Bairstow hundred turns the tables
PERTH is no longer the city of misery for England following a robust Ashes revival.
England’s tour descended into a circus from the moment it surfaced that Jonny Bairstow had head-butted Australian opener Cameron Bancroft in a Perth nightclub.
Yesterday Bairstow turned the tables by blasting a moraleboosting century and Bancroft was trapped lbw by an England side fighting hard to retain the Ashes.
Australia were 3-184 at 7.30pm with Steve Smith 84no) and Shaun Marsh (0no), but the Test is shaping as a ding dong battle following England’s first innings score of 403.
Australia would regret chasing a total that got at least 100 runs away from them after they dropped two simple catches — one which gave Dawid Malan (140) the chance to build a record-breaking double century partnership with Bairstow (119).
On the other side of the coin, England would have felt as if they left 100 runs out there after losing their last six wickets for just 35 runs.
Still, for a side that has suffered nearly 40 years of pain at the WACA courtesy of seven crushing defeats, England has restored pride and belief.
After resuming 4-305, Malan and Bairstow shelled out boundaries rapidly and at one point smashed 36 runs from four overs.
Malan wears two box protectors. Yesterday he looked like a man with two bats as he punished Bancroft for dropping him on 92 on the first day.
Bairstow rammed home the head-butt theme when he reached his ton — his first against Australia.
He roared loudly and leapt into the air to celebrate his ton — before playfully headbutting his helmet in tribute to the controversy that marred the first half of his tour. Bairstow became the face of England’s embarrassing off-field behaviour, but yesterday he got his own back against an Australian side that delighted in his head-butting ways.
The turning point came when spinner Nathan Lyon got Malan to pop one up for sub fielder Peter Handscomb to sprint back and take probably the catch of the summer, diving backwards at full stretch.
Handscomb was axed for this Test, but showed some of his teammates how to take crucial chances.
Moeen Ali’s arrival at the crease inspired a resurgence from the Australian quicks, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc tearing through the England tail at rapid pace to have them bowled out on lunch.
Moeen made a duck and Chris Woakes, Craig Overton and Stuart Broad were powerless against some shortpitched bowling that Ian Chappell questioned on Nine should be limited against the tail.
Bairstow batted superbly but Starc knocked out his middle stump to end the England resistance.
Australia got off to a flying start but David Warner and Bancroft were unable to make it to tea, as the home side fell to 2-55.
Craig Overton did the damage, dismissing Warner then striking Bancroft on the pads so convincingly he was able to have a not out lbw decision overturned on DRS.
In between Overton dropped a tough caught and bowled off Khawaja. He slammed the ground in anger.
Cracks widened by over 5mm to 10mm on day two and Steve Smith copped the worst of the conditions when a Stuart Broad bouncer took off and struck him in the helmet grill, forcing the Australian skipper to shuffle away in pain.