Heroics by Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes have set the stage for a thrilling finish in the third test at Headingley - weather permitting.
The battle resumed on Day Two at Headingley amid brilliant sunshine, and, once again, the stirring words of William Blake’s Jerusalem. England faced a challenge at 3/68, but, at the same time, the state of play meant it could be reasonably confident an Australian first innings total of 263 runs was within the home side’s grasp.
First slip David Warner was equal to the task and managed to hold on to a swirling ball, and Root was on his way back to the Headingley pavilion.A few overs later, Root’s fellow Yorkshireman, batter-wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, edged a sharp Starc delivery to Steve Smith at second slip.
In the last 40 minutes before lunch Australia struck again. Cummins set up Ali for a leg-side catch. The English off-spinner who had been promoted to the middle order in the batting line-up, obliged, hitting a top edge ball high into the sky, and Smith, once again, proved he had a safe pair of hands.
He has led the home side out of the jaws of disaster when England was only 7/142 at lunch, to within striking distance of Australia’s first innings total of 263.At the end of the final session of play, Australia was struggling at 4/116. The scoreboard could have been much worse if it had not been for some staunch batting defence near the close of play by Travis Head and first innings’ centurion Mitchell Marsh.
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