering a stack of runs maybe he will have the golden arm required to disrupt a partnership that blossomed nicely before the break.<\/p>\n For four deliveries there\u2019s little to report as England nudge a couple of singles \u2013 then Root pads away a spinning delivery wide of off-stump and Head appeals like a man possessed. The decision is declined on-field because it did pitch miles outside off, but Cummins reviews. DRS reveals UMPIRE\u2019S CALL with ball tracking indicating the delivery would be clipping the outside edge of the off bail but not spinning enough to take a satisfactory chunk of wood. Very very lucky for Joe Root and almost a stroke of genius from Australia straight after Tea.<\/p>\n Controversial opinion: batters playing no shot should lose the onus of an \u201cumpire\u2019s call\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.36 EST<\/p>\n The players return for the final session of play. There are 41 overs or 150 minutes of action remaining. Could it be the final session of the Ashes as a going concern, or a magical chapter in the most unlikely comeback in Test history?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNo doubt this is a talented England team, and Bazball has enabled them to showcase that talent in a way a more conservative style would not,\u201d opens Andrew Byrne, \u201cbut this Australian team has the strongest bowling line-up in world cricket, by some margin; does the basics very well; and plays as a disciplined, cohesive unit. There\u2019s no shame in losing to this Australian team. They\u2019re the best in the world for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Absolutely. Amongst the unstitching of England\u2019s approach this point cannot be lost. Travis Head, Alex Carey, and Mitchell Starc are all heading towards series of historic greatness, despite pre-tour predictions the primary dangers would be Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood.<\/p>\n And as I mentioned earlier<\/a>, Australia\u2019s excellence is no one-off, they routinely humiliate England, so a radical change of approach had merit.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.13 EST<\/p>\n On the topic of the cultural status of cricket in England, Stephen Jones questions whether the status quo will prevent anything actually being done about it, even if issues and solutions are identified.<\/p>\n \u201cNo doubt a review will occur. English cricket seems to be a procession of playing and reviewing. And so three years on how many recommendations have been implemented?\u201d he asks, in reference to the the Andrew Strauss-led Men\u2019s High Performance Review<\/a> of 2022.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt just seems the depth of talent is not there to match that of the Australians,\u201d emails Paul. \u201cAttending here in Adelaide I sense this is a truly national game with the nation as a whole thoroughly engaged. There is no upper class public school divergence from working class cricketers, and as an older reader I can remember when it was unthinkable that the Test matches were not on free to air television, when we sat on the beach with transistors listening to John Arlott.<\/p>\n We need a reinvigoration of the cultural status of Cricket<\/a> as a thoroughly English phenomenon.<\/p>\n Fred Flintoff\u2019s initiative with working class kids is a very encouraging development. Could we get similar things going all around the country? When you compare such a potential fledgling movement with \u201cel Sistema\u201d in Venezuela, which got kids of all backgrounds to play a musical instrument, it could lead to a ressurgent flowering and create a pool of talent stretching way beyond the present confines of English \u201cPublic\u201d schools. The ECB enabling free to air all day test matches on the BBC would be a good start.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Tea: England 106-2 (Target 435)<\/p>\n Following a couple of early wickets England have dug in nicely. They enjoyed the better of the last hour of the session with Crawley and Root sharing a 75-run partnership at 4.32rpo. A series-saving victory remains fanciful in the extreme but the ball is doing little for the seamers and this pair have show how to get on top of Nathan Lyon. With some application there\u2019s no reason England can\u2019t take this match into a fifth day.<\/p>\n Zak Crawley and Joe Root walk from the field in Adelaide. Photograph: James Elsby\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.14 EST<\/p>\n 27th over: England 106-2 (Crawley 36, Root 37) With a softening ball Green\u2019s back of a length stock delivery is increasingly unthreatening. Crawley spots his window of opportunity and drills a very handsome cover drive.<\/p>\n \u201cAmidst all the general doom, gloom and hand wringing can we spare a moment to savour this engrossing contest between Joe Root and Nathan Lyon? Top cricket between two of the very best.\u201d It sure is. Root looks so assured sweeping and especially reverse sweeping, denying Lyon the opportunity to settle into a groove. The odd puff of dust suggests the demons in this surface may be lurking close to the surface but they have yet to interfere with the England legend\u2019s concentration.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 26th over: England 99-2 (Crawley 31, Root 36) Lyon moves around the wicket to try to disrupt England\u2019s plan of attack. He lasts five balls and three easy singles before moving back over and gifting Root a fourth easy run for the over. Australia have created very little in the past hour.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 25th over: England 95-2 (Crawley 29, Root 34) England milk Green for three singles.<\/p>\n Ben Barclay turns his attention to England\u2019s selection policy. \u201cWorth remembering England have failed to replace Broad and Anderson, with Archer\u2019s return not enough, yet Starc and Lyon carry on. Atkinson sorely missed here. But the decisions! Jacks in the lineup for his batting, concedes 200 runs and bats a duck. And the Old Boys Club selections, with Pope and Crawley as sure as Death and Taxes, and about as useful. Australia have risen to the occasion, England have sunk to it. Australia are simply a better team, but England are throwing the contest away by beating themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of these decisions I\u2019d be happy defending in theory (clearly in execution they have failed). Putting Anderson and Broad out to pasture felt a little premature at the time (especially considering Woakes was retained) and the absence of an attack leader on this tour has been glaring. Moreover, the success of Boland and Neser proves a rounded attack need not just contain height and pace.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 24th over: England 92-2 (Crawley 27, Root 33) This pair have dealt superbly with Lyon so far. They began by sweeping everything but are not mixing up the sweeps with conventional pushes and the occasional reverse sweep. Root, in particular, is reverse sweeping with confidence, forcing the veteran bowler to mix up his line and length.<\/p>\n \u201cLast time I can sort of see the Covid issue, but this has just been abysmal,\u201d begins John Goldstein. \u201cWe have had the last few years of using a crap ball in our conditions to get the next generation of bowlers used to it. The time of year that ball experience would be of use everybody is playing the various short forms. Yeah, it will be great, we can learn how to reverse swing it. At the same time not really letting the bowlers who actually play for England use it because they are playing Tests or golf. All it did was bolster some averages for batters, stats for the mighty army of stats geeks and get more spin in the game because nobody else wanted to bowl with it. I\u2019m convinced that the people who run the game in England and Wales secretly hate the game and they are trying (and succeeding) to dull any glimmer of enjoyment I have.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the way things are going, by this time tomorrow it\u2019ll be 0-3 in this series. As a Test cricket fan I wish it were more even always. But generally speaking, it simply hasn\u2019t been. Hopefully the next MCC review of KPIs might factor this issue into their mix.\u201d<\/p>\n