On a day when persistent rain meant that only about 32 overs were bowled, Australia hit back by taking the wickets of the England openers to leave the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston evenly poised. At stumps on day three, England were 28 for 2, ahead by 35 runs. Usman Khawaja was the mainstay of Australia’s innings with a resolute 141.
A lot of the action took place in a span of just four overs during the second session. After a rain break, when play resumed under lights, Scott Boland and Pat Cummins found appreciable seam movement. With all the rain around, some moisture might have seeped underneath as both` Australian bowlers got the ball to jag around, with Cummins also finding a modicum of swing. From round the wicket, Cummins got one to angle away from Ben Duckett, who edged the ball to Cameron Green at gully. Green pouched the catch just inches above the ground. After giving Shardul Thakur a reprieve in the World Test Championship final, Green seems to be making a habit of taking blinders.
Boland then followed up by snuffing out Zak Crawley with the one that nipped away. Crawley edged it to Alex Carey behind the stumps. Boland, renowned for his seam-bowling skills, also troubled Joe Root by continuously hitting the first-innings centurion on the thigh-pad. In that over, there was also an appeal for an LBW but it was clear that it was too high. Cummins rightly decided to not opt for the review.
However, in the very next over, Cummins placed his belief in the DRS for a caught-behind appeal against Root. Carey, the wicketkeeper, seemed to be the one who convinced Cummins to go for it. But Ultra-Edge confirmed that there was no spike, and that was followed by a loud cheer from the English fans. Just when it seemed almost inevitable that Cummins’ wobble-seam delivery would lead to Root’s dismissal, rain came to England’s rescue.
Just a few hours earlier, the day had started on a better note for England, as they picked up the last five Australian wickets to fall for the addition of 48 runs. Carey (66), who was dropped by Jonny Bairstow for the second time in the innings at the start of play, was castled by a superb delivery from James Anderson. Cummins, who replaced him at the crease, then proceeded to smash Moeen Ali for a couple of sixes.
At that juncture, Moeen also left the field due to a finger problem. On a pitch that was assisting the spinners to some extent, Moeen’s injury problem would have sent a few alarm bells ringing in the English camp. At the other end, Khawaja continued to offer solid defence, alongside collecting a few singles.
Eventually, Ollie Robinson ended Khawaja’s 321-ball vigil with a yorker. Australia, meanwhile, might have made a note of the send-off that Robinson gave to the opener. The Robinson-Broad duo then used the short-ball tactic to dislodge Boland and Cummins as Australia ended up with 386. If England had taken their chances, they would have gained a bigger lead.
We could be in for an intriguing fourth day’s play. What would England’s approach be? Will the Australian seamers find considerable movement? Incidentally, the weather report is better for Monday.
Brief scores: England 393-8 decl. (Joe Root 118*; Nathan Lyon 4-149) and 28-2 (Scott Boland 1-1) lead Australia 385 (Usman Khawaja 141; Ollie Robinson 3-55) by 35 runs.