England’s cricketers right now have more than the Ashes at stake. They are set on pursuing a realistic but challenging target of 435 runs to win the third Test match at Adelaide Oval under lights. Having put down a daunting score, Australia has thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the pack, making for what will likely be an exciting finale. That has opened the floodgates to a cascade of dramatic intrigue. Unlikely stars aligning and bad luck injuries have largely paved the way to the early act.
Australia’s batting dominance has been evident throughout the match, with their last six wickets falling for a mere 38 runs. Even with that collapse, they still posed an intimidating chase for England to set. England of course now has a big lead of 420 runs. Even when the odds are stacked against them England’s players are still confident in their ability to chase down big totals. They’ve shown their class with crushing wins on the fifth day making 373 and 378 in the fourth innings.
Trials for Ben Duckett
Ben Duckett was given a serious examination throughout his innings. His performance is the first of many England’s early struggles. Duckett made a play for a good start, but blew it. He spliced a straightforward catch straight into Marnus Labuschagne’s hands in the slips. This resulted in a huge blow to England’s hopes as they really could have done with some form at the top of the order.
Duckett was looking to seal his selection with an expansive bat flourish. Sadly for him, he nicked the ball into Labuschagne’s clammy mitts with a slightly ill-judged push stroke through midwicket again. His dismissal showed how much pressure there is on the opening batsmen in situations like this, which makes this dismissal very understandable. It’s true that one early wicket can destabilise the entire batting order. Duckett’s departure was just adding fuel to the fire.
The England team now looks to regroup and find a rhythm after losing one of its key players so early in the innings. The spotlight further shifts to their middle-order batsmen to create rebuilding partnerships that can take them closer to the monumental target.
Composed Start by Zak Crawley
As the innings went on, Zak Crawley would be the shining light of sanity for England. You saw the fearlessness with which he took on Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc. With the exactness of a jeweller, he negotiated a maiden over without a single dismissal. We need this calm, technical approach now more than ever. The look of pressure on his team as they attempt to run down the very large total.
If Crawley’s poise underneath pressure helps to inspire the same in his teammates, that’s of course an added benefit. To mount a successful blue-in-the-face chase, they need to reproduce his laser-like focus. They must find ways to channel his bulldog determination. Instead, every single ball bowled feeds into the game’s broader momentum. Every run crossed the plate increases the momentum of the lineup.
There is little doubt their Australian bowling attack will be a handful, particularly with Jofra Archer getting first use of the new ball. Adding another layer of complexity for the English batsmen is Archer’s return, as they’ll have to work their way through Australia’s highly-anticipated aggressive bowling strategy.
Leadership from Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse’s Impact
Big game players Ben Stokes has really led by example here. This after he conspicuously pulled out of the bowling crease during play the day before. His intangible presence on the field energizes players around him. This is doubly important during this difficult third of their innings.
At the same time, Brydon Carse announced his Test return with a bang, snaring two early scalps to dent South Africa’s confidence. His knack for taking key wickets may swing the momentum back in England’s favor should they follow up this breakthrough with further damage to South Africa’s batting order. Resilience will be the watchword from the bowling unit, as they again seek to suffocate rather than dismantle the Australian batsmen.
With three series victories under his tutelage so far, Pat Cummins has proven he can lead Australia in style. He opened his over by elegantly steering a length ball to third man for four. He bowled the length ball from over the wicket. This pitch posed a huge challenge to the English batsmen all match long.
Mitchell Starc’s dedication was clear when he took one on the body while trying to serve up his blistering wares. This level of commitment on both ends is testament to the ferocity of an anticipated winner-take-all scenario in this high-stakes Test match.
