Australia vs England 5th Test Day 3 Highlights: Smith, Head's Centuries Put Australia 134 Ahead
Australia vs England 5th Ashes Test Day 3 Highlights: Steve Smith and Travis Head's centuries put Australia firmly into the driving seat in Sydney.
Australia vs England 5th Ashes Test Day 3 Highlights: The Day 3 of the 5th Test between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground belonged to skipper Steve Smith, who reached stumps unbeaten on 129*, having registered his 37th Test century and 12th in the Ashes. He found a reliable partner in Beau Webster (42)*, with the pair putting on an unbeaten 83-run stand to ground down the England attack. Earlier, Travis Head provided the fireworks with a blistering 163 off just 166 balls, while England's breakthroughs were hard-earned, featuring two wickets for Brydon Carse and a maiden Test scalp for the young Jacob Bethell. The day ended with Will Jacks bowling to Webster, who guided an edge for two runs on the final delivery to see the hosts past the 500-mark and firmly into the driver's seat. (Scorecard)
Australia Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Steve Smith
Australia vs England 5th Test Day 3 Live
We are back, and all set for the start of England's crucial second innings. With Australia holding a significant lead of 183 runs, the visitors face a formidable task on a pitch expected to deteriorate rapidly over the final two days of this enthralling Test match. The English openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, have walked out to the middle, charged with the responsibility of providing a solid foundation. Tasked with exploiting the conditions and rattling the English batting unit from the outset, Mitchell Starc will open the bowling attack for Australia. Crawley to face. Here we go...
... THIRD INNINGS ...
The standout performances came from Travis Head, who top-scored with a magnificent 163, and Steve Smith, who crafted a sensational century before eventually departing for a superb 138. Beau Webster also made a significant contribution with a well-compiled half-century and was unlucky to miss out on a fully deserving century. While Australia had high hopes of exceeding the 600-run mark with an overnight score of 518 for 7, hoping to build on their substantial lead, the morning session on Day 4 saw a rapid derailment. Quick wickets early on curtailed their innings to a final total of 567, leaving them with a commanding first-innings lead of 183 runs as they look to press their advantage in the remainder of the match. Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse took 3 each, whereas skipper Stokes got a couple as well. Will Jacks took the last wicket of Scott Boland to wrap the Aussie inning.
Australia's response to England's first-innings total of 384 was nothing short of emphatic, an innings defined by relentless accumulation and dominant partnerships that firmly swung the match in their favour. The batting display began with an intentful 57-run opening stand that set a positive and aggressive tone for those who followed. The solidity continued throughout the line-up, highlighted by an impressive five 50-plus partnerships and two commanding 100-plus stands, which ultimately propelled Australia to a formidable total.
OUT! EDGED AND CAUGHT! A wicket for Jacks and a golden duck for Boland. Pushed through, flat and around off, spinning in with some bounce. Scott Boland is neither fully committed on the front foot, nor his weight has transferred on the back foot, just somewhere in between and he pokes at it. Gets a thick outside edge that goes flat to Harry Brook at first slip. He gathers it safely. AUSTRALIA ARE BOWLED OUT FOR 567, LEADING BY 183 RUNS!
Full and around off, Webster draws his front foot out and works it away to deep point for a single.
He taps this length ball that spins into him, towards short mid-wicket.
Spins in a touch, on a length, nudged across to square leg.
Floated full, on the leg stump line, Webster sweeps it fine off the edge, and the ball loses its steam in the outfield. Deep square leg runs to his right and cuts it off. Two runs taken.
DRINKS BREAK. England are on the verge of bowling Australia out now. As we have seen through Josh Tongue's bowling, if you bowl in the right areas, there is still something in it to offer for the quicks with uneven bounce. Webster is on 68, and surely would be eyeing his triple figures, but can Scott Boland, the last batter in for Australia, hang around for that long? Let's see...
OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! Wonder how this bloke didn't play all the Tests Down Under. Number 3 for Tongue off an absolute ripper of a delivery. Too good for a tailender to deal with to be very honest. He slants the ball into the southpaw, pitching it on a fractionally fuller length. It lands right on the seam and on one of those indentations around the middle stump line, and nips in prodigiously. Starc drags the bat in front to block, but plays over the line and the ball beats his inside edge to crash into the leg stump. Mitchell Starc departs on 5 (14) and Australia are 564/9, with a lead of 180 runs.
Back of a length around off, Mitchell Starc punches this down the ground for a couple.
Short pitched, on middle and leg. Beau pulls this through mid-wicket for one.
Short and wide of off, Mitchell Starc guides this through point for a single.
Good length around off, Mitchell Starc pushes at it but gets beaten.
PEACH! Good length, angling into the batter and shaping away around the pads of Starc. The batter moves down to his leg and looks to flick but gets beaten. This wasn't far from his stumps as well.
Slower one, around off, on a length. Beau Webster blocks this one.
Good length around off, Beau Webster keeps it out.
4 LEG BYES! Good length, slanting down the leg, Beau Webster comes inside the line and goes for the flick. Gets it tickled off his pads to the left of the keeper for a boundary to the fine leg fence.
Hard length, on top of off, Ben Duckett blocks this off his back foot.