Ben Stokes’ last act of defiance and a spirited performance by the England bowlers left everything for the taking after two days of the third Ashes Test.
Just five days after scoring a brilliant 155 in a losing cause at Lord’s, Stokes again dug deep to give his side hope with a muscular 80 at Headingley.
Despite enduring obvious physical pain, he pulled the trigger on five sixes and six boundaries, dragging England back from 87 for five to post 237 all-out in a frenetic afternoon session.
That kept the first innings deficit to a manageable 26, with an unpredictable performance from Australia’s best order, leaving the tourists 116 for four for a lead of 142.
Mail Sport’s DAVID LLOYD takes you through Friday’s action at Headingley.
The dismissal of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow from Yorkshire disappointed the Headingley public
But evening wickets helped give England a fighting chance to win the crucial Third Test
DO THE BASICS, THEN RISK
Is it risk and reward with this English brand of cricket or is it just high risk?
The early morning dismissal of the two Yorkies was disappointing on a beautiful day that started with such high expectations.
Regardless of risk-taking, England just isn’t doing the basics.
So many mistakes in catching, in rejecting, and in selecting shots. They hit themselves.
SKYRACK PUB KEEPS ME BUSY
When I was a young cricketer in Lancashire in the late 1960s, we had to work in the winter and my job was to load beer wagons at the brewery.
It was a pretty hard transplant!
The largest order would come from the Skyrack pub in Leeds, which is just down the road at Headingley.
Not surprisingly, they are very thirsty here…
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GLENN’S OFF THE FIELD INCREDIBLE
Listened to the radio in the morning and the discussion between Alastair Cook and Glenn McGrath was excellent.
Restrained, somewhat laconic, very observant and with a touch of mischief. Don’t forget there are two McGraths.
The one on the field and the nice guy next to it. He gets pitched on TMS as the nice Australian.
Come on Glenn, give us a little bit of the bastard!
Glenn McGrath, one of Australia’s greatest ever bowlers, is known for his mischief
WHERE ARE THE SLIPS?
Modern field functions are the work of the team analyst.
Chris Woakes came in at eight and there were no slips, just two fielders behind the wicketkeeper, almost as backstops as Australia peppered him with the short stuff.
Remember the days of welcoming batters with slips?
FANCY DRESS CHAOS
It’s dress up day today and I can’t wait.
Last year I was passing a bus stop and we had two ducks, Elvis Presley and a piano trying to get on a bus off the ground.
It takes me back to 1997 when the pantomime horse was tackled and knocked unconscious by the old fashioned rugby stewards here.
I remember because I was England coach at the time!
QUICKS NEED MORE REST
Ben Stokes with his heroics once again at Headingley to give England a fighting chance. What a player.
But the evening session showed that the fast England side just don’t get enough rest because of the way they hit.
Wood didn’t have enough time to recover and the pace was slow by his standards.
England’s Moeen Ali has 200 Test wickets and needs just 49 more to reach 3,000 Test runs
MAGIC MOEEN IS A GEM
A word for Moeen Ali.
Now part of special group to take 200 test wickets for England. And it is also approaching 3,000 test drives.
How fitting would it be if he can get the remaining 49 in pursuit here at Headingley? He’s an elite player and a gem of a guy.
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