Bizarro version of the Australia batter is contradictory to the rest but emerges often enough to be part of the wholeThere are times when Steve Smith is surprised by a shot he has just played. Not surprised that it has worked so well, or badly, but that it has happened at all. He stares down at his hands, his bat, as though his body has betrayed him, like a rider might look down at a backfiring motorbike or an ill-tempered horse. There is Smith the vessel and Smith the occupant, acting out the concept of dualism for a live studio audience.That was Smith in Manchester yesterday. His first ball of the fourth Ashes Test was unremarkable: short without menace, one...
Contrast between them was stark with young all-rounder Oppenheimer compared to freedom of teammate’s BarbieIf you see a fork in the road, take it. And so it is that a little after 4pm on a pale summer’s day in Manchester, Cameron Green walks out of the pavilion to join Mitchell Marsh in the middle. Their gazes meet, and for a fleeting moment we are reminded of that famous internet meme with the two Spiderman characters pointing at each other. Hang on. I thought I was the tall, big-hitting 85mph seam-bowling all-rounder in this team. So who are you exactly?They share a few quick words, although given the noise around the place it’s arguable whether any actual information was communicated. Australia...
All members of England’s Unforgiven chipped in, with Mark Wood producing a thrilling spectacle across three spellsThe best part was probably the celebration, the ball clamped in the outer webbing of Jonny Bairstow’s right glove, legs splayed, arms wide. For a few moments England’s wicketkeeper just sat there like a very happy life-sized gingerbread man, emitting an extended roar of triumph.It was perhaps the central moment of a day when England’s oldest ever five-man bowling attack – combined age: 180 years – just kept on refusing to die away, that liver-spotted hand clutching at Australia’s elbow every time they seemed to be easing clear. Continue reading...
Edgy spectators resort to Sunday morning visits to the church and public house as Stokes’s men test their faith to the limitFor three days, excited crowds have been walking down St Michael’s Lane to Headingley’s cricket ground. A good number of them have paused at the Original Oak for a nerve-settling pint ahead of the day’s play. On Sunday, the pub opened at 10am, just as the morning service began in the church opposite.The congregation in St Michael and All Angels’ were mostly locals – but a few of the faithful were visiting fans who had stopped to say a prayer or two on the way to the ground. The vicar had prepared his sermon with cricket-lovers in mind, hiding...
In the most testing of circumstances and when his team needed it the most, Travis Head rescued Australia againTwo and a half Ashes Tests into the series, this was the real quiz. The third day at Headingley involved a lot of waiting, the covers coming on and off in a damp cold dance of the seven veils. An extra two sessions for England to leave Mark Wood floating in the plasma tank, soothing his mind with a tropical VR experience while infusing his fast-bowling muscles with restorative calf’s blood.Then, it was on. Some distance after an early tea break, Australia got ordered out to bat, already four wickets down, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head to the middle. Throughout the contests...