Cook fortunes take another hammering
AUSTRALIA pushed one of England’s greatest players further towards the end last night, as Alastair Cook failed to deliver the innings his country was craving.
Cook was given a stunning life on just 1 when he should have been dead to rights lbw to Josh Hazlewood, only for the umpire and Australia to sit on their hands.
It had the makings of a seismic Ashes momentum shift, as England powered to 0-50 and made Steve Smith sweat even further over his controversial decision to not enforce the follow-on. Australia had collapsed to be all out for just 138 batting second with no batsman able to top 20, and suddenly the mood had changed and England had climbed off the canvas with a hint of a second wind, albeit chasing an Adelaide Oval record 354 to win.
But just as bookmakers had shifted England to as narrow as $3.30 to win the game, Cook was trapped in front by nemesis Nathan Lyon for 16.
Cook has scores of 2, 7, 37 and 16 this series and at 32 years of age, England’s 11,000-run, 149-Test hero is under the pump like never before. Soon after, Mitchell Starc fought back from an erratic start to undo fellow opener Mark Stoneman for 36 and at the dinner break England were 2-68.
It wasn’t game over yet by any means, but cracks had appeared just as the lights were to go on and Starc and Josh Hazlewood would see the best of the conditions.
However, from the abject humiliation Australia were dishing out on day three, the match had taken on a different complexion altogether.
When Smith and Hazlewood decided not to review Chris Gaffaney’s equally baffling determination that Cook was not out with the scoreboard reading 0-1 – Australia was officially rattled.
Starc followed up by delivering an over to Stoneman where he was dispatched for three consecutive boundaries. England scored at a sudden flurry of 4.5 an over. But enter the go-to man. Twelve months ago to the day Nathan Lyon was almost dropped by Australian selectors at Adelaide Oval, only for a Steve O’Keefe calf injury to give him a stay of execution.
Since that day, Lyon has transformed himself into the No.1 spinner in world cricket. Smith turned to Lyon when his fast bowlers couldn’t get the new Kookaburra to swing in the day-time hours and immediately, the off-spinner proved the difference.
Gaffaney again adjudged Cook not out.
However this time Smith went upstairs and was rewarded for his efforts.
Starc responded from his poor start to find Stoneman’s edge, and Usman Khawaja took an excellent low catch at gully to bring Joe Root to the crease.
At 4-176 the game is poised.