The Ashes: England chasing 251 to keep series hopes alive after Travis Head bolsters Australian lead
est the heavens intervene once more, there will be no thrilling day five conclusion to this match to follow those at Edgbaston and Lord’s.
Despite two-thirds of Saturday being wiped out by rain, the Third Test is charging towards its climax, England set to start day four on 27 without loss, chasing 251 to keep the Ashes alive.
That the target is even that grand is thanks largely to Travis Head, who proved explosive knocks with the tail are not the exclusive preserve of Ben Stokes, belting 77 as Australia added 108 runs to their overnight 116 for four, the final six wickets shared equally by Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood.
A day three Headingley crowd were made to wait until 4:45pm for their first action of the day and even then it consisted of just a solitary over from Woakes before a further shower forced the players off.
Thankfully, though, the delay was brief, with England’s soon setting about their work in conditions as helpful as almost any in the series so far.
Both first innings centurion Mitchell Marsh and wicketkeeper Alex Carey were out attempting to leave Woakes, the former gloving through to Jonny Bairstow and the latter failing to get bat out of the way and guiding onto his own stumps.
Carey, who is finding controversy stalking him through this series, was again jeered on and off the field by the Western Terrace, his departure the cue for Wood’s introduction in the hope of charging through the tail once more.
The scheme began well, Mitchell Starc out skying the quick. The catch should have been Bairstow’s, but the Yorkshireman has been anything but decisive behind the stumps so far in the series and hesitated, Harry Brook instead racing back from short-leg to take a superb diving grab.
Pat Cummins had been speared for nought my Wood’s pace in the first dig and his only achievement in the second was in avoiding a pair, the skipper feathering behind on one.
Head had been strangely subdued as his cast of partners continued to rotate, Australia’s most destructive batter content to let the tail have a swing. Spinner Todd Murphy hit his first ball for four, the outfield too quick for the crocked Ollie Robinson ambling round the fence as the lead passed 200. Moeen Ali showed his teammate how it ought to be done, preventing another boundary with a Sol Campbell-style slide tackle.
Head, though, was soon following the Stokes playbook, farming the strike and hitting cleanly enough to pierce the gaps in England’s boundary patrol, the batter’s half-century brought up nailing Wood through midwicket. In one four-over spell, Murphy faced just one ball as Australia added 31 runs, Head’s supposed short-ball frailties nowhere to be seen as he repeatedly cleared a spread field.
The return of Broad quickly showed where England had been going wrong, the veteran producing a wonderful over of high-class seam simply too good for Murphy, who was eventually trapped in front. He needed only one delivery at Head to put the seal on Australia’s innings, Ben Duckett taking a high-pressure catch in the deep.
With less than half-an-hour left in the day, you wondered whether England might get funky with their choice of openers, but Duckett and Zak Crawley emerged in their usual roles.
Neither were in survival mode, Crawley carving Cummins through midwicket for four in a first over that cost nine, before Duckett hit consecutive boundaries to end the Australian captain’s second.
Starc at the other end, though, was dangerous, Duckett edging just shy of Steve Smith at slip after Australia had failed with a review for caught behind, then over the cordon for four more.
Both though, made it through to the close, making a useful dent in the target with a 27-run partnership in just five overs, with England firm favourites on a ground where chasers have won five Tests in a row. The pattern of this series, however, suggests there may be twists to come yet.
