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And at the front of the queue, fittingly, pace, pace, pace. Yesterday was fast, proper fast, and it thrilled everyone except those facing it. Maybe even including them. Andy Bull has the tale.
I’ve been watching Mitchell Marsh play for a long time, and yesterday was by far the most dramatic and impressive chapter.
There’s also an Ashes Daily podcast from me and Adam Collins if you’ve got your headphones in.
Tracking back to the previous Test at Lord’s, strong words from the MCC chair about the damage some members have done the club’s reputation. (Though the club still hasn’t done more than suspend three members.)
Emma John spent yesterday down in the Western Terrace, which spiritually remains the Western Terrace, even if they’ve tried to rename it the West Stand.
Simon Burnton has been bowerbirding again for his Ashes Diary.
Mark Wood, after all of that, reackons that he’s just warming up.
Time for Day 2 catch-ups? Let’s start with yesterday’s match report from the man for detail, Ali Martin.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
Hello from Headingley. Question one, as always at the cricket: how is the weather? Looks decent, a mix of cloud and blue, and that’s forecast to clear further. Conditions falling in the favour of England, then, who have Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow to resume at 68 for three.
What a day we had yesterday. Hasn’t been a bad day’s cricket in the series so far, but that one was high octane. Mark Wood returning from a long lay-off and blazing through the lower order, taking five wickets with one of the fastest spells in England. And Mitchell Marsh returning after an even longer layoff and countering with a (deserving this overused word) truly brilliant century.
Parry and thrust. Australia got to a reasonable total of 263 but would have wanted a hundred more. The pitch was fast and offered bounce. As Marsh showed, there are runs for someone who gets the pace of it. But he also got swing with the ball to find Zak Crawley’s edge, and Pat Cummins bowled well on this surface.
All in the balance then, with England needing their main men to put together something substantial.
