Geoff Lemon on Travis Head:
Match report
Another gripping day of Ashes 2023
It was a shortened day, with the thundery showers lingering over Headingley deep into the afternoon meaning the players only took to the field at 5pm. The two and a bit hours that followed were well worth the wait. England prised out the last six Aussie wickets to leave themselves 251 runs to score and stay in the series.
That target could have been a lot less had Travis Head not bullishly kept England’s bowlers at bay in testing conditions for batting before opening his shoulders at the end to crunch some crucial boundaries. Head muscled his way to 77 runs and there was genuine relief when Duckett caught a steepling catch off Broad to see the back of him and bring the Australian innings to a close.
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley then set English hearts ablaze with hope heading into tomorrow by flying to 27-0 in the five overs before stumps.
I’ll be back in the morning to bring you all the action, sharing the fourth day stint with the fab Tanya Aldred. It promises to be a belter. Thanks so much for all your comments and chatter today, it’s been loads of fun, the rain cannot dampen the OBO, well done all.
Have a good evening, ta-ra.
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STUMPS: England 27-0 (They require 224 runs to win)
“Test cricket it beats you up” sighs Jonathan Agnew on TMS as the players walk off. That was worth the wait eh?
5th over: England 27-0 (Crawley 9, Duckett 18) Scott Boland is summoned to bowl the last over of the day. Cummins was hit for 17 from his two overs. Close! Duckett fiddles a ball well outside off to the slips but it lands short. He really doesn’t like leaving it. Last ball of the day incoming… Duckett plays it comfortably to leg and turns to stroll off. What were you worried about?
4th over: England 25-0 (Crawley 8, Duckett 18) A thick edge from Duckett soars away over the slips for another four! Brute of a delivery from Mitchell Starc and Duckett is very lucky to survive it. A single brings Zak Crawley on strike and he shoulders arms to the remaining four balls in the over. Each leave cheered to the rafters. We’ll have one more over before stumps.
3rd over: England 20-0 (Crawley 8, Duckett 12) Ouch! Cummins thuds a ball into Duckett’s glove and there’s a delay while the physio ambles out to check everything is ok. Can’t be much damage to those digits – Duckett cuts Cummins powerfully away for four next ball and follows up with a sublime drive down the ground for four more! A scampered single off the last is met with huge cheers by the home crowd.
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2nd over: England 11-0 (Crawley 8, Duckett 3) Mitchell Starc shares the new ball with Cummins. Duckett picks him off the hip for a single. Crawley aims a booming drive and gets an inside edge for one more. REVIEW! Starc thinks Duckett might have tickled one down the leg into Carey’s gloves but Umpire Dharmasena is having none of it. Australia send it upstairs but lose a review, fresh air all the way. Duckett then edges just, just short of Steve Smith at second slip. On we go.
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1st over: England 8-0 (Crawley 7, Duckett 1) You have to laugh. No question of England’s openers trying to survive this tricksy period. Crawley pings Cummins through mid-wicket for a silky four! The two openers both get underway with aplomb, Duckett with a clip off the hip. Crawley notches up another two runs with a flick into the leg-side. Confident start for England.
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Phew. Here come Crawley and Duckett. Hazy sunshine here at Headingley. Devilish session for England to survive/make hay in. We’ve got about twenty minutes to go until the close. Pat Cummins is prowling at the top of his mark. WinViz has England has 66% on to win. Those boys are bullish. Strap in.
WICKET! Head c Duckett b Broad 77 (Australia all out 224)
That’s yer lot! Head is well caught by Duckett at mid-wicket, the ball taking an eternity to plop safely into his hands. The Australian batters run off, they fancy a pop at England that’s for sure.
What a passage of play that was. England require 251 runs to win the Test and keep their Ashes hopes alive.
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65th over: Australia 223-9 (Head 76, Boland 0) Head is doing an amazing impression of Ben Stokes here at Headingley! He clubs two pull shots for consecutive sixes off Wood! High and proud into the East Stand! Head has scored 42 runs off his last 25 balls and is racking up precious runs for Australia. Each boundary is a significant wound to England. A loooong conversation between Wood, Stokes and Robinson isn’t fruitful as England can’t stop Head from sneaking a single. We have 35 minutes left in the day. It’s been a long one eh?
How to OBO a tense game, by @Jimbo_Cricket pic.twitter.com/DMhoKhFbai
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) July 8, 2023
WICKET! Murphy lbw b Broad 11 (Australia 211-9)
Broad pins Murphy on the pads and England like it, so does the umpire! The finger goes up but Australia review. … clipping the bails! Australia are nine down and lead by 237 runs.
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65th over: Australia 211-8 (Head 64, Murphy 11) Wood begins his sixth over in this spell. Head spanks a fuller ball down the ground for four! A couple of dots are followed by a nasty wrap on the gloves for Head, a brief pause but he’s good to continue. They make em tough in South ‘Straya. Wood manages to prevent Head from getting a single off the last so Murphy will be on strike next over. Stuart Broad is coming on to replace Woakes.
64th over: Australia 207-8 (Head 60, Murphy 11) Every single man on the boundary apart from Woakes and Bairstow. SIX! Head hangs back and crunches the ball into the stands! Woakes and Stokes have a lengthy conflab. Head tries the same again but misses the ball. The field comes up after another long conversation between bowler and captain but Head nudges the single he needs to keep strike.
Graeme Parker in Ontario has a theory:
“Umm, are England sure they really want to get Australia out in these conditions? Go easy for the rest of the day, have a pie and a pint and save your wickets for tomorrow?” You are making me hungry Graeme.
63rd over: Australia 199-8 (Head 53, Murphy 10) Wood bangs it in short but Head greets it with the middle of the bat and pings the ball through square-leg for four! Head then goes to FIFTY by slotting Wood through mid-wicket for another boundary. Dangerous times, crucial runs. The lead rises to 225. Pulsating action. How’s everyone feeling?
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62nd over: Australia 189-8 (Head 43, Murphy 10) Travis Head is still there for Australia and he punches back with two fours off the over. Woakes is carved behind point and pulled for four emphatically. Head then pinches a single off the last ball to keep strike. The Aussie lead is up to 215.
“I can’t be alone in thinking that the Aussies first innings lead of 26 is going to be absolutely crucial?” Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, Simon McMahon. I’d raise you Travis Head’s knock here, another 30 mins off him going ballistic could be curtains for England’s Ashes hopes.
61st over: Australia 180-8 (Head 34, Murphy 10) Kudos to Todd Murphy who has come out and driven his first ball, a 90mph in-ducker from Wood, for four! The spinner then swivel-pulls for a couple as Moeen does well to kick the ball back to Woakes and stop the boundary. CLOSE! A glove from Murphy is just wide of a full stretch Bairstow down the leg-side. Four more to Australia. The lead is 206.
“What if we do too well?” asks John William Bray
“And the Aussies have a few overs at us tonight…Cummins in these conditions? Tell us there’s no chance because of some cricket like cricket rule.”
I’m afraid I can do no such thing John and something tells me this shortened day has a few more twists yet. Buckle up.
WICKET! Cummins c Bairstow b Wood 1 (Australia 170-8))
Big Pat gone for just the one run! Wood nicks him off and he is jubilant, bounding around the outfield as his teammates try and mob him! Australia lose another and it is looking all the more likely that England will have to bat tonight.
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60th over: Australia 170-7 (Head 34, Cummins 1) Pat Cummins is the new man and he joins Head in the middle fresh off a duck in the first innings. Woakes beats him with a devilish delivery that swings past the edge. Breathe Pat, the Aussie skipper gets off the mark with a flick to leg.
WICKET! Starc c Brook b Wood 16 (Australia 168-7)
Yours! Mine! Yours! Indecision between Bairstow and Brook at short leg as Starc spoons a top edge high in the air. Brook takes a fine diving catch in the end, they made that look harder than it was though! It looked to be Bairstow’s catch but England don’t care, Brook does the business and another wicket goes down. England need three more… could we see them bat this eve? The weather looks clear at Headingley now but conditions are ripe for bowling. Gulp.
59th over: Australia 169-7 (Head 32, Cummins)
58th over: Australia 166-6 (Head 32, Starc 15) Woakes continues and is glided away by Starc to third for four. Another welcome boundary to the Aussies. Cor! A lovely ball from the Woakesmeister General beats Head all ends up. The lead stands at 192 runs.
56th over: Australia 161-6 (Head 32, Starc 11) Another expensive over from Wood who has been miserly so far in this Test. A short ball flies over Jonny Bairstow and runs away for four byes, nothing the keeper could have done to stop that one. Next ball, Starc plays a beautiful straight drive in the gap for four! Priceless runs, the lead stretches to 187. Starc and Head are both dangerous with bat in hand, England can’t afford to take their foot off the gas here.
55th over: Australia 149-6 (Head 31, Starc 3) A couple off Woakes’ latest, Starc swishes at one that was full and on the pads, would have been a huge shout if he’d missed it. He didn’t and gets off the mark.
Doesn’t get much tougher than this. Australia can’t win the Test in the next hour but England might go a long way towards doing so. #Ashes pic.twitter.com/RKUGMyglUc
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) July 8, 2023
54th over: Australia 147-6 (Head 30, Starc 3) The sun comes out and Headingley is bathed in golden light, momentarily. Wood’s first over goes for eight runs, a lovely back-foot punch by Head for four through extra-cover the highlight. The lead is 173, every run is crucial.
“Jim – collectively, can Guardian-reading admirers of Chris Woakes identify as the Woakerati? I’d be proud to be numbered among them.” Go for your life Danny Eccleston. Get the tofu in too if you like?
You can’t please em all I guess: Richard Innes just wants All Out Action and I imagine is fuming reading his very own contribution?
“How I wish you would concentrate on describing the action and omit all contributions sent in by those following online. I can’t be alone in having no interest in the thoughts and actions of total strangers who send in jokey or non-jokey observations. I follow OBO to know how the game is proceeding. Isn’t that what it’s for?”
53rd over: Australia 139-6 (Head 25, Starc 0) The crowd roar Chris Woakes to the crease. There’s a dank feeling to conditions, they really are tough ones to bat in. The replay of the Carey dismissal shows it was the bounce that did for him, a late decision to shoulder arms saw him chop down onto his stumps. Oh, here comes Mark Wood!
WICKET! Carey b Woakes 5 (Australia 139-6)
Woakes gets some bounce off a decent length and Carey chops onto his stumps! England have another. The lead is 164, Australia have four wickets left. Mitch Starc is the new man.
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53rd over: Australia 134-5 (Head 24, Carey 1) Close! Broad beats Carey’s outside edge twice in the over with zippy full balls that angle in and dart away at the last. Fantastic bowling. A probing maiden from the bandana clad Broad.
“Foolishly thinking ahead, but can’t help but surmise that the Aussie lead must not go beyond what Stokes is able to score on his own!” Ponders Ian Copestake. It’s up to 160 as it stands…
52nd over: Australia 134-5 (Head 24, Carey 1) Carey gets off the mark with a push to leg. More boos, inevitably. England sensing this is their moment to get back in the series.
51st over: Australia 132-5 (Head 23, Carey 0) Alex Carey comes out to bat to a cacophony of pantomime boos. Head picks up a single with a glide off a short ball.
“Hi Jim, my weather radar has another band of rain just missing Headingley, even if it’s inadvisable for me to hang the washing out two miles to the east. Fingers crossed!” I wouldn’t risk it Tim Saunders, there’s a good deal of murk about, for the time being it is dry. England will fancy winkling out another. They buzz about between overs, trying to get as many in as possible.
50th over: Australia 131-5 (Head 21, Carey) There is Swing for Woakes. These are really helpful conditions for England. They’ve had the best of them in the series as a whole but have failed to capitalise. Can they make this tricky passage count? The lead stands at 157 runs. Australia have five wickets left.
It’s an electric atmosphere here at Headingley.
Good things come to those who wait.
WICKET! Marsh c Bairstow b Woakes 28 (Australia 131-5)
Godddim! Marsh tries to withdraw his bat from a length ball but is a smidge too slow in his movements, a tickle on the glove is taken by Bairstow and England jump with glee.
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49th over: Australia 126-4 (Head 21, Marsh 24) Broad is picked off the pads by Marsh for a single and a short ball is pulled by Head for another. Yes please! A purr goes round the ground as Marsh plays a delicious on drive for four! Shot of the day for mine. HoHo. Eeeesh! Broad beats Marsh with a beauty off the final ball, it’s a gnat’s eyelash away from the edge and thunks into Bairstow’s gloves.
Stuart Broad to start us up again… two slips and a gully in place. Play!
“No wickets lost so Australia’s session then?” Jake Santa Maria with the attempted rib-tickler. We ain’t done yet Jake. The stumps are being plonked back in and it looks like the players are heading back out… indeed they are!
The covers are on but it is a bit brighter again now. Ah! The covers are coming off again. A roar goes up from the poncho-clad English supporters. More as we get it…
48th over: Australia 118-4 (Head 19, Marsh 18) Woakes bangs it in short to Head, his second ball swings prodigiously but from half-way down the wicket. The field comes up for Mitch Marsh after Head flicks a single off his hip. The big man prods into the covers and steals a single.
All eyes on the sky, it has gone a bit dark, the floodlights are definitely making a difference. It looks brighter away to the city but there are some ominous clouds in the opposite direction. Woakes pitches one up to Head that hits the pads but it was heading safely down leg. Oh no! Rain starts to fall and the covers are summoned at the end of the over. That could be the only over we are going to see today. How was it for you?
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Chris Woakes is going to start with the ball. Weirdly it looks as if he’s going to start with some short stuff, there are FIVE men on the boundary. Here we go!
The England players gather in their whites on the boundary edge. A round of applause ripples around the stadium in appreciation of the efforts put in today by the hardworking Yorkshire ground-staff.
The roller trundles up and down the pitch incredibly slowly. Dare say England are champing at the bit to get going and Australia would be very happy for a some of the grey clouds that surround Headingley to burst open. Here come the batters, we are going to have some play. Let’s enjoy it whilst it lasts…
Can everyone stop dancing and sit still?
More rain looming. Could be a very short and sharp session coming up…!#Ashes2023. pic.twitter.com/GYQFmbtJV6
— Andrew Miller (@miller_cricket) July 8, 2023
For those of you asking for the TMS link…
Give this a whirl:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtzJoM4GDLg
Updated
This could actually be a decisive passage of play in this series. England need wickets, they especially need to get rid of the dangerous Travis Head and muscular Mitch Marsh before they take this lead into officially tricky run-chase territory.
Australia can bat them out of this game and therefore the Ashes in a session or two. It’s precariously poised, a Borrower sized trapeze act tottering along a knife’s edge.
The lead is currently 142 runs, my gut says England will struggle to chase many more than 260ish. That’s what my gut and me are saying and we are sticking with it.
The players are milling about on the outfield, Mark Wood is getting his shoulders loose on the practice pitches. Exciting isn’t it!
Play is due to begin at 4:45pm!
Praise be! There are 34 overs left in the day and play can continue to 7:30pm at the latest. My colleague Simon Burnton has just shown me a weather radar on his phone and it looks like Leeds might miss the rest of the rain.
Play from 4:45pm! With... pic.twitter.com/gFvwPNnVAa
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) July 8, 2023
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The covers are coming off and there are some whoops and cheers from the stands. Fair play to those supporters who’ve stuck this out. I hope they get to see some cricket. It’s brighter now than it has been all day and crucially is not, repeat not, raining.
Pitch inspection at 4.15pm!
Pending no further rain. Hold tight everyone…
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In other two-wheel based news:
Mark Cavendish has abandoned what is set to be his final Tour de France after a crash on stage eight https://t.co/n2YuwsXwgM
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) July 8, 2023
Despite it clearly being bowling conditions at the moment and there being a distant but mouth-watering prospect of an hour or two of play that could swing the series (decisively if the Aussies have the better of it) David Gaskell thinks England might be glad, and better off for this rest.
“Can we factor in the extra time Stokes and Robinson have had to rest their twinges and pains? Also the extra snooze time Wood has had dreaming of hostile supersonic speeds”
“Can it still be called the OBO if no overs have been bowled? Asking for a friend”
OBO can stand for anything you like Else Brissenden… suggestions on a postcard/email.
“Also, I’m presently debating whether to call it stumps and go sleep. It’s just past 12am here on the Eastern seaboard in Australia. What do you think is the likelihood of at least ‘some’ cricket after tea? I reckon I’ve got 45 mins max left in me.”
Hmm I wish I could give you some better news but it is still spitting here in Headingley. I’ve overheard that if the players haven’t taken to the field by 6pm (BST) then the plug will be pulled. That’s still a while away though.
It is raining incredibly lightly but enough to make sure the covers stay put.
If there's no more rain, say the ECB, there will be a pitch inspection at 3.45pm. Trouble is, I think it's still spitting.
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) July 8, 2023
The best thing about today is how even the battle between the rain and the groundstaff has been. Just when you think one side is on top, there's a break in the clouds or a sudden downpour. It's this ebb and flow that makes Test cricket not being played so fascinating
— Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) July 8, 2023
You make your own fun I guess. I’m having a lovely old time of it sifting through your emails and staring dolefully into the middle distance.
Improvisation at its finest! ☂️#BBCCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/6PSDG98c0o
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 8, 2023
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Tea is being taken between 15:10pm and 15:30pm. You were dying to know that weren’t you? It is getting brighter and they are mopping up out there. Don’t give up hope on this just yet. I’m not, but then I am a brave, brave boy.
In and amongst the Beatles/Cricket puns there is some actual cricket (and maths debate) going on.
Over to Mark Gillespie:
“Hi James
re regression to the mean. Your emailer who talked about that was right in some regards, but wrong in others. While you can expect a return to the mean performance overall, their analysis seemed to assume that any variance was totally random, which it isn’t. It’s dependent on things like strength of the opposition, how their skillset matches up against yours, plus other less tangible factors like form, confidence and injury. If it was random, dropping a player while performing below their mean level would make sense, but that’s not the case here.
In addition, one major factor that wasn’t addressed was that Bairstow’s batting average drops when he also keeps wicket. So the decision to bring him back into the team because of his batting made no sense when to do it meant him playing instead Foakes.
It was very frustrating that the obvious correction to the obvious mistake was to bring Foakes back in place of Pope after the injury, as they could do that without damaging Barstow’s confidence. To do it now would make it obvious he’s being dropped as keeper. However, that is still the correct move. Bairstow should go back to playing purely as a batsman. There’s also a chance that would actually kick start him again with the bat, as this often appears to happen when he has something to prove.”
Hard to argue with any of this Mark.
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The man has a point?
Incredible cricket just accepts rain delays as an English idiosyncrasy rather than a fundamental problem with the sport. I reckon if it wasn't run by plummy men who prize tradition above all else they'd have put some thought into working round it. We've put a man on the moon etc
— Neil Gibbons (@neilgibbons) July 8, 2023
A bit brighter here in Headingley and it looks as if the rain has relented. I’d say there’s a sniff of a chance of some play later.
“Hi Jimbo, thanks for your expert holding of the fort.”
Butter me up good and proper Robert Ellson.
“The OBO is at its inimitable best when it rains, isn’t it? Wonderful work from Brian Withington.” (Yes Brian has been getting lots of love in the OBO mailbag for his lyrical wit)
“Surely the Beatles Bazball anthem, especially in this extraordinarily unpredictable series, is ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. Can almost imagine the lyrics being a McCullum teamtalk:
“Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream...Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void…”
Today, though, you need ‘I Am the Walrus’: “Sitting in an English garden, waiting for the sun. If the sun don’t come you get a tan from standing in the English rain.”
Very true Bob. Are you a Dr Robert by the way?
“Norwegian Mark Wood” offers Adrian Clossick and I don’t mind it at all.
Elliot Conway is in touch to give us hope… and Beatles/Cricket puns.
“Hi Jim, finally the crossover I’ve been waiting for!
You’re Going To Lose That Bail
While My Guitar Gently Sweeps
He Came In Through The Balcony Window (Matt Prior, Lords 2011)
The Long On Winding Road
And Your Bird Can Swing
When I’m Sixty-Four Not Out
The Nightwatchman Before
I Feel Fine Leg
On the weather front I’m going to try and be optimistic for you - I’m about 4 miles from the ground in south east Leeds and we’ve barely had any rain since the thunderstorms at about 11am, fingers crossed we’ll get some play today.”
Hmm, not so good.
Absolutely pissing it down here. pic.twitter.com/MTGzb3CF5T
— Jonathan Norman (@FulhamJon) July 8, 2023
Inspired stuff from Brian Withington who also sets me off on a long and widing road of Beatles/Cricket puns. “Got to get you into my…gloves” might be one I’d kick us off with. Over to you…
“Hi Jim, thought it was time to dig out the old Lennon & McCartney songbook again for some inspiration. This is the plaintive story of a permanently young Yorkshire lad who wears his heart on his sleeve and divides opinion, but whom I can’t help but admire for what he’s been through and brings to this life. (Apologies for the skewiff formatting - ghosts in the machine)
The Ballad of Jonny Bairstow
Standing in the crease at Lord’s often Only steppin’ out for a prance The man on the mic said, “You’ve got to go back” You know, they didn’t even give me a chance
Stokes, you know it ain’t easy You know how hard it can be I was just getting goin’ Then Alex Carey stuffed me
Finally got me back t’pavillion Members are all giving it large Rishi chipped in to say “Aus didn’t play it OK We wouldn’t want to win it that way” Stokes, you know it ain’t easy You know how hard it can be I was just getting goin’ Then Alex Carey stuffed me
Drove from Lord’s to the Headingley Hilton Sky says that I was too weak The newspapers said, “Say what you doing, where’s Ben?” I said, “I’m only trying my best just to keep”
Stokes, you know it ain’t easy You know how hard it can be I was just getting goin’ Those Aussie b*****s got me
Coming back from injury for a better day Givin’ your all for your country Last night Baz M said, “Oi, you with the red head You just keep on playing with all your heart and soul Think”
Made a leg side drop once again Hard diving with my left leg The pundits all said, “Weight’s gone to his left Needs to move his feet quicker like Ben”
Chorus
Chased at a wide one from Starc Smith caught it and sent me back The men from the press said, “We wished you success But now it’s time for the sack”
Stokes, you know it ain’t easy You know how hard it can be The way things are goin’ You’re picking Foakes and not me? The way things are goin’ Wish I’d not got on that tee”
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Smylers whangs one down and into my inbox, it is above average fare:
“Hello, James. Regression to the mean is not, as it might sound, a description of how drunken crowds behave at sporting events when they perceive their team has been slighted, but a statistical term which applies to data which exhibits variance: if you’ve just had an outcome which was towards either extreme of the expected range, then chances are future events will be closer to the average.
Applying this to Johnny Bairstow, who on average is both a better batter and a better keeper than we’ve seen in this series, it’d be silly to replace somebody because of a few below-average performances: everybody will sometimes play below their average (because that’s how averages work!). What matters is how Johnny’s typical keeping and batting is to the other options, not his worst. I was a fan of having Ben Foakes in the team, but I understand England’s reason for choosing Johnny to keep wicket for this series, and, perhaps counter-intuitively, when somebody has underperformed (relative to their own abilities) is the wrong time to drop them.
And regarding England in this match? They can bat far better than they did in their first innings; we know that. Regression to the mean suggests that they probably won’t do as badly in their second innings…”
Pundits keep saying England are losing because of dropped catches, not your so called “bazball”. This is wrong because the main dropper is a bazball selection. And yet paradoxically Foakes, the No1 keeper, was a big success of early bazball, which suggests in turn that if
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) July 8, 2023
Still mizzling here in Leeds. We haven’t had any further updates and I don’t think we will until it stops. We’ll press on regardless.
“Good afternoon James”
Afternoon to you Paul Richards.
“As a regular visitor to Filey for holidays in the 70s, we used to regularly to have a local weather condition known as a “fret”, a thick mist that used to shroud the beach and town... until it was burned off by the glorious sunshine later in the day (not!).
It is caused by the difference in temperature between the cold North Sea and the warmer air in spring and summer and is quite common on the NE coast. I think Farrow and Ball would undoubtedly have picked up on this and named their paint, “Filey Fret”. If they see this email my consultancy fees are very reasonable.
Cheers, Paul (from overcast Hertfordshire).”
It’s looking a bit more grim over The Howard Stand I’m sorry to report. It’s all gone a bit Gunmetal Guiseley.
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“Dear James and brother-driver William,
For me and my kinfolk, Wallace is a family name which must pass from generation to generation as a middle name. My parents had three sons before me but clearly forgot about the tradition until I came along, leaving me with the dubious honour of being Mel Gibson’s namesake forever more - though unlike your brother I get to lay low until someone snoops on my passport.
Watching my first proper Ashes this year - my father (he of the son-misnaming shenanigans) tried for 30 years to teach me a love of cricket. Finally, a couple of years late, remembering him by learning to love an incredibly frustrating and brilliant game - thanks for all the coverage from you and colleagues!
Freedom! and all that.
William (Wallace) Haydon”
I’ll pass this on to my William Wallace, Bill. I think this is as near as he’s come to meeting a namesake.
“Hi, James, well, it’s now 6:10 AM here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where the famous Calgary Stampede got underway yesterday and where we’re expecting a 30 degree day filled with sunshine. I actually set my alarm for 4 o’clock to catch the start of today’s action, so the rain delay has been nice for me to stay in bed on a Saturday morning.
I’m a cricket neophyte. Watched much of this year’s IPL to learn the basics of the game. I’ve got a decent handle on it, I think, although I’m still learning some of the terminology for things like the different areas of the ground, fielding positions, and various bits of slang/jargon.
Good to have you with us, Michael Ireton, you don’t need to know all that stuff to enjoy this beautiful/bonkers game of ours.
“And speaking of matters linguistic, the phrase “getting down to brass tacks” is well known hereabouts - at least among folks “of a certain age”. Like many idioms, the origins of the expression are uncertain, despite various claims to knowing the definitive story.
This is a good read about it. Perhaps something to peruse if there’s another weather delay: https://blog.oup.com/2015/04/get-down-to-brass-tacks-idiom-origin/”
“Good morning from Pittsburgh!”
Good of you to bring some energy to a soggy Yorkshire, Eric Petersen.
“Using the rain delay to be thorough with my Saturday morning routine of catching up with two days of cricket lost to being a working stiff. Watched yesterday’s highlights and found myself wondering which Aussie said mean things to Mark Wood about his mother, a la Bobby Boucher in The Waterboy (feel free to judge, I referenced Daniel LaRusso / The Karate Kid last test, so the aesthetic trajectory I’ve set for myself is not lost on me).
If someone ever conjures up a T5 format - you know, something Sky Sports can shoehorn in between Premier League games - Stokes & Wood would be appointment viewing.”
Of course if you want to catch up with the action from the last few days with the best writers around then you’ll find everything here under one Guardian “umbrella”. Don’t say umbrella!
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/cricket
As the rain falls, get stuck into this interesting and very good piece from Wisden’s Yas Rana:
Something on Bazball and the housing crisis.#Ashes2023https://t.co/p6fGGa9JNg
— Yas Rana (@Yas_Wisden) July 7, 2023
Gah! Just as the man on the tannoy here at Headingley announces we’ll have a 13:30pm start “pending no further rain” the sky belches and the rains spool forth. It is now well and truly chucking it down! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
The covers are coming off! Be still my beating heart.
@Jimbo_Cricket it's clear to the East. Unfortunately I'm not in Leeds. pic.twitter.com/31rncz9gfv
— The IPGCE and IQTS @ Derby (@ipgce) July 8, 2023
Still no further rain and some sterling work being done out on the outfield. They are peeling off the outer covers and things are looking brighter.
Ben Heywood isn’t happy with England’s butterfingers.
“Andy Shay (12:06pm) has it dead on. England are 2-0 down and not 2-0 up because in two very tightly contested tests, their fielding has been absolute garbage. Yes, our batters have donated wickets via brainless pulls and hooks, but the Aussies have done that too; where the sides differ is the Aussies’ ability to pouch the edges that matter. England have dropped some utter sitters, and the reprieved batsmen has then gone on to a century, what, three times? Bazball is about aggressive batting and bowling; has Mr McCullum simply forgotten about fielding completely?”
M’colleague Geoff Lemon touched on this the other day, after England’s latest clumsy fielding display. The days of England going on a specific catch honing trip are seemingly long gone. These days there do a few grabs on the outfield while McCullum pumps out some chart hits from his boom box.
There’s no doubt those missed chances have cost them, I make it 18 drops/missed stumpings in the series so far – almost an entire Test match’s worth of opportunities gone begging… and we’re only in the third Test.
James Doulapas isn’t used to the wet stuff:
“Hi James. I was born in Hull 76 years ago but I’ve been living for the past seven years in a rural coastal village in the Peloponnese. I keenly follow the cricket scores via the Guardian. 30+C degrees and sunny here as usual today. Unfortunately I’ve now completely forgotten what rain and/or a rain delay is. Is it something Fate and the umpires create to make Test matches last five days?”
I think even with this lost time today this Test might not go the distance.
Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
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Always up for a film recommendation. Hello to Brian Murphy:
“Howdy James! Like all of us, am hoping this rain clears off good and quick. While we wait though, can I urge all fellow OBO-ers to check out the film adaptation of Claire Keegan’s first novella, Foster. The film is in Irish, called ‘An Cailín Ciúin’ (The Quiet Girl), obvs with subtitles. It’s v rare I find myself in floods of tears on the pavement outside the cinema… A hearty recommend. It’s genuinely beautiful.
And like Grame McNeill earlier, I’m an Irishman in a similar quandary, yet find myself slightly wishing England well here Am v conflicted tbh – Go n-éirí libh!”
It is currently fine in Headingley and the clear up is ongoing. Fingers crossed we don’t have any rain in the next 4o minutes and can get some action in this afternoon.
Meanwhile, hello to Bill Pairman in Madrid:
“Hi James, it was nice to see the old expression ‘It’s black over Bill’s mother’s earlier. I don’t know the origin either but it was one of my mum’s favourite sayings. She was brought up by her Yorkshire grandmother who was born in the 1880s and was therefore a veritable mine of Victorian-era sayings which I’ve inherited (and passed on to my Spanish wife!).
Whenever my mum used the expression there would be a pause before she added “I’ve no idea who Bill was - or his mother!”
It’s a scorching hot summer day with a cloudless sky here in Madrid, here’s hoping the sunshine makes it over Bill’s mother’s to Headingley!”
Lovely, cheers Bill. Send us some sunshine!
Less lovely, but quite funny from Matt Thomas:
“At the risk of lowering the tone to Ollie Robinson levels I’ve always had a keen fondness for the Aussie version of ‘cracking eggs with a stick’, namely ‘We’re not here to f*** spiders’.
Maybe it could inscribed on the urn if they secure the series today?”
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Tim Murray emails in with a missive titled ‘Murray Henman’
“As someone who had to suffer people saying “come on Tim” during Henman’s heyday and whose kids have suffered with Andy Murray jibes for pretty much their whole lives, absolutely amazed not just by Murray Henman’s name but also the fact it appeared to pass you by. (Oh I spotted it alright, Tim) Assuming, that is, it’s real.”
Stranger things have happened, though I confess this is making my head hurt a little…
“Am also always amazed by the “casual” at the end of your email. Still wearing Fila and Diadora Borg Elites?”
Ha. That’s a Guardian thing Tim, one day I’ll gravitate to formal, maybe. Who am I kidding? I’ll be in me plimsolls for the forseeable.
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A handshake across the pond to Andy Shay:
Greetings James from Central Pennsylvania in the United States. My brother (Greg) and I are Yanks who lived in England for a four-year spell as teenagers in the early 1980s (Hello Ian Botham and England vs. West Indies) and have followed the game ever since.
We particularly enjoy Test Cricket and favour England but are very much neutral fans. This particular Ashes series has been sizzling and this new style for England is simply pure living-on-the-edge cricket. But the basics still matter and from the ONLY difference in these squads so far is catching in the field. Australia have been out of this world class in the field and England have been average. Otherwise the cricket has been off-the-charts good on the entertainment side. Keep up the great work, Sir!”
The special relationship is strong on the OBO.
“Good afternoon James - at least it is here in sunny Provence.” (Show off!)
Bonjour to you Graeme McNeil.
“I have a question for you and OBO readers. Do Scottish cricket fans shout for England or Australia in the Ashes? Cricket seems to be the one sport where some Scotsmen, including my dad, think it’s ok to support England but I am in the Anyone But England camp.
Before I get roasted please let me say how much I admire the England team and Ben Stokes is an utter legend. But I just can’t bring myself to support England as a team or a concept, just like the football or the rugby.
Thoughts? Given your name I suspect you may have some divided opinions on this subject.”
I’m as English as buttered crumpets and delayed trains Graeme – a Yorkshire mum, a Lancashire dad and I was lucky enough to grow up in the Peak District. The holy trinity eh? But yes somewhere way back we’ve got Scotch blood, and one of my brothers is called William. No word of a lie, he gave me a lift to the ground this morning through chocka Headingley traffic -Braveheart indeed.
“It’s a chilly night in Brisbane” writes Murray Henman. “So I’m settling in with a wee dram of whisky to read Claire Keegan’s great book, Small Things Like These.
It’s only 110 pages so hopefully I’ll be done by the time play begins.” You’ve a good chance Murray, sounds an ideal set up.
Jacob Grooby is feeling fearful for the Aussies…
“When play does resume, are we expecting the mugginess to provide the bowlers with a lot of swing? If so, it might be a bloodbath. A swing-inspired collapse would be a frustrating development after Australia scored a paltry 116 from 47 overs of perfect batting conditions yesterday.”
Paul Spencer is having similar thoughts from an English perspective:
“With all this rain and moisture around, surely the conditions will suit the bowlers a lot more than the batters. Once again the weather has fallen England’s way. Can they take advantage?”
It certainly will be trickier conditions to bat if and when they get on today, yesterday there was blanket azure blue skies, today it’s more Filey Grey which very much could be a Farrow&Ball paint colour…
Likewise – Burley Musk and Garforth Skies. C’mon – it’s raining.
No play before 1.10pm
We’ve had word that an early lunch will be taken at 12:30pm which means the earliest that any play could happen would be after that. The weather does look better away to the east so I don’t think this is a lost cause at all, but it’s a case of getting enough of a dry period in to clear things up. I keep hearing that the drainage is very good here, which is something.
Keep the emails coming in, it’s always good fun to chew the fat during a rain delay.
It’s still mizzling in Leeds but there are brighter clouds rolling in from the east. I’m just off for a wander to see what the prospects of play might be (find some coffee). Back soon!
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Alisdair Gould is off his long run in Paris…
Hello James, I enjoyed the preamble that sets the context of today’s cricket perfectly. After such flattery I trust you will print my opinion! (You know me so well…)
“Bairstow is neither Test class as a batter and certainly not a wicketkeeper to pick ahead of Foakes… he should be dropped. If your best bowler is available you don’t choose a replacement because she or he scores more runs. I find it an insulting group compromise the continued selection of matey Bairstow.”
Well now, Al. I can feel your frustration seeping through my screen but Bairstow is a Test class batter, you need only look at his record in the last 12 months to see that. But, I accept he’s had a shocking series behind the stumps thus far and he’ll be feeling it keenly.
After the Lord’s Test finished I interviewed Jack Russell and he was particularly thoughtful on this very issue.
You know, this series might be decided by one stumping. One catch. One piece of brilliance, because there’s such fine margins between the sides. Jonny is made of tough stuff and I’m sure he’ll bounce back but in an Ashes series missed chances get magnified and so the pain will be even greater because of what is at stake.”
I can see plenty of sopping work going on from my vantage point in the press box. It currently IS NOT raining but it is really muggy (mafting if you will) and there is the odd grumble of thunder to be heard away over Leeds city centre.
“Hi Jim!”
Hello to you Matt Dunhill.
“I’m actually looking forward to an on/off day of cricket, all this high octane cricket is great but I do miss OBO chats about travel, food etymology etc!
Anyway... Not purely a Yorkshire term but a very apt phrase for today: ‘It’s black over Bill’s mother’s’ (meaning there are black clouds on the horizon)“
I think that could be a Lancashire expression, I’m sure the OBO hive-mind will let us know.
Brass Tacks was once a TV programme and half the inspiration for Brass Eye @Jimbo_Cricket - https://t.co/xs5Jtgq6hR
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 8, 2023
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“Morning Jimbo. Hope I can call you that?”
You can call me anything you want, Simon McMahon
“It’s been a tough couple of days for Scottish sports fans, after the men’s cricket team missed out on World Cup qualification at the death against Netherlands, and Andy Murray exiting Wimbledon, possibly for the last time. At least we can all rely on England to provide some much needed respite by taking this Ashes series to Old Trafford still alive. That’s the least we all deserve, right. Right? Make it happen please, England.”
Rely doing a lot of heavy-lifting here I think Simon.
A horrible grey cloud has just emptied itself onto Headingley and I think I saw a flash of lightning in the distance. I don’t think we are going to start on time here, will bring you any official information as I get it.
Tom Coates gets the prize of err absolutely nothing for being the first emailer to brighten my inbox.
“Hello Jim,
Before reading your opening post this morning, I’d never encountered the local phrase ‘it’s time to get down to brass tacks’, nor can I work out what on earth it is supposed to mean after a few minute’s consideration.
While at Headingley on Thursday I, a Swindonian, was equally confused when the man sitting next to me proclaimed that Australia (just Mitch Marsh, really) were ‘cracking eggs with a stick’. According to him this just means ‘getting on with it’. I took his word for it. Are there any other perplexing phrases from Yorkshire (or other) local dialects that could describe the state of play today, or indeed England’s performance in the series so far?”
I like this Tom, this feels like good rain delay content.
PS - I’m definitely going to steal ‘cracking eggs with a stick’ for OBO purposes.
There’s hope…
I reckon we might just get away with the weather in Headingley today. Might get stormy this afternoon, but that’s just the cricket… #Ashes2023 pic.twitter.com/fMax5kv2at
— Andrew Miller (@miller_cricket) July 8, 2023
It’s grey and foreboding at Headingley. We’ve had a few thundery downpours and the covers have been on all morning. Promisingly, the groundstaff are peeling them off as we speak. The forecast looks a bit worse for this afternoon, it might be an on-off sort of a day.
Worst kind of weather for hair wash day and yeah yeah also for Test cricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/cUGY8rSv0S
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) July 8, 2023
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to Leeds and the OBO of the third day of the third Ashes Test. As the locals might say ‘It’s time to get down to brass tacks’.
Australia are 2-0 up in the series and already hold the urn. England need to win all three remaining Test matches in order to win back the Ashes. Those are the facts. Yet, somehow, facts don’t seem to do this mind-bending series justice. Both sides have scored almost the same amount of runs and taken the same amount of wickets, yet one is very much 2-0 up and the other is scrabbling to stay alive.
England have been wasteful in the moments when they could have pulled away, at both Edgbaston and Lord’s they were guilty of letting Australia back in, everyone knows that is a bad idea.
Yesterday was another cortex-boggling day. In the morning session England slipped from 68-3 to 142-7 in the space of a couple of frustrating hours. The Western Stand (formally the Western Terrace – ‘They’ve re-badged it you fool!’) was stunned, adopting a kind of hush that would have pleased the Cistercian monks who once inhabited Kirkstall Abbey a stone’s throw away.
Any hopes of a first-innings lead and a solid foothold in a must-win game vapourised inside two hours. After lunch, the series lurched once again. Mark Wood bludgeoned his first three balls for 16 and departed for 24 off 8 balls, heading back to the hutch with a strike rate of 300 and having brought the home crowd back to life. Ben Stokes then played another jaw-dropping knock, basically on one leg. England’s last three wickets added 95 runs in 10.2 overs of rabble-rousing carnage to whittle the Australian lead to just 26 runs.
Stokes was a marvel once more. A brace of sixes hit flat into the Howard Stand were as brutal as anything he has hit all week. Yes, all week. England’s skipper has launched 14 Ashes sixes in the last seven days. To give that stat some perspective – Ian Botham hit 20 in his entire Ashes career.
By the close of play Headingley was rocking, Mark Wood pounding in and getting the Dukes to fly around nostrils and ears. The game is set up tantalisingly – Australia reaching 116-4 at stumps to lead by 142 runs. This could be the day the Ashes are decided, or it could be the one where England get back into the series. Either way it’ll be must-see viewing.
Jim here with the call, I’m just heading to the ground - there’s a wee bit of weather about in God’s own county this morning but we should get plenty of play in. If you are tuning in then do drop us a line here or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket.
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