Key Events:
65th over: Australia 192-4 (Head 2, Green 0)
65th over: Australia 192-4 (Head 2, Green 0) It’s rare to see Travis Head go without scoring when facing seven deliveries. One of them is a wide from Tongue, though. A missed opportunity for a wicket arises when the ball leaps at Head, causing him to fend straight up in the air. Root, stationed at short leg, had a chance to make a catch. However, his weight was off-balance, and he skidded on the spot while trying to move forward. He couldn’t reach it, and the ball dropped on the pitch. Romeo suggests it was a “BodyBazLineBall?”
Updated at 12.40 BST
64th over: Australia 191-4 (Head 2, Green 0)
64th over: Australia 191-4 (Head 2, Green 0) The short ball tactics continue. Head manages to score a run while Green ducks under a couple, which proves to be a challenging task for him.
63rd over: Australia 190-4 (Head 1, Green 0)
63rd over: Australia 190-4 (Head 1, Green 0) Curious about what happened between the wickets? Travis Head was dropped on the first ball he faced. It was a classic Head shot—a flirtation outside off stump with an angled bat, resulting in a squirt to gully. Anderson, who was in the field, dropped a simple catch and fell to the ground with his hands over his face in disbelief. But the very next ball, Smith fell. So, which would you prefer? Australia now has a lead of 281 runs, equivalent to a full VVS Laxman innings.
WICKET! Smith c Crawley b Tongue 34, Australia 190-4
What are they doing? The strategy is working! I predicted that wickets would fall, but I didn’t anticipate it being due to collective lunacy. Smith reaches out for a halfway short delivery, dabbing the pull shot to deep square leg as if he intended to guide it to the fielder. It was a terrible shot.
WICKET! Khawaja c sub (Potts) b Broad 77, Australia 187-3
What’s going on? The tactic of bowling short seems to be paying off! Khawaja falls victim to a catch by substitute fielder Potts, off Broad’s bowling. It’s a remarkable breakthrough, but the shot played by Khawaja was disappointing.
62nd over: Australia 187-3 (Smith 33)
62nd over: Australia 187-3 (Smith 33) Finally, something goes England’s way! Broad comes on and continues with the short ball strategy. He oversteps with his first delivery, giving away some easy singles. However, he redeems himself with the last ball of the over—a quality bouncer that catches Khawaja off-guard. Khawaja attempts a pull shot, resulting in a top edge that is caught by the fielder near the rope. It seems odd that the Australians are playing shots that England wants them to play.
61st over: Australia 183-2 (Khawaja 76, Smith 31)
61st over: Australia 183-2 (Khawaja 76, Smith 31) Tongue bowls a sharp rising delivery at Khawaja, who manages to glove it up in the air. Unfortunately, there is no close catcher to take advantage of the opportunity. Tongue then gets too much bounce for Bairstow, which allows Smith to run a bye. Tongue switches to bowling around the wicket and delivers a well-executed short ball that forces Khawaja to hop and play it down. It’s time for drinks.
60th over: Australia 180-2 (Khawaja 75, Smith 31)
60th over: Australia 180-2 (Khawaja 75, Smith 31) What was that from Smith? He backs away to leg, and Robinson follows him. Smith receives a bumper that doesn’t rise much, and he swats at it as if he’s trying to kill a fly. He middles it but falls over backward in the process. He lies there for a while, practicing that bizarre tennis smash. He then plays a normal pull shot to get off strike. Khawaja, on the other hand, takes on a short ball and pulls it over backward square for four. It’s a risky move, but he gets lucky as he’s dropped. The ball brushes his glove and loops over the keeper, but Bairstow leaps as high as he can and manages to clip it with his webbing. A run is taken, and Smith gets another run. The England brain virus seems to have infected the Australians as well.
59th over: Australia 176-2 (Khawaja 73, Smith 29)
59th over: Australia 176-2 (Khawaja 73, Smith 29) Tongue continues around the wicket, delivering a series of short leg-side deliveries that Khawaja can comfortably ignore.
58th over: Australia 175-2 (Khawaja 73, Smith 28)
58th over: Australia 175-2 (Khawaja 73, Smith 28) Smith attempts an unconventional shot as he backs away to leg, but it doesn’t quite go as planned. He receives a bouncer from Robinson that doesn’t rise, and he swats it into the ground at midwicket before falling over backward. Khawaja, on the other hand, plays a cut shot after receiving a wider delivery. Both batsmen pick up singles.
57th over: Australia 168-2 (Khawaja 68, Smith 26)
57th over: Australia 168-2 (Khawaja 68, Smith 26) Tongue steers clear of the short ball tactic this time, leading to five byes in the over. A single and a four are also scored.
56th over: Australia 163-2 (Khawaja 68, Smith 26)
56th over: Australia 163-2 (Khawaja 68, Smith 26) Khawaja manages to pull off a well-executed shot as he pulls a lower short ball off his hip. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get a boundary but saves it on the field. A trampoline bouncer is called wide.
55th over: Australia 160-2 (Khawaja 66, Smith 26)
55th over: Australia 160-2 (Khawaja 66, Smith 26) The Australians seem to be focusing on playing the pull shot. However, they’re not putting too much power into their shots and are instead placing the ball strategically. Two singles are taken by each batsman.
54th over: Australia 156-2 (Khawaja 64, Smith 24)
54th over: Australia 156-2 (Khawaja 64, Smith 24) The English field is set for bouncers targeted at Smith, with several fielders stationed at various positions to cover the shot. However, Smith refrains from playing the pull shot until he receives a delivery that is waist-high. He rolls his wrists over it, resulting in a safe single. The delivery turns out to be a no ball. Robinson’s short-ball skills seem lacking. Where is Mark Wood when they need him? Khawaja attempts a pull shot but fails to get any runs as he sends the ball towards backward square. He then ducks under a better bouncer from Robinson, who finally manages to target Khawaja’s helmet.
53rd over: Australia 154-2 (Khawaja 64, Smith 23)
53rd over: Australia 154-2 (Khawaja 64, Smith 23) Josh Tongue comes on to bowl but delivers a disappointing over of short leg-side deliveries that Khawaja comfortably ignores.
52nd over: Australia 154-2 (Khawaja 64, Smith 23)
52nd over: Australia 154-2 (Khawaja 64, Smith 23) Robinson attempts a bouncer to Khawaja, but it ends up being loopy and wide of the off stump. Khawaja dismisses it with ease. He then gets a…
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