Root keeps alive faint England hopes of famous triumph
Captain joins forces with Denly in century stand Stokes makes two off 50 balls to frustrate Australia
A Yorkshireman has not scored an Ashes hundred at Headingley since 1977 but Joe Root has the opportunity today to score a century that could bring England a victory to sit alongside their most famous wins against Australia.
Geoffrey Boycott’s hundredth hundred was the last time a local hero reached three figures in Leeds and the batting values he epitomises were finally shown by England yesterday.
Root led the way, stubbornly holding up Australia with an unbeaten 75 as England ended the third day 156 for three, with another 203 required to win. Ben Stokes was with him at the close having been the personification of watchfulness in making two off 50 balls, this after Joe Denly ground out 50 off 155 deliveries.
Australia will look at the equation in reverse. They need seven wickets to retain the Ashes and know they are one swing of the axe away from chopping off the head of England’s resistance. If Root falls, England’s faint hopes of victory will go down with him. Set 359 to win, it would be the joint fifth-highest successful run chase in history, a feat that would live down the ages of Ashes history.
It is dangerous to think even one step ahead of this unpredictable England side but the pitch is playing well and it is only day four today. However, the new ball is eight overs away and that will go a long way to settling the game.
It is a shame they need a prod from an avalanche of criticism and a shattering low of being bowled out for 67 to start batting properly. On a hot, sunny Leeds afternoon, batting suddenly became easier for those who had played patiently to assess the conditions.
It was about hard work, application and courage against the short ball, with Pat Cummins no-balled at one stage for intimidatory bowling. Denly was streaky and nervous at the start with a couple deflecting off the gloves, and he wafted at the odd wide ball, but crucially he stayed in and built a partnership of 126 with Root, the score inching up as they left well and waited for their opportunity to score.
Denly’s half-century assures he keeps his place for Old Trafford. Where he bats is a different question. Having made a success of No4 in this innings, the argument will run that he should stay where he is. The other option is he could open with Rory Burns, which would allow Ollie Pope to bat in the middle order, leaving out Jason Roy.
Roy is averaging eight as an opener and England feel his best position is lower down. Swapping with Denly would solve that problem but batting at four still requires patience and wise shot selection. So far Roy has not shown he has the appetite to bat for a long period and survive those spells when bowlers are on top and the scoreboard is frozen.
Roy’s innings was patchy. He was squared up on sixth ball by Cummins, the outside edge flying uncontrolled for four through the covers. It did not last much longer. Cummins beat him on eight, with Roy losing balance as his feet failed to move and the ball straightened into off stump.
Burns had already departed, caught at first slip. His first ball was a bouncer aimed at the right armpit as Australia worked on their tactic to tuck him up for room. His second delivery from Cummins slammed into his glove and cut his hand. With bowler working away at the body, it is the ball outside off stump that is the wicket-taking danger and Burns fended at a delivery from Hazlewood that was comfortably going
over the top of off stump and was caught at first slip by David Warner.
This is a big innings for Root. Consecutive ducks are bad enough for captains at any time but disastrous in an Ashes series when Australia are on top. His move to three looks to have unsettled him and again he was in the action early, with Burns out in the sixth over.
England were reeling at 15 for two when Roy was out just after lunch and Hazlewood soon started questioning Root again, giving England’s free-scoring captain nothing to work with.
Australia appealed for an lbw for Denly when he was hit on the arm, as he ducked into a short ball, but a nice cover drive off Nathan Lyon and frontfooted pull off Hazlewood for four showed batting was starting to become a little easier. Their 50 stand was given a standing ovation, but the ironic applause was soon replaced with genuine respect as Denly and Root frustrated Australia.
Root’s fifty took 120 balls and their 100 stand was the first time Denly had been involved in a century partnership in Test cricket. Denly has scored between 10 and 50 in seven consecutive innings and his shortest stay at the crease has been 16 balls, which does not happen if a player has a poor technique. It is his shot selection once set that has been the problem, but this time he did not go searching for the boundary after a string of dot balls.
Root was given out on 59 lbw, another poor decision, but knew he had inside-edged and the review cleared him. Denly was given a big ovation for his 50 but he was stuck on that score for 21 balls as the pressure grew. He survived an lbw review from Lyon before he gloved a nasty short ball from Hazlewood to Tim Paine.
But Denly had learnt the determination of Australia’s No 4, Marnus Labuschagne, who batted 187 balls for his 80, taking blows on the body and head as he survived the hard way to grind out the runs Australia needed in the morning to make them feel safe. He was hit on the grille on 70. It was the 21st time Jofra Archer had hit a batsman in two matches. The green and gold has been replaced with black and blue. Labuschagne has had a fine two Tests and, with Steve Smith batting in the nets at Headingley and returning to action against Derbyshire this week, they will form a stubborn core in Australia’s middle order in Manchester.
Root’s move to three looks to have unsettled him