England v Australia, 3rd Test, Headingley, 6-10 July, 2023

2 days of rain?

Would be nice to win a toss and for the Oppo to have the worst of the conditions inc pitch.

Poms doctoring the Climate now, H ....

Wow, surprised they got on. It was still sprinkling and very soggy when I went to bed after midnight.

Looks like it will be 2-1 and all to play for unless for some miracle bowling performance.

Well done England.

Looks like Travis did his best but nobody else could really help him.

Forecast looks ok.

We need a bit of a bowling miracle from here to avoid 2-1.

Need 4-5 wickets before lunch or we have no chance.

Miracle territory.

Mark Wood has missed a possible 80 Tests since he debuted eight years ago (this is his 29th actual appearance).

A case of what might have been? Or just inevitable for a bowler operating at his pace, if he’d been coached into a run-of-the-mill 80mph bowler as so many others have, we wouldn’t have this trump card to play when he is available in the right conditions.

All in the mix!

Crawley, so often good for 30s-40s, rarely seems to push on.

Jangly Brook in at 5. Could be tense. Amazing how jittery also Root appears to be, after all these Tests and experience. The McCullum Effect doesn't appear to work for him. Either slogs crazily, or pushes nervously.

England need some Yorkie nerve here - not Yorkie nerves. Or else Aus will win this, and the series.

50-50 at this stage. The Moeen experiment didn’t work and there’s still questions to be asked over what the top three should be. Any obvious contenders from outside the current squad?

England to get there at 7 down.

I thought the Root wicket had swung it slightly Australia’s way but the computer still says the opposite.

Incidentally, the tie belongs to Australia, in terms of retaining the Ashes even if not winning the series outright yet…

Can't see us getting out of this - I blame our first innings collapse [6-23] more than Stokes' incredible knock in England's first innings. Stokes looks impassable and will likely finish with an undefeated half ton, Man Of The Match (and series).

That's the session. Less than a session to go, whatever the result.

Wicket not doing much so 4 wickets was probably better than I'd hoped for.

Brook looks set and Stokes won't be throwing his wicket away.

2-1 to Aus looks a safe bet atm.

lardbucket wrote:Can't see us getting out of this - I blame our first innings collapse [6-23] more than Stokes' incredible knock in England's first innings. Stokes looks impassable and will likely finish with an undefeated half ton, Man Of The Match (and series).

Too right, Mr bucket. That's a 100+ run turnaround that could've seen England needing another 200+ from here.

Whenever you think it was going one way, or the other ...

it goes the other way again.

furriner wrote:England to get there at 7 down.

Looks a good call.

“Not today”, says Starc…

Jon gone
England done?

4 bowlers and Brook left.

With 80 still to go.

A bit thin.

Will Bairstow be in Manchester? He’s sleepwalking.

lardbucket wrote:Will Bairstow be in Manchester? He’s sleepwalking.

Hell, Kumar says the same thing.

lardbucket wrote:Will Bairstow be in Manchester? He’s sleepwalking.

Well, Stokes won’t be, if we lose… could it be a virtual shadow side? I know dead rubbers need to be taken seriously as individual Tests (though were it not for advance ticket sales, there’d be an argument for not bothering) and there’s WTC points at stake, and the memory of the infamous Kerrigan match, etc… but these are two old teams, and there’s sense in looking to the future.

Brook looks very good still. Think your mob have it.