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MELBOURNE. — Recalled England batsman Jonny Bairstow lamented Joe Root’s loss of the toss after the touring side were again bowled out cheaply on day one of the third Test cricket against Australia to leave their Ashes hopes on a knife-edge yesterday.
Sent in to bat on a grassy Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch yesterday, England were skittled for 185, with captain Root (50) alone able to produce a half-century against the hosts’ attack.
England have failed to reach 300 in the series, with their highest first-innings total 236 in the second test at Adelaide where they lost by 275 runs.
“When you look at the toss that obviously didn’t go our way,” Bairstow told reporters.
“We’d have also looked to bowl in that first session. “We’re still searching for that big score but both teams were looking to bowl first on that pitch this morning with the help of the conditions and a tinge of green.”
Trailing 2-0 after also losing in Brisbane, England need to win in Melbourne to keep the five-Test series alive.
Australia, meanwhile, need only a draw to retain the urn.
They were 61 for one at the close of day one, with Marcus Harris 20 not out and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon yet to score.
Only one team has overhauled a 2-0 deficit to win the Ashes — Don Bradman’s Australia on home soil back in 1936/37.
Root, allrounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler all fell to poor shot choices, ending England’s hopes of salvaging a respectable total after Australia captain Pat Cummins tore through the top order with three wickets.
“We’ve got to get a bit stronger and tougher with our dismissals,” said Bairstow, who battled to 35 before caught trying to duck a short ball by Mitchell Starc.
“We know that, we’ve spoken about that.
“Naturally, the execution wasn’t there today but the amount of times those shots are executed and go to the boundary is high.
“People have analysed techniques and game plans as to what’s the best way of scoring runs but at the end of the day it does come down to spending time out in the middle.”
Australian skipper Pat Cummins, back after missing the second Adelaide Test because he was in Covid isolation, and spin king Nathan Lyon both took 3-36.
Australia then added to England’s pain by negotiating 16 overs to be 61 for one at stumps, trailing by only 124 with Marcus Harris not-out 20 despite taking a nasty blow to the finger, and nightwatchman Lyon yet to score.
But on another bad day for England they did bag the big wicket of David Warner, who raced to 38 off 42 balls before sending a thick edge off Jimmy Anderson to Zak Crawley at gully.
After batting collapses and poor bowling in the first two tests, Root read his players the riot act – seemingly to little affect. They have failed to score more than 297 in five innings so far.
Openers Haseeb Hameed (0) and Crawley (12) fell cheaply to Cummins after he won the toss and put England in to bat, with their hopes resting once more on Root in front of 57 100 fans at the MCG — less than expected due to Covid concerns.
He brought up his 53rd Test half-century in his 112th match, but once more failed to convert it into a maiden ton in Australia after a poor shot on 50 to Mitchell Starc.
The visitors wielded the axe after their 275-run defeat in Adelaide with Crawley in for Rory Burns and Bairstow replacing Ollie Pope at No 6.
Speedster Mark Wood was recalled after being rested in Adelaide, as was offspinner Jack Leach, with Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad overlooked.
Wearing black armbands to mourn former England captain Ray Illingworth, who died aged 89, Crawley confidently drove Cummins for three in his opening over.
But Cummins struck three balls later with Hameed’s torrid tour continuing, out after nicking to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
Crawley earned his first test chance since March due to Burns’ poor form, but he failed to grab it, finding an outside edge to a rising Cummins ball that Cameron Green superbly caught at gully.
His dismissal for 12 left England at 13 for two with Dawid Malan and Root, the only two English batsmen to pass 50 this series, again on the back foot.
A cautious Malan took 18 balls to get off the mark, but disaster struck just before lunch when he got an edge off Cummins on 14 that carried to Warner at slip. — AFP.
Online Reporter