Ton-up Malan keeps his head amid Aussie attack
ALL THE talk of the WACA pitch having slowed down was blown away just two balls into this third Ashes Test when Mitchell Starc sent down a delivery clocked at 91 miles per hour.
What followed was an examination of the technique, heart and guts of England’s batsmen as Starc and his fellow frontline quicks in Australia’s attack, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood, regularly broke the 90mph barrier.
Before lunch it was pace that did it for Cook, pinned lbw by a 92mph thunderbolt from Starc. Afterwards, England captain Joe Root was also undone by sheer speed, strangled by Cummins down the legside.
But it was a spell from Josh Hazelwood, during which he peppered opener Mark Stoneman with short-pitched deliveries that really set the pulses racing.
During an enthralling passage of play, Stoneman was hit flush on the grille by a rising delivery. He was also dropped twice on 52, including when he fended another bouncer to a diving Nathan Lyon, before finally being dismissed, controversially, by a short-pitched Starc delivery.
Australia reviewed thinking Stoneman had been caught behind and he was sent on his way by third umpire Aleem Dar after much delay despite realtime replays proving inconclusive as to whether he had actually made contact with the ball.
It was left to Dawid Malan, hitting his maiden Test century and England’s first of this series, and Jonny Bairstow to skilfully negotiate their way through the pace barrage as they combined to put on an unbeaten stand of 174 to help their team recover from 131-4.
This was only the third 100-plus fifth-wicket stand for England in Perth following Graham Thorpe and Mark Ramprakash in 1995 and Chris Tavare and Derek Randall in 1982.
It fully justified Bairstow’s promotion up the order from No7 to six, although cheap dismissals for opener Alastair Cook and No.3 James Vince show that England still have work to do on the batting front.
Malan, Stoneman and Bairstow, though, did enough to put their team in a strong position after Root opted to bat first after winning the toss for the third time running in this Ashes series.
“It was good fun,” said Malan. “I’ve really enjoyed the pace that these guys have come with. When you play county cricket you’re worried about your front pad getting blown off or nicking off to 78mph dibbly-dobblers. I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of facing these guys.
“They have tested you in different ways. Technically, but testing your heart as well. It was exciting to walk out there. It’s not comfortable but looking back it’s fun to get through those situations.
“Most innings I’ve faced this series I’ve been peppered. I don’t know why they keep picking me out to get the short ones but they are all quality seamers bowling good pace.
“It was hostile, quite tough to work out a way to play that, either taking it on or ducking it. The wicket early on, the bounce felt steep so you felt like you were going to be in trouble if you took it on. But the glove was in play too. You have to make your mind up, and happily my method worked.”
As much as Malan enjoyed facing the quicks, he admitted to being unnerved watching on from the dressing-room when Stoneman was hit by Hazelwood early in the afternoon session.
Stoneman’s 56 was his second of the series – but he had to work hard for it!
“You try not to think about it,” said Malan. “You know bouncers will be bowled, and there’s a chance someone will get hit.
“It’s a bit scary when someone does. When you see that, you try to walk away and go to have a chat with someone at the back of the dressing room, try to get away from it.
“But hats off to Rocky for the way he came through that and gutsed it out. He showed the determination that he has and wants to play at this level.”