It was a must-win third Ashes Test for the hosts in England, and they faced Australia at Headingley on Saturday.
Chris Woakes led the way with the ball, and then England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett stayed tight to give England the upper hand in the match.
Woakes, who was participating in his first Test match since March of the previous year, grabbed three wickets for sixty-eight runs as Australia’s second innings was washed out for 224 runs on the third day of the match.
After that, England needed 251 points to win the five-game series, in which they were already down 2-0.
On a venue where there have only been five previous successful chases in excess of 250 to win a Test, England had more than two days to gain the runs on a ground where there have only been five previous successful chases in excess of 250 to win a Test — including their own 362-9 in a thrilling one-wicket triumph over Australia four years ago based around current captain Ben Stokes’ astonishing 135 not out.
At the end of Saturday’s play, they had a score of 27-0 after just five overs, with Crawley having nine not out and Duckett having 18 not out.
Woakes told the BBC, “I’d like to think we’re in a really good position. Obviously, we still have another 220 runs to chase in order to win this Test match. However, I think if we were given this opportunity at the end of the first innings, I think we would’ve taken it.”
The seamer, who is 34 years old and plays cricket, continued by saying, “The opportunity was put in front of us to bowl in decent bowling conditions, and I think we did well to obviously bowl them out.”
The situation in Australia has reached a “brick wall.”
Ashes-holders Travis Head’s score of 77 helped Australia get off to a good start on a day that was mostly cloudy and favored the fast bowlers of England.
“We’ve been in similar positions where we’ve had our backs up the wall as such, but this game has ebbed and flowed… and we’ve been able to come out on top.”Head informed the press that tomorrow (Sunday) is a really important day in the series.
Australia, the current world Test champions, started play at 15:45 GMT following a long weather delay, with a score of 116-4, while England was a bowler short due to Ollie Robinson not being deployed after he had a back spasm in the first innings.
Despite this, Mitchell Marsh, who had just finished his first test since 2019 with a run-a-ball 118 in Australia’s first innings, smashed a Stuart Broad inswinger down the ground before square-cutting Woakes for another four runs. This was Marsh’s first test since 2019.
However, Woakes was able to exact his vengeance by claiming two wickets while allowing just seven runs in a span of thirteen deliveries.
Marsh, an all-rounder, was out first (28) as he attempted to withdraw his bat to an outswinging ball but edged it to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow instead. This was the first dismissal by this bowler.
A crowd that was still angry with Alex Carey for his involvement in the controversial stumping of local hero Jonny Bairstow during Australia’s 43-run triumph in the second Test at Lord’s last week greeted the new batter with a chorus of boos as he stepped out to bat. The Yorkshireman had considered the ball to be dead at the time of the incident.
But the jeers transformed into boisterous applause when Carey was out for five when he similarly attempted to leave a Woakes delivery, only to glove the ball into his stumps instead of leaving it. Carey’s dismissal sent the crowd to its feet.
The injury-prone Durham fast bowler Mark Wood made his comeback to Test cricket with a score of 5-34 in Australia’s first innings, thanks in large part to the raw pace he possesses. And he struck once more when Mitchell Starc lofted the ball into the air, where it was caught by Harry Brook with a spectacular diving grab.
when that, Wood got the captain of Australia, Pat Cummins, caught behind for only one when he fended outside off stump. Cummins is often a formidable lower-order batsman.
But the replacement batter Todd Murphy, who was playing in his first game of the series following fellow spinner Nathan Lyon’s tour-ending calf injury at Lord’s, cover-driven Wood for a first-ball four in a spectacular manner.
Head counterattacked by blasting Wood over midwicket to achieve an important fifty with his sixth four in 94 balls. Wood was the victim of this hit.
The left-hander maintained his onslaught by drawing Woakes for six, which was the cornerstone of Australia’s first-innings total. His partnership of 155 with Marsh had been the cornerstone of Australia’s first-innings total.
Head also hit two consecutive deliveries from Wood for six before he was the last man out. When he faced Broad (3-45), the senior England bowler in an assault without the rested James Anderson, Head hit Broad for another six. Head was the last man out.
The Australia squad led by batting great Don Bradman, who won the 1936/37 Ashes 3-2, is the only other team to come back from being down 2-0 in a test series and win. England is trying to become just the second team ever to accomplish so.