Match report and analysis
STUMPS! And it's Australia's day
25th over: Australia 61-1 (Khawaja 26, Labuschagne 2) The last over, like the first of the innings, is entrusted to Stuart Broad. It’s good, but not good enough. Australia pick up four leg byes and get through to the close unscathed. Khawaja is threatening to finish the series the way he started it, and Labuschagne seems to have booked in for bed and breakfast too by leaving nearly everything and making two off 23 balls. For a team that dropped about five catches, Australia have had a very good day.
For England, Harry Brook was superb with the bat, making 85 in no time, and Chris Woakes carried on his fine form in both departments. The problem was that the force wasn’t with any of the other seamers, least of all poor old Jimmy Anderson. It looks as if Moeen Ali will be unable to bowl, with his groin strain, and he may even not be seen again in Test cricket after making a typically elegant 34.
England are still 222 runs ahead. In the morning, they have to strike early to stop Khawaja, Labuschagne and Steve Smith stamping on their hopes of the draw that this series surely deserves. Brook, popping up on Sky, says, “I think we’ve had a good day in the end,” but that may be the Bazball bravado speaking.
Thanks for your company and correspondence, and we’ll see you in the morning.
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