Australia have edge in test after rain disrupted day

Birmingham, JUNE 19

England will resume their second innings on the fourth day of the first Ashes Test on 28 for two with an overall lead of 35, after Australia were dismissed for 386, conceding a 7-run lead on the first innings.

Two spells of heavy rain restricted play on the third day to just three hours between stoppages, affecting England’s second innings. They began their second innings after lunch and were 26 without loss in 35 minutes play before rain brought the first stoppage. The restart was at 3.30pm with tea having been pushed back to 5pm.

Before the second disruption, only 20 minutes play was possible during which England lost both opening batsmen. Ben Duckett was the first to go getting a thick edge to gully off Pat Cummins for 19. The third umpire confirmed the catch was cleanly taken.

The next over ended Zak Crawley’s innings, it was a fine ball from Scott Boland, moving away a little from the right hander and Crawley, on 7, playing forward got a thin edge to the wicketkeeper, it was the first ball of the 10th over. Halfway through the next over, the light was getting poor and the rain came down in torrents. Finally, after two-and-a-half hours, at 6.15pm, the umpires decided the conditions were too wet to continue.

Earlier, resuming on the third morning on the overnight score 311 for five and trailing by 82, Australia should have been able to take a first innings lead. But the end came rapidly. The first wicket to fall was of Alex Carey who, having been dropped behind the wicket, had added 14 to his overnight score of 52. He took two consecutive fours off James Anderson before being bowled and Australia were 338 for six.

Usman Khawaja took his overnight score of 126 to 141 before becoming the first of three dismissals by Ollie Robinson. With an unusual field placing of three fielders at shortish mid-off which may have been a distraction for Khawaja, Robinson bowled a fine yorker to uproot Khawaja’s off stump.

It brought an end to a marvellous innings spanning eight hours during which he faced 321 balls. It had been the longest innings by an Australian opening batsman in term of number of balls faced since Matthew Elliott’s colossal effort in facing 351 balls for his 199 at Leeds in 1997.

He had added a six to his two sixes of the previous day and had 14 fours. It had been an invaluable innings which eventually saw Australia to a position of near parity. Thereafter the end came swiftly.

Five runs later, on 372 the seventh wicket fell with Nathan Lyon pulling Robinson for a catch at deep square leg and a run later Stuart Broad claimed the third of his three wickets (for 68) removing Scott Boland for naught with Ollie Pope holding the catch.

Finally, Robinson took his third wicket to ended the innings in the last over before lunch with Pat Cummins hooking into the hands of Ben Stokes at deepish square leg for 38 very useful runs from 68 balls. Australia’s last four had fallen for 14 runs in 3.3 overs.