The Ashes 2023: England v Australia, fourth Test, day three – live | Ashes 2023

94th over: England 486-7 (Bairstow 28, Wood 1) Carey knew it was a hat-trick. Groans as Hazlewood goes oh-so-close to Wood’s outside edge, prodding. Then a big edge to deep third, where Head is waiting. Two slips and a gully for Wood, it’s wide of them all.

The lead is 171.

Hazlewood is on a hat-trick. Wicket last ball of his previous over, first ball of this one.

WICKET! Woakes c Carey b Hazlewood 0, England 486-7

93rd over: England 486-6 (Bairstow 27, Woakes 0) Nearly bowled again! Bairstow facing Starc almost adds another, inside edge from a big drive as he’s done so often, and his leg stump survives by an inch. He profits by four runs. Australia’s bowlers have had the most unbelievable lack of luck off the inside edge, Stokes the only victim from maybe a dozen such errors. Swing from Starc, bending in at Bairstow consistently, but Bairstow finishes the over with a much better boundary, off the full face through midwicket. Picked off a couple of twos in between times.

Heddy writes in. “Despite all the talk of England’s run rate under Bazball and the knowledge they were well over five yesterday and this morning, it’s still a surprise to glance down at the score after less than an hour’s play to see it’s already 450. And this has been a relatively slow session for them! The expectations from decades of test cricket of 2-3 an over no doubt still need some time to displace…”

In the time it took me to publish that email it’s closer to 500.

92nd over: England 474-6 (Bairstow 15) Wicket from the last ball of the over.

WICKET! Brook c Starc b Hazlewood 61, England 474-5

91st over: England 472-5 (Brook 59, Bairstow 15) This is strange. Australia take the new ball. The fourth umpire who came on earlier must have taken it off with him again, because he comes out again. Why bowl one economical over of spin, then turn to the new ball? Maybe just to switch Starc around to his his preferred end, the Statham. He’s looking for Brook’s pads, glanced for one. The only run from the over, testing out Bairstow outside off stump.

“In case some of your Aussie readers might be looking at the weather forecast and wondering a bit,” says Robin Hazlehurst, “can you assure them that yes! It is most certainly cowardly to pray for rain!”

That’s a reference to the title of the OBO book from 2005 – I won’t link to the giant book conglomerate, but you might be able to find one elsewhere by punching those words into Michael Googlé.

90th over: England 471-5 (Brook 58, Bairstow 15) Not surprising to see Travis Head have a bowl. Surprising to see England take four singles instead of trying to put him in the crowd.

89th over: England 467-5 (Brook 56, Bairstow 13) This old-ball tactic has worked to a point. England keep playing shots but mostly rolling to fielders for one run instead of flying for four. In one sense, Australia want to bowl out England. In another sense, they’d like England to bat for as long as possible. The lead is 150.

“Final day of the 2007/08 season,” writes Victor. “I had a ticket for Middlesbrough v Man City. As a meaningless game, given Boro had not been playing well and it was a trek from London, I gave it away to a Man City supporting colleague. Final score: Boro 8, Man City 1.”

88th over: England 462-5 (Brook 55, Bairstow 9) It is Starc to Bairstow now, who handles things well enough, clipping a couple of runs, adding two singles squeezed into the leg side. It is raining lightly now, but the sun is still out. Can see a cloud off to the southeast that looks full of rain but is hopefully skirting us.

Stef B writes in. “This amazing cricket has made me yearn for the good old days, when us in the UK could watch it live on TV, free of charge. I would walk back quickly from school and turn BBC2 on and enjoy the play. Any chance it comes back? Have a fair dinkum day.”

Strewth, cobbber. Zero chance, I’m afraid. The ECB is entirely dependent on Sky money now, nothing would happen without it.

87th over: England 457-5 (Brook 54, Bairstow 5) The forecast for tomorrow remains dire, looks like a zero play day if that transpires. Sunday might allow some at some point. So how long do England want to bat today?

Mitchell Marsh still off the field, by the way. Looks like he’s limbering up on the boundary line. He won’t be allowed to bowl for an hour or so if he comes back on.

86th over: England 457-5 (Brook 54, Bairstow 5) Hazlewood back. A big miscue from Brook as he aims through mid on with a pull and instead hits it into the pitch. He gets his next attempt though, getting inside the line and pull through fine leg. Starc is too square to stop that one. The only scoring shot from the over. Hazlewood nearly gets through thanks to an inside edge, bouncing back past leg stump.

Half century! Brook 50 from 80 balls

Drinks.

Mike Welsh writes on the theme of missed events. “Went to Hampden Park in 2002 for the Champions League final. We were in the second row, side on, level with the edge of the box. In front was a dad and his young son, who needed the toilet five minutes before half time. Zidane did his thing, turned right and ran straight towards us, soon joined by all his teammates. When they returned, the dad groans, ‘Was it any good?’. Some wag replied ‘A tap-in, you missed nothing.’”

84th over: England 447-5 (Brook 48, Bairstow 1) Length ball from Green, Brook shuffles closer to it and dumps it over mid on. Not timed but gets enough for four.

“Please Stokes, don’t declare, even if you get to 550, let the Aussies bowl you out,” is the invocation from Peter Gartner.

Come on now, they’re already 130 in front with an hour before lunch. Should keep swinging for another quarter hour and then pop Australia in. Worst case declare at the break so they don’t lose two more overs.

83rd over: England 439-5 (Brook 41, Bairstow 1) You’d be tempted to get Starc on to bowl at Bairstow’s stumps with a bit of swing. On the other hand, remember what Bairstow did against ten overs of the new ball at Lord’s in 2019. Off the mark with a clip to deep midwicket here. Brook drives a run past Cummins on the bounce. Cummins beats Bairstow with a very good one, seam movement again, angling in then moving away past the edge. How is he doing this with that bundle of dishrags masquerading as a cricket ball.

Heeeeeeeere’s Jonny…

WICKET! Stokes b Cummins 51, England 437-5

82nd over: England 437-4 (Brook 40, Stokes 51) Green carries on, he is throwing in the odd fuller ball to complement his short stuff. Only four on the boundary now, deep square, fine leg, deep third, deep point. Only one run from the over. The new ball comes out via the fourth umpire, but isn’t taken yet. Joel Wilson has it in his pocket.

Half century! Stokes 50 from 72 balls

81st over: England 434-4 (Brook 39, Stokes 49) Australia choose not to take the new ball, banking on the old one being harder to smash perhaps. Weird field for Green bowling to Brook, six out on the rope either side of the wicket for cross-batted shots as he keeps bowling short. Then one from a fuller length to Stokes explodes off the pitch! There’s that variable bounce. It rears up, and luckily for Stokes it’s outside off stump and he’s able to flinch away from it.

80th over: England 429-4 (Brook 36, Stokes 47) Marsh is still off the field. The Australian camp first says he has no problem, then says he’s managing some soreness from yesterday. He bowled 9 overs.

Three others have had a go, now it’s Cummins. He starts well, tucks up Stokes for a few balls, only gives away two singles. That’s a win right now. I doubt it will last.

79th over: England 427-4 (Brook 35, Stokes 46) There’s the Harry Brook back-away-baseball shot. Doesn’t time it, gets two runs through mid on. Cameron Green is bowling now, bumper theory, Brook pulls down the leg side for one. Five off the over all up.

78th over: England 422-4 (Brook 32, Stokes 44) Brook’s turn to join in the fun, blasting a cover drive from Starc for four, at which point the Australian quick errs with a full toss that gets the same treatment. Two balls later, an even better shot, timed through deep third with an almost still bat! An even dozen for Harry.

James Kerr is supporting England from Amorgos on a scorching day. His eldest daughter, he says, will be following Australia. “Born 18 years ago at the wonderful Royal Randwick. Her first few weeks were spent nightly in my arms in our little cottage in Redfern following the epic 2005 series. I didn’t miss a ball. This is as good.”

77th over: England 410-4 (Brook 20, Stokes 44) He’s in the Stokes zone now. Stepping down and a little outside leg to make the room for a huge swing of the bat, all the way around to midwicket where he belts Hazlewood away for for.

76th over: England 406-4 (Brook 20, Stokes 40) Another run out missed! This one is a direct hit attempt, more difficult as Labuschagne pings from midwicket. Brook at the non-striker’s end had come down and had to turn back.

Email from Tom Farrell, which I promise I was trying to get to before play but ran out of time.

“In the 15 overs after Crawley fell last night, England scored at a little over 3 an over. We can all see the weather forecast: surely England’s only hope of victory was to push on, get a lead of 150-200 by as early as possible today, and have at least a couple of sessions to bowl at the Aussies? Even if it didn’t work, defeat would still be incredibly unlikely. Instead, Bazball went missing precisely when it was needed. The draw is now odds on. Discuss.”

There’s some logic to that. They had Australia down and out and could have really punished them. It was odd to pull back. But then, Stokes has done exactly that almost every time he has batted in this series. I assume that his logic, after Crawley and Root were out in quick time, was to make sure Australia didn’t get anything else out of the day to help them feel better, and then to come out the next morning and lay into them afresh. Which he’s now doing.

75th over: England 403-4 (Brook 19, Stokes 38) Stokes on the pull shot might be the shot of this series. Hazlewood tests him from around the wicket and he dismisses it for four.

74th over: England 397-4 (Brook 18, Stokes 33) Starc will bowl from the Anderson End… and he may wish he hadn’t. On the pads, Stokes wallops him through midwicket like he’s shovelling coal. In response, Stokes nearly loses a foot, Starc blasting a yorker through him but it’s outside leg stump. Squeezes out a run, Brook dashes another, Stokes drives to deep point and wants two. Gets two, running like it’s the 50th over of an ODI, and he should have been out! Neser’s throw from the deep is pretty accurate but it bounces and reaches Carey very low to the ground. The Australian keeper doesn’t take it cleanly, he would have had Stokes.

Now, this is interesting on the replay. Carey’s gloves hit the stump and the bails come off. But the ball actually ricochets off his gloves and hits the the stump a split second before his hand does. Carey doesn’t know that, he signals not out and doesn’t appeal. The ball wouldn’t have actually dislodged the bail before the glove did, though. It would have done if the glove hadn’t hit and hastened the process though, though. Would have been a niche one for a third umpire.

73rd over: England 389-4 (Brook 17, Stokes 26) Whoosh! Stokes starts the day with a huge slap through point, except he doesn’t hit the ball. Revises his ambition in a downward direction and nudges a single next time around. Brook drives three through cover. Neser is fielding. But Starc is out there. Mitchell Marsh is off the field. Probably busy being nice to somebody somewhere.

Players are out on the field, Hazlewood warming up to bowl from the Statham End.

“Morning Geoff,” writes Simon McMahon. “Had tickets for days 3 and 4 but gave them up as family and travel plans changed late on. I’m now convinced that today will go down in Ashes folklore, England bowling out the Aussies in a session to win by an innings before the rain comes tomorrow. And I’ll be following it all from home on the OBO. Which of course is much better than actually being there anyway, right? Any worse choices not to go to a sporting event out there…?”

We had a Final Word listener write in with the story of how his dad took him away from Edgbaston so they could go to the movies when a boring rain-affected Warwickshire draw was guaranteed on the final day.

Brian Lara finished with 501*.

Test Match Special overseas, you say? The soothing sounds of British voices and the occasional trumpeting Jim Maxwell shipping forecast? Go on then. Click.

The big story of the day, of course, was the big innings of the day. It might well prove be a story much bigger than one day, too. Jonathan Liew on The Zak.

I was on Australia Watch, which was a pretty grim watch to be on by the end of the day, when quality bowlers were being belted around like club threes. And no spinner, hey?

And yes, we have a Final Word pod for those who like their cricket through their ears.

Andy Bull was on Moeen Watch, after the purring cover drives that were the highlight of his half-century. Mo’s, not Andy’s.

Simon also put together the Ashes Diary.

We’ve had confirmation from the Australian camp now, by the way, that Starc is strapping that shoulder and will bowl.

Simon Burnton had Crawley’s reaction from the post-play presser.

Let’s catch up? Start with the match report from Ali Martin, who was still tapping away well into the evening at Old Trafford.

Preamble