Recent Match Report – Australia vs England 2nd Test 2023

English 325 and 114 for four (Duckett 50*, Stokes 29*) need 257 more runs to win Australia 416 and 279 (Khawaja 77, Broad 4-65)

In periods on the fourth day, the game almost came to a standstill as Australia ducked and swung one bouncer after another, but overall they lost 8 for 92, which, given England’s recent chase history, including one for 378 against India last summer , offered. they shine and the target is 371 in four sessions.

The first wicket of England’s innings was not among the most memorable as Zak Crawley tickled Starc on the leg side. But Starc found movement with the new ball and produced a stunning delivery that came back sharply to Ollie Pope and clattered to mid-stump.

Cummins, no stranger to creating viral Ashes moments, then produced the series finale when he brutalized Joe Root with a delivery that hit his forearm before making him slip. He then produced a ball to remove Harry Brook off stump, matching the one Root got at Old Trafford in 2019.

After struggling for a while to find the outside edge at the start of play, England soon resorted to short-pitched bowling and basically didn’t move from it until Australia were completely out. The two sessions on the fourth day recorded the highest number of short deliveries till 2015 in ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball database. TV graphics showed that 98% of England’s deliveries in the second session were eight meters or shorter.

It was a slow tactic and caused a lot of discussion, especially after England’s earlier entertaining declarations, but the scores started to fall. It started when Usman Khawaja’s fine innings, which took him to 300 runs in the series, ended with a top edge to long-on.

In what was then a frenetic season, Travis Head was dropped behind before James Anderson scored – his second failure of the game – and then the next ball Steven Smith ended up at deep square leg. Head soon fended off a catch at short leg which was superbly taken by Root as Australia lost 3 for 10 to breathe life into England.

Cameron Green and Alex Carey played cautiously until lunch, then in the afternoon the game reached a virtual stalemate, although Australia had a strong advantage throughout. Generally, the pair had little trouble avoiding the short deliveries, although Stokes hit Green on the helmet mark and, moments later, pulled Robinson to deep square leg for 13 after lunch, which brought 17 runs.

Stokes was involved in one of those marathon spells that have dotted his Test career – the most famous being at Headingley in 2019 before his batting heroics. It remains to be seen whether the knee condition was a sensible approach this time around, and he was clearly grimacing when he later struck out.

But he certainly had a role to play for England when the points fell at the other end. Carey was the next to take the catch at short leg – Robinson then ended a spell of 9-6-7-2 – and Cummins fled to the dugout after catching a breath when Stokes had crossed.

Stokes finally earned a wicket when Josh Hazlewood turned the ball to short leg, but the innings was not yet done with its quirkiness. Lyon, unable to use a runner in ICC playing conditions, limped down the pavilion steps and climbed into the middle with a badly damaged calf that will surely rule him out of the series. Barely able to stand and walk, he helped Starc add 15 runs and managed to pull one boundary himself.

Australia may have felt they needed every run, but the new-ball burst from their opening pair has meant that another extraordinary twist is needed for this match to go down to such fine margins.