Root, Bairstow, Crawley give England big lead over Australia

29.07.2023 - 18:49 channelnewsasia.com

LONDON :England batted with positive intent to take control of the final Ashes test at The Oval on Saturday, moving on to 389-9 at the close on the third day with a 377-run lead over Australia.Joe Root (91), Jonny Bairstow (78) and Zak Crawley (73) were the major contributors for the hosts who trail 2-1 in the series and are battling to stop Australia winning the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.Crawley set the tone by driving the first ball of the day from Mitchell Starc to the cover boundary before he and Ben Duckett shared a fluent opening partnership of 79.Duckett fell for 42 when he edged Starc to wicketkeeper Alex Carey and the Australians successfully reviewed the umpire's decision of not out but that was the touring side's only success of the morning as they struggled to restrict the flow of runs.Crawley, who struck nine fours, was out straight after lunch flashing at a wide ball from Pat Cummins and edging a catch to Steve Smith in the slips.Root joined Ben Stokes and they added 63 for the third wicket before Stokes (42) tried to loft spinner Todd Murphy over long on and gave Cummins a simple catch.Root looked in excellent touch, hitting 11 fours and one six as he passed fifty for the 90th time in tests.Harry Brook, who struck his second ball from Murphy straight for six, was dismissed for seven by a fine lifting ball from Josh Hazlewood which he nicked through to Carey.Root looked certain to make a century but fell nine runs short, deceived by a turning delivery from Murphy that kept low and bowled him.Bairstow also showed great attacking intent and found the boundary 11 times before playing a lazy cut at Starc and giving Carey another simple catch.Chris Woakes and Mark Wood were out cheaply but

bowling show cover Pat Cummins Alex Carey Mark Wood Zak Crawley Jonny Bairstow Steve Smith Chris Woakes Josh Hazlewood Harry Brook Todd Murphy Australia county Smith

Australia skipper Pat Cummins could miss the three-match ODI series against India next month having played the fifth Ashes Test with a suspected broken wrist. Cricket Australia is yet to reveal the details of Cummins' injured left wrist. The men from Down Under will fly to India for the ODI series, which is slated to begin on September 22 in Mohali. However, "two sources with knowledge of the matter but not authorised to speak publicly say medical staff have not ruled out a possible fracture," according to the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

'Spooked By Bazball, Scared Of England': Michael Vaughan Taunts Australia

England had a memorable last day of the fifth Ashes Test as the Ben Stokes-led team fought till the last to win the Test and draw the series. At 264-3, chasing a mammoth target of 384, Australia had a chance to pull off an improbable victory on the last day of the fifth and final Test at The Oval. A draw would have been enough to have sealed the series. But instead, they suffered a dramatic collapse, losing their last seven wickets for 70 runs, as England won by 49 runs to end the series all square at 2-2 -- the same result as the 2019 Ashes.

Broad smashes one last six as England set Australia 384 target

LONDON : Stuart Broad had time to smash one final six before England were bowled out for 395 on the fourth day of the final Ashes test at The Oval on Sunday, setting Australia an imposing target of 384 for the win.

England vs Australia, 5th Test, Day 3: Joe Root Leads Run-Spree As England Press For Ashes-Levelling Win

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow combined for a sublime century partnership as England took a giant stride towards levelling the Ashes in the fifth Test at The Oval on Saturday. England, in a match they must win to square the series at 2-2, were 389-9 in their second innings at stumps on the third day -- a commanding lead of 377 runs. Root (91) and Bairstow (78) were both in superb touch during a fifth-wicket stand of 110, with the only sadness for a capacity home crowd the fact that neither Yorkshireman was able to complete an individual hundred.