CRANE LIFTS THE SPIRITS But Aussies in control
IT WAS the pink Test at the SCG on Saturday but once again England were left with the red faces after the latest instalment of this miserable Ashes tour.
You know a campaign has reached a low point when the sight of Steve Smith departing for less than a hundred might realistically be claimed as a positive. But when he started the day moving ominously well on 44, to get him for a paltry 83 was indeed a minor victory.
Bright points after that proved less easy to locate though for all that Mason Crane showed more than a glimmer of hope for the future with a solid display of leg-spin on debut.
The disappointing thing was that having removed the thorn that has been the Aussie skipper, England found themselves put to the sword with ruthless efficiency, first by Usman Khawaja – who posted his first Ashes century before moving on to 171 – and then the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitch, with an unbeaten stand of 104 as Australia closed the day on
479-4, 133 runs ahead.
The fates chose a hot one, too, for the day that Australia dresses pink to mark the McGrath Foundation’s breast cancer nurses fund-raiser.
But it was nothing like the temperatures set for day four which is going to 38 degrees and increasingly uncomfortable for a bowling unit which has already sent down 157 overs. So where do you find positives on a day when Australia racked up 282-2?
If anyone can Jonny Bairstow can and he maintained that they will be fine putting in a shift in the expected heat. “We did 180 in Perth,
200 in Cape Town when it has been 35 degrees and 190 overs in 30-plus degrees in Chennai,” he said of three matches which ended with in two innings defeats and one draw.
Crane was one bright point from the Test having Khawaja stumped neatly by Bairstow. But he could have had him on 132 – with a successful challenge on the geometry of a ‘not out’ lbw shout – only for replays to reveal he had overstepped with his front foot. England’s no balls have cost them three wickets on this tour – Anderson on Smith in Perth, Tom Curran on David Warner in Melbourne and now Crane on Khawaja. The lack of a bowling coach for this tour has surely had a bearing, as has a ‘no enforcement’ rule in the nets.
“I thought Mason bowled nicely. There was a lot of pressure on him but he dealt with it well,” said Bairstow. Any chance of victory has surely disappeared and with the pitch showing signs of wear and turn for the slow bowlers, the prospect of facing Nathan Lyon from a position perhaps 200 down from the first innings will not fill England fans with hope.
Still it looks as though Smith is unlikely to do England any more damage.
One piece of news emerged last night and it was that Joe Root will be named in England’s T20 Tri-Series squad to face Australia and New Zealand. It had been thought the England captain might like a break for the three-way which takes place early next month between the Australia and New Zealand ODI Series.
The Test skipper is understood to be keen to enter the Indian Premier League auction at the end of January and wants to keep his eye in, in the short format. Ben Stokes will also be named in the 16-man squad but is
unlikely to be free to play.