Cricket
5 hours ago
Lyon brings Australia to the doorstep of Ashes win
By SEN
- LISTEN LIVE: Every ball of the Ashes
- Australia all out for 341 after Head 170
- England need record-breaking 435 to win in Adelaide
Australia needs just four wickets on Day 5 in Adelaide to win the Ashes.
Chasing 435 in the final innings in what would be record-breaking effort, Ben Duckett ensured the Aussies had the upper hand before lunch by fishing at one outside off.
But the English dug in and at many stages had a genuine sniff at reaching Day 5 with plenty of wickets in hand and set bats at the crease.
Zak Crawley led the way with a disciplined and sturdy looking 86 off 151 balls, while Joe Root and Harry Brook looked comfortable until Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon brought about their downfalls respectively.
When Ben Stokes fell to an absolute jaffa from Lyon, England’s hopes were harshly dashed.
It’s now down to the low-on-confidence Will Jacks and Jamie Smith plus the tail to salvage something that would be genuinely hard to fathom now.
*SEN Cricket’s team reflected on the topsy-turvy day’s play.
“In the space of 15 minutes (Lyon) turned the game on its head,” - Bharat Sundaresan.
“Come one, come all on Sunday to see Australia retain the Ashes. The bulk of the work is done… largely on the back of the wizardry of Nathan Lyon at the end of that session.” -Gerard Whateley
“England deserve a lot of credit for the way they approached that innings… but Australia should go to victory.” – Simon Katich
“For Australia, again, a dominant display.” Damien Fleming.
Alex Carey spoke to *Fox Cricket in the post-match and was understandably subdued.
“We want to keep working hard and not look too far ahead,” Carey said on Fox Cricket.
“(Lyon) toiled away all day and finally got some reward. The boys are bowling great areas, but we know it will be hard work again (tomorrow).”
The Ashes are all but in the Australian’s hands, save for the weather wreaking havoc…
5:30pm - Crawley misses out on Adelaide ton
England 6/194 -Smith 0, Atkinson to the crease
He is simply unstoppable at the moment, Nathan Lyon.
Zak Crawley falls 15 runs short of his century thanks to a loose drive and some clean and sharp hands from the red-hot Alex Carey who took the bails off for a stumping with ease.
"In the space of 15 minutes he has turned the game on it's head," Bharat Sundaresan said on SEN Cricket.
"They could win tonight," Adam Collins concluded.
Lyon takes his third wicket of the innings and looks like he could add a few more.
5:22pm - Lyon bamboozles Stokes
England 5/189 - Crawley 80, Smith to the crease
If England were any chance to run down these runs, you felt it would lie largely in the lap of their captain Ben Stokes.
But as disciplined and focused as he would have been, he was no match for an absolute beauty of a delivery from Nathan Lyon.
Drifting towards his leg stump them turning away from Stokes' bat and taking his off stump - it was a thing of beauty.
"What a ball this would be if it's the ball that wins Australia the Ashes," Bharat Sundaresan said on SEN Cricket.
"(Stokes) just stood there and almost admired the delivery like, 'Yeah, that really did get the better of me'."
Adam Collins praised the veteran spinner.
"That drift is to die for. That drift is superb... it's the complete package. Lyon at his absolute best for Australia," Adam Collins added.
The struggling Jamie Smith joins a rock solid Zak Crawley who is not far off his century.
5:01pm - Reverse sweep undoes Brook
England 4/177 - Crawley 73, Stokes to the crease
Harry Brook's brash game has brought about his downfall again.
"It's just the way Harry Brook plays," Tom Morris said on SEN Cricket.
Nathan Lyon gets through the lusty reverse sweep and clips leg stump.
“He's in absolute disbelief. It's taken an absolute beauty from Lyon. One too many times with the reverse (sweep),” said Simon Katich.
"That partnership was brewing danger."
Ben Stokes walks to the crease, this situation suits him to a tee. There's no one England would rather have out there.
4:48pm - Partnership builds between Brook and Crawley
England 3/160 - Crawley 65, Brook 22
These two are putting in a solid shift against a ball that seems to be losing life as they bring up their 50-run partnership off 97 balls.
Mitch Starc is being forced to come around the wicket after two warnings for entering the protected zone while coming over the wicket.
While spin is looking ineffective at the other end due to some classy sweeping and reverse sweeping from England.
If these two bat the day out is it game on?
4:15pm - Crawley passes 50
England 3/131 - Crawley 52, Brook 7
Zak Crawley is crafting a nice innings here striking at a rate below 50 - incredibly unlike the opener.
Harry Brook has adopted a similar approach too as England revert in full to the old ways of Test cricket.
They are almost under 300 runs required.
3:38pm - Cummins gets Root yet again
England 3/109 - Crawley 37, Brook to the crease
Just like that, Joe Root's luck has run out and he has to go for a well made 39.
Root immediately screamed at himself and smacked his bat in frustration as Cummins claims his wicket for the 13th time in Test cricket.
“Lucky in one over, dismissed in the next, Carey takes the catch, Root dismissed for 39!” – Gerard Whateley.
“Like always, it is always Pat Cummins, very similar dismissal from Pat Cummins. That open face of the bat from Joe Root has let him down again.” – Bharat Sundaresan.
3:32pm - Root survives LBW review
England 2/109 - Crawley 37, Root 39
Joe Root left one wide outside off that ripped in late from Travis Head.
Given not out, Pat Cummins reviewed but it was feathering the outside of off stump and the decision remained.
Gerard Whateley was very disappointed with the deicison and thinks the rule should be tweaked.
"It's a very generous call out there... I'm a big believer that if there's no shot offered there should be no umpire's call," Whateley said on SEN Cricket.
TEA
England 2/106 - Crawley 36, Root 37
3:03 - Crawley escapes unwanted record
England 2/99 - Crawley 31, Root 36
Zak Crawley has now scored more than 30, and in doing so has escaped a record that he certainly wouldn't want to have next to his name...
2:45pm - England really bedding in
England 2/73 - Crawley 20, Root 21
These two are playing well within themselves as they try to get to Tea only two down.
It's proper Test match cricket, and not what we're used to from this side, and especially Crawley.
With Lyon on and the keeper up to Boland, it's a real patience Test between the two sides.
Who blinks first?
2:12pm - Complete change of tempo for Crawley
England 2/49 - Crawley 9, Root 9
England opener Zak Crawley has completely changed his game this innings, scoring just 9 from 37 balls.
Typically attacking and playing all of his shots, Crawley is trying to absorb all of the pressure the Aussies try and build on him.
It'll be interesting to see if the tall opener really does have other gears and methods to go to when he needs.
"He's made a decision here that he's going to try and absorb all of this pressure, and good on him for that." - Adam Collins.
1:49pm - Labuschagne screamer sees Cummins get Pope
England 2/31 - Crawley 1, Root to the crease
Pat Cummins has removed Ollie Pope thanks to a Marnus Labuschagne screamer in second slip!
"Oh what a catch! Absolutely brilliant! Marnus Labuschagne stuck out the left mit and it doesn't get better than that. One of the best slips catches you'll ever see." - Adam Collins.
"It gets better with every replay, it is a stunner!"
Pope's horror run continues, while Cummins now has two wickets and 314 overall.
He's now the 6th leading wicket taker for Australia in Test cricket.
1:40pm - Cummins need one wicket to pass Johnson on all-time tally
England 1/28 - Crawley 1, Pope 14
Pat Cummins now has 313 Test wickets, equal with Mitchell Johnson.
Another wicket will have him outright 33rd on the overall Test tally and sixth all-time for Australia.
The captain has 1/13 from his four overs so far today.
1:15 - Can Pope find any form?
England 1/11 - Pope 3, Crawley 0
The first over after Lunch is in the books with Ollie Pope taking two runs off a Mitchell Starc over.
Starc got some serious bounce that over off a length, and the Aussies will love what they're seeing with that.
It wasn't a convincing six balls by Pope, who is horribly out of form.
He needs a massive knock here to keep his spot in the side.
"I'd be surprised if Ollie Pope doesn't feed the slips this afternoon." - Simon Katich
LUNCH
England 1/5 - Crawley 0, Pope 1
12:26pm - Cummins strikes early
England 1/4 - Crawley 0, Pope to the crease
After a hitting a four off his first ball, Ben Duckett goes on his second!
Pat Cummins bowls a length ball which Duckett spars at outside off. Marnus Labuschagne does the rest at second slip.
"Duckett gone second ball, it's 1/4, exactly the plan they have to Duckett. He can not leave the ball alone!" - Adam Collins.
"That is the definition of catching practice. Cummins can't believe his luck. That is just a nothing shot."
Ollie Pope now heads to the crease where he's playing for his spot in the side.
12:24pm - Starc sends down first over
England 0/0 - Crawley 0, Duckett 0
England get through Mitchell Starc's first over in the second innings without scoring.
Set such a big total and with everything on the line down 2-0, this could be the last time we see this line-up continue their BazBall approach unless they can nail it and do the unthinkable.
"This might be the last chance to play BazBall and prove everyone wrong. If they lose 3-0, heads will roll you'll imagine." - Bharat Sundaresan.
AUSTRALIA 349
ENGLAND NEED 435 TO WIN
12:09pm - Aussies bowled out
Australia 349 - Lead by 434
Jofra Archer gets Scott Boland to wrap up the Aussie innings.
The Poms picked up the last four wickets for 20 runs, and while it'll be a world record chase should they do it, they'll feel a lot better chasing 435 than 500+.
"They're going to require 435 for a miracle win." - Adam Collins.
The Aussies will now get a couple of overs at the visitors before Lunch.
This English side won't die wondering in this chase, this could be some exciting cricket.
12:00pm - Golden duck for Lyon
Australia 9/344 - Starc 3, Boland to the crease
Nathan Lyon goes for a golden duck, trapped plum in front by Carse.
The spinner sends it upstairs for review, but there was no chance that was missing.
"Lyon reviews then walks off! You don't see that very often!"
Carse is now on a hat-trick, and he has a chance at it bowling to the No. 11 Boland.
11:59 - Cummins falls too as England close in on 10 wickets
Australia 8/344 - Starc 3, Lyon to the crease
Pat Cummins goes! Caught in slip off the bowling of Brydon Carse.
Australia's lead is still a huge 429, but they'd really like to push that above 450 based on where they started Day 4.
If England can wrap this innings up before Lunch without much more damage to the total, they'll be fairly pleased with their efforts.
"Australia hurtling towards the end of this innings." - Gerard Whateley.
11:40 - Tongue removes Inglis
Australia 7/335 - Cummins 3, Starc to the crease
Josh Tongue gets the edge of Josh Inglis for 10, with Jamie Smith taking a regulation catch behind the stumps.
It's not a great knock for someone who now has plenty of pressure on their spot given how good Usman Khawaja has looked this Test in the middle order, particularly with Steve Smith hoping to return for Melbourne.
"Inglis departs into his world of uncertainty." - Gerard Whateley.
"He's made himself very droppable."
Tongue now has four wickets as a five-for beckons.
11:37am - England will now have to make history
Australia 6/335 - Inglis 10, Cummins 3
England will now have to make history if they're to stop Australia from retaining the Ashes this Test.
With the lead now 420, England will have to chase a target which has never successfuly been mown down in the history of Test cricket.
The highest successful Test run chase ever came in 2003, when the West Indies chased 418 to beat Australia at St John's.
Expect this lead to go well beyond the 419 it is now too. 450+ surely beckons, even if the second new ball is available next over.
11:29 - Carey goes too!
Australia 6/329 - Inglis 7, Cummins to the crease
Ben Stokes with the breakthrough, removing Alex Carey gloving to leg slip on 72.
It's a bit of brilliant bowling and planning from the England skipper.
Carey misses his chance to become the third keeper-bat in Test history to make twin tons in a Test.
"He felt there was a few more runs out there, his head was down. Deep down, you get a sense he's bitterly disappointed." - Lisa Sthalekar.
11:07am - Head goes!
Australia 5/311 - Carey 63, Inglis to the crease
Travis Head has gone for 170, caught at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Josh Tongue.
It's his 11th Test ton, 4th against England and his second-highest Test score ever.
"Travis Head, what a player." - Adam Collins.
"I'm flat, I wanted a 200 there for Travis... but what a knock." - Damien Fleming.
Australia's lead now also 396 as this game gets further out of reach for the English.
10:48am - 150 up for Head with England batters "playing for their careers" later today
Australia 4/289 - Head 153, Carey 58
Simon Katich thinks that there's multiple England batters playing for their careers in this Test's fourth innings.
The most likely on the chopping block is Ollie Pope, while Zak Crawley would also like some runs at the top of the order.
"There's guys playing for their careers in this second innings for England." Katich said on SEN Cricket.
"There'll be changes on and off the field for Boxing Day if it continues like this."
Given England don't have a heap of options in their squad, one option is bringing in Jacob Bethell for Pope.
Otherwise, Will Jacks has been thrown up as a potential No. 6, with Stokes or Root moving up the order somewhat to allow an extra bowler to be picked.
10:34am - First over in the books
Australia 4/272 - Head 142, Carey 53
Play is underway in Adelaide on Day 4 and Ben Stokes has sent down the first over, with Carey scoring the first run of the day down to fine leg.
67 overs in and it's the skipper's first over of the entire innings as he battled with what appeared to be a leg concern on Day 3.
It's a beautiful day in Adelaide, sunny, and a max of 29 degrees.
Follow along here for all of the big action.
10:15am – How long do Aussies bat?
With a lead of 356 already, the question is how long will Australia bat?
Given they only need a draw to retain the urn, Damien Fleming thinks that the Aussies should try and bat for most of Day 4 after England raised the "white flag" late on Day 3.
He urged Pat Cummins not to rush things and instead put the pressure on England to try and complete a miracle chase in just over a day’s play.
“They’ve got to bat at least half a day, if they get bowled out, I think they’ll have enough runs anyway,” Fleming said.
“Maybe a quick little spurt with the ball before Tea, but there’s no rush.
“I know there’s some rain around, not that they’d want it, but if it’s drawn, we retain the Ashes.
“Poor from England though… they could have attacked the Australian batsmen… that middle session I just thought they let the Test match and the series go.”
10:05am - Adam Collins previews Day 4
9:52am – Smith is back in the nets
Steve Smith is back in the nets.
The Aussie No. 4 missed the Adelaide Test after suffering from vertigo-like symptoms in the lead-up.
While he was ruled out, Smith remained in Adelaide with his teammates.
Always hoping to return for the Boxing Day Test, which now starts in less than a week, positive signs have been spotted down at Australian training this morning.
9:40am - Whateley slams 'hiding' Poms
SEN Cricket’s Gerard Whateley has called out England for refusing to front up to the media after poor performances during Ashes Tests.
After all three days in Adelaide, the English have put up an assistant coach to speak to the press instead of players or head coach Brendon McCullum.
“It’s three days in a row they’ve sent their assistant coaches, and that’s running for the hills to be frank,” Whateley said on *SEN Cricket.
“They clearly don’t want their players answering questions around team harmony, dressing room dynamics and what’s happening in the game.
“That’s as blatant a campaign as hiding as I can recall...They clearly don’t want to answer the questions at the moment.”
9:10am – Alex Carey’s brother speaks
Adam Carey joined Tom Morris and Bharat Sundaresan on The New Ball.
The keeper’s older brother spoke of how proud he is of Alex’s efforts this series, and touched on the recent loss of their father, Gordon.
Carey begins Day 4 on 52 not out, following on from his 106 in the first innings on Day 1.
Can Carey become the third keeper ever to score twin tons in one game and the first Aussie to do so?
Listen to Adam’s chat here.
8:50am - English press can't look past spin-bowling "filth"
The English press haven’t held back in their assessment of England’s efforts on Day 3 in Adelaide as their slim Ashes hopes seemingly faded away.
One player who has clearly not been up to task is off-spinner Will Jacks, who took 1/107 from just 18 overs as the Aussies made light work of his efforts.
While it’s not exactly Jacks’ fault, given he’s probably more of a batter that can bowl a bit, The Telegraph’s Will Macpherson described some of his bowling as ‘filth’.
Macpherson felt sorry for the spinner given the skillset he presents as he’s asked to do the work of a frontline spinner like Australia’s Nathan Lyon.
“Given what England are selecting Jacks for – a bit of this, and a bit of that – they cannot even complain with his output,” Macpherson wrote.
“This is not to knock Jacks at all. He is a fine, willing cricketer. But he is a batsman, mainly a white-ball batsman, who bowls a bit, and fields well
“Jacks did exactly what you would expect a man of his record to do: he bowled some nice balls and some filth.
“Spin was always the most predictable chasm between the teams, but the first three days of this Test has made it look wider than ever.”
