The Ashes Chronicles
Second Test Day 3 Brisbane
4:30 a.m.
That’s when I woke up to check the score and I didn’t close my eyes again until 7 a.m. Totally worth it.
My first wish had come to fruition. Australia were still batting at Tea when I fell asleep. Apparently they batted almost until Dinner, meaning when they were finally knocked over they held a 177 run lead. That’s so many more runs than I thought it was going to be and I (retrospectively) was overjoyed.
Especially because when Alex Carey nicked off for 63, Australia was at 416/8 and the lead was ‘only’ 72. In all honesty I was pretty annoyed at Carey’s shot choice because batting seemed so easy from my couch.
Enter Mitchell Starc to prove me right. Having spent three innings tormenting England’s batters with ball in hand, Starc clearly was bored and wanted to show them how to bat.
That he did.
The left arm quick had scored 19 from 26 deliveries when Carey was dismissed. Alongside Scott Boland, he scored 58 from 115 and the pair built a 75 run partnership which lasted 165 balls, the longest in this series so far.
It cannot be overstated how absolutely enormous that partnership was. Any runs from you number nine and 10 batters are fantastic, 75 of them is unbelievable. Also the effect it had on England’s bowlers is pivotal not just for this game but the rest of the series. The more your opposition’s bowling unit has to work the better for you.
Starc eventually holed out for 77, the highest score in the Australian innings, but Boland and Brendan Doggett added 20 more runs to compile England misery.
In an ode to someone else I’m hoping can bring forth sadness to a Brit tomorrow, it was “simply lovely.”
Will Jacks dismissed Doggett on 13 to end the Aussie innings at 511. The fifth highest total for a team to not have a centurion. Also it was the first time since 1992 all 11 Australian batters had reached double figures.
On top of the, England were heading into bat during the dreaded twilight period and Starc was going to return to a being a menace with the ball.
Devastatingly, there was no first over wicket. I may never recover.
In fact, England smashed through the six innings before dinner to get to the break at 45 for no loss.
Truth be told Starc was probably the least effective of the bowlers. That is until England started throwing their wickets away. Good old England.
Duckett was unlucky. Boland’s delivery kept low, hit the bottom of his bat and smashed into the stumps. 48/1.
Crawley and Ollie Pope once again looked to build but, for Bazball reasons, Pope showed no interest in settling down after nicking a few deliveries while playing booming drives. They landed safe.
The drive that popped up off his bat back to Michael Neser did not. 90/2.
Four overs later Crawley thought Neser deserved reward for his efforts and replicated Pope’s shot. Two caught and bowled to break the game open. I did not have that on my bingo card. 97/3
Why is Darth Vader’s theme song ringing out around the ground?
Well for one, there’s a group of Australians that dress up as Stormtroopers every year at the Brisbane test.
And for two, Mitch Starc returned.
See you later Joe.
For the 11th time in test cricket, joint most with his teammate Pat Cummins and Indian legend Jasprit Bumrah, Starc sent Joe Root back to the sheds. Fair play to Root for standing there as if he didn’t absolutely smash the ball on it’s way to Carey. I don’t think I’ve seen a bigger spike on Snicko. 121/4
Root’s wicket fell after a 24 run partnership with Harry Brook. The next two didn’t take nearly as long.
Three overs later Boland had Brook given out off a ball he missed by a mile. Then the very next ball, Brook emulated Root and stood watching the screen, before the technology clearly showed he had to get going.
And while I’m disparaging the batsmen for hanging around during the review process when they’ve obviously hit the ball, really this is a critique of the umpires.
Lads. Do we need new glasses?
Immense credit must go to Carey who for both Root’s and Brook’s edges was adamant the ball had been nicked and demanded stand in captain Steve Smith reviewed them.
123/5. Very pleasing to say. Even more pleasing to watch.
Three overs later, once again we were waiting for the third umpire’s decision. This time the umpire had given Jamie Smith out and as to why he review this I’ll never know. This spike was absolutely gargantuan.
A second wicket for Starcy, his eighth of the match, and eighteenth of the series. 128/6.
England lost six wicket for 80 runs and five wickets for 38.
It was glorious. You love to see it. Am I greedy for wanting more? Probably.
Lost in all that collapse is the fact they still trail by 43 at the close of the day’s play.
Here’s to hoping tomorrow is a short day.
Boy Gags, I hope you went to bed.