Oh, Bazballs. The seasoned veterans at the cricket ground have been grumbling for days about England’s lack of versatility in their playing style. Saturday proved to be a valuable lesson in alternative approaches. England put in an arduous effort to take the wickets they needed, only to watch Australia effortlessly breeze through their innings. Australia needs six more runs to win, but three of their batsmen bat below Stuart Broad. On the other hand, England is banking on a miraculous performance from Ben Stokes, akin to his heroics at Headingley in 2019, or else they’ll find themselves trailing 2-0 with three matches remaining.
Stokes was well aware of the situation. His gameplay mirrored that of his memorable performance, with a marathon bowling spell in the third innings and his slow and steady batting later in the day. Both he and his team labored through the afternoon, subjecting themselves and others to an endless succession of short, sluggish deliveries. They persistently targeted the middle of the pitch like an enthusiastic child with a new drum set. It felt more like an act of self-punishment than fielding, as if they were making amends for their hasty batting in the first innings when Australia had employed similar tactics against them.
Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson bowled nine consecutive overs each, while Stokes, never one to shy away from hard work, pushed himself through 12 straight overs. Eighty overs passed without England even considering taking the new ball. Eventually, they crossed the 90-over mark, but the tired and battered old ball they continued to bowl with was a far cry from its former glory. Meanwhile, Jimmy Anderson, England’s greatest new-ball bowler with a remarkable record on this ground, was left stranded in the outfield, relegated to a mere spectator. It was akin to watching three men repeatedly bash their foreheads against a bolted door while the locksmith idly stood by with a pick in his pocket.
The relentless barrage had some impact, but not nearly as much as the bowlers themselves. The atmosphere was reminiscent of their lengths—harsh, brutish, and brief. Then came Australia, with Mitchell Starc at one end, gripping a shiny red ball and sporting a menacing grin, and Pat Cummins at the other. Both Starc and Cummins are capable of bowling short, but they didn’t feel the need to rely on that tactic. Starc almost caught Ben Duckett in the gully with his sixth ball and had Zak Crawley caught down the leg side with his seventh.
Crawley elegantly clipped the delivery, reminiscent of a man casually twirling an umbrella while waiting for a bus, and edged it down the leg side for a catch behind. Crawley begrudgingly prodded the pitch, attempting to deny any involvement, but the umpire, Chris Gaffaney, knew better. Crawley seemed infuriated that his bluff had been called.
After Crawley’s dismissal, Ollie Pope, England’s tenacious vice-captain, entered the crease. Pope has faced Australia 10 times now, with his highest score being 42 in the first innings here, and an average of 15. Whatever it is that England’s management sees in him that makes them believe he’s the right man to lead the team, Starc and Cummins clearly don’t share the same sentiment. Pope played three spirited strokes, each resulting in a single run, before Starc bowled him with a delivery that pitched on off and swung back in, uprooting his middle stump. It was the kind of delivery that could haunt a cricketer’s nightmares. Pope may use it as a cautionary tale when he becomes a parent, assuming he undergoes enough therapy to comfortably discuss it in public.
With England at 13 for two, the required 371 runs suddenly felt like an insurmountable distance. Cummins further dismantled England’s hopes by removing Joe Root with a fiery short ball and Harry Brook with a deceptive delivery that moved away from him off the pitch. Watching Starc wield the new ball after witnessing England toil with the old one brought to mind the famous exchange between Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier on the set of Marathon Man. Hoffman had stayed awake for three days to bring authenticity to a scene where his character endures sleep deprivation. Olivier advised him, “Why don’t you just try acting? It’s much simpler.” Of course, it’s easier said than done, unless you’re an Olivier or have a bowler who can produce a 90mph inswinger.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
