Key events
Tip of the hat to the under-fire pair of Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell. The former finally Bazballed England some momentum at the top of the order, then the latter batted superbly to top score with 40 and justify his controversial selection.
England win by four wickets!
A preposterous Boxing Day Test ends after just two days. Finally, England win a Test match in Australia.
32.2 overs: England 178-6 (Brook 18, Smith 3) Target 175: The winning runs are leg-byes as Richardson strays onto Brook’s pads. Nothing over the top about England’s celebrations as players from both teams make their way onto the outfield to shake hands. England’s players then break off to salute the Barmy Army.
32nd over: England 174-6 (Brook 18, Smith 3) Target 175: Starc ends the over with a bouncer that Smith ducks under. Over to Harry Brook to seal England’s first Test victory in Australia in years.
31.5 over: England 174-6 (Brook 18, Smith 3) Target 175: Brook tries to reach the target with a scoop, but fails to connect. Then he gives himself room and drills a fierce drive that’s parried in the covers… off a no-ball! One run to win…
31.4 over: England 172-6 (Brook 17, Smith 3) Target 175: Jamie Smith settles some of England’s growing nerves by calmly nudging his first ball off his pads for three. Brook then leans into a sumptuous whip off his toes for four! England are one shot from victory…
WICKET! Stokes c Carey b Starc 2 (England 165-6)
Starc hits his line and length and Stokes is perilously close to offering a leading edge return catch in the bowler’s follow through. He perishes next ball though! Not a great delivery so Stokes throws the kitchen sink at it but can only send an edge at warp speed behind the stumps where Carey takes an excellent catch leaping high and claiming the mark arms stretched over his head.
England, what are you doing?
31st over: England 165-5 (Brook 13, Stokes 2) Target 175: Brook defends Richardson from the crease then steps out of his ground only to clobber a drive straight to mid-on. The bowler then offers a juicy half-volley outside off but Brook tries to send it to Mars and mistimes his drive back to the same fielder. Is Richardson setting up the bouncer? Yes he is, but Brook is on it in a flash, rolling his wrists over the pull shot for four down to fine-leg. Brook (unsurprisingly) is in a hurry and charges down the pitch again, misses his shot, and is lucky not to lose his leg stump.
Then, out of nowhere, Australia review for a catch behind. Did Brook get an inside edge? No. That was a Hail Mary from Smith and Carey and it comes to nought.
England require ten to win.
30th over: England 161-5 (Brook 9, Stokes 2) Target 175: Brook gets off strike early, which allows Starc a concerted spell against one of his bunnies this series. Stokes defends assuredly, including against one superb inswinging yorker, and gets off the mark with a neat couple off his toes.
14 runs/5 wickets.
With the match on the line skipper Smith recalls his strike bowler, Mitchell Starc, to the attack.
29th over: England 158-5 (Brook 8, Stokes 0) Target 175: Ben Stokes digs out his first two deliveries as the crowd applauds the wholehearted Richardson. Can the England skipper be there to shepherd the final 17 runs required for victory?
“Given the bounce has been demonstrably formidable already, why on earth did Cam Green not get a bowl?” wonders Gervase Greene. “He’s now a number 7 bat, and clearly the runs have not been sufficient to justify his spot. Something different might – just might – have made a difference… no?”
WICKET! Root LBW Richardson 15 (England 158-5)
Richardson replaces Boland. He oversteps for a couple of no-balls, then he overpitches to allow Root to drive a couple down the ground. England are in cruise control squeaky bum time! Like Crawley earlier the serene set batter misses a straight one and perishes LBW. This one is less plumb with a review indicating umpire’s call on contact with leg stump, but Richardson celebrates nonetheless and the outcome of this match teeters back into the balance…
28th over: England 154-4 (Root 13, Brook 8) Target 175: Brook dabs Neser behind point for a couple then lofts a half volley over mid-off for a swaggering four. The target is now just 21 away.
Today’s attendance is broadcast as 92,045. That is an awful lot. Cricket Australia will be cursing the two-day finish, knowing how many of those patrons would be willing to return on days three, four, and five.
27th over: England 146-4 (Root 12, Brook 1) Target 175: Joe Root is playing his 18th Test in Australia and he has yet to celebrate a victory Down Under. The breaking of that drought inches closer as Brook misses a slog scoop but in the process distracts Carey standing up to the stumps, allowing the ball to scoot unopposed to the backstop fence for four.
Only 29 more runs required.
Drinks: England require 34 runs. Australia need six wickets.
One way or another this Test match has not long to go.
26th over: England 141-4 (Root 12, Brook 0) Target 175: Neser continues, but he gifts England four byes, angling the ball down the legside that Carey – up to the stumps – cannot drag in. Otherwise Root is happy to present the full face of his bat to anything straight and defuse some of the tension that rose in the previous over.
25th over: England 137-4 (Root 12, Brook 0) Target 175: Harry Brook wanders out of his crease and is beaten on his outside edge first up. Then Boland pins him on his crease with an in-ducker. Brook advances again but can only find cover with a checked drive. Suddenly the MCG is a crucible of nervous energy.
Australia require six further wickets, England 38 runs.
WICKET! Bethell c Khawaja b Boland 40 (England 137-4)
Gah! Jacob Bethell throws away the player of the match award but still walks off the MCG to a hearty round of applause. Tired of accumulation he stepped to leg and slashed a drive straight to Khawaja in the covers. Over to another Englishman to see the job through.
24th over: England 136-3 (Bethell 40, Root 11) Target 175: Neser replaces Starc but England keep knocking the ball around, finding the gaps, running hard, chipping away at this run chase. Whether the pitch has flattened, the ball has softened, or the bowlers are erring, the past hour or so has played out very differently to the manic action preceding it.
23rd over: England 133-3 (Bethell 39, Root 9) Target 175: Hearts in mouths briefly as Bethell rocks back and ramps Boland just short of the fielder on the third boundary. Otherwise it’s more patient accumulation from England, reducing the runs required to 42.
22nd over: England 127-3 (Bethell 38, Root 4) Target 175: Starc is into his eighth over and he continues his poorest innings of this series so far. Wide to Bethell, short to Root, England milk singles to bring the target within 50 runs.
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21st over: England 122-3 (Bethell 35, Root 2) Target 175: Bethell tucks Boland off his hip to get off strike, which brings Carey up to the stumps as Australia try to suffocate Joe Root as he stares down a pair. Dot, dot, dot, dot, runs! The veteran opens the face of his bat to turn a regulation forward push into a checked cover drive. One of England’s greatest is up and running.
20th over: England 119-3 (Bethell 34, Root 0) Target 175: Bethell fails to put away a Starc long hop, then he’s a coat of paint away from a jaffa taking his off stump. The 22 year old responds by dancing down the pitch and crunching an off drive that just – only just – clears the diving Travis Head at mid-off. Another belter from Starc takes Bethell’s leading edge but squirts safely into the offside for a couple more runs. Brimful of confidence and match awareness this has been a superb little knock from Bethell, one that may yet turn into an early career defining one.
England require 56 to win.
19th over: England 112-3 (Bethell 27, Root 0) Target 175: England require 63 more runs for victory. The MCG is buzzing.
WICKET! Crawley LBW Boland 37 (England 112-3)
The definition of risk is obviously subjective. Bethell advances to Boland only to be bounced back in his crease. Then he steps to leg and swings a big drive on the bounce down to third.
With the strike rotated Crawley misses a straight one and he’s plumb LBW. Oh England.
18th over: England 111-2 (Crawley 37, Bethell 26) Target 175: Starc returns by bowling over the wicket and sending inswingers down to the left-handed Bethell, who defends compactly from the crease and rotates strike. Offered width, Crawley returns the honour, as England chip away at the target with rare composure. Bazball has done its job. It’s broken the back of the run-chase, scattered the field, ruined the attack’s pitchmaps, and means England can nurdle their way to victory without taking any further risks.
17th over: England 108-2 (Crawley 36, Bethell 24) Target 175: “After his exploits in Noosa, it’s nice to see Duckett do well and finally find some semblance of form in the Ashes and kickstart England to what might be a famous (infamous?) victory,” emails Colum. “Crawley and Bethell appear to have their eyes in and are riding their luck. Crawley might just be the first player in this match to reach fifty. On a pretty rank pitch, described by Graeme Swann as a snake pit, I think only Bazball England could pull off this chase against Starc and co.”
No luck-riding required this over as Boland suddenly looks military medium as the ball softens and the pitch behaves itself. It might no longer be the Victorian’s surface and time for a New South Welshman to shake things up. Over to Mitchell Starc…
Emma John
Hello from the Members Area of the MCG where this cricket writer is wondering how to fill the next three days. Do any of our Melbourne readers know of anywhere that does social dancing? As a ballroom hobbyist I’m feeling like there must be some holiday dances to go to…
16th over: England 104-2 (Crawley 34, Bethell 23) Target 175: Neser finds a tight line and length that England struggle to get away. Crawley remains composed though and pushes his side into triple figures as the crowd, almost as one, remove their hats to salute the late Shane Warne. With the Victorian spinner’s name reverberating around his old stomping ground Bethell swivels and pulls a boundary to reduce the target to 71.
15th over: England 97-2 (Crawley 32, Bethell 18) Target 175: Bethell unfurls that cover drive again, but only earns two for his elegance. Then there’s some cat and mouse between batter and fielders. Carey retreats back to his conventional station, allowing Bethell to step out of his crease to leg and mistime a swipe towards the offside. Then he advances down the track only for Boland to spot him, dig one in short, and bruise England’s boy wonder on his right shoulder. Further evidence that even if the shotmaking doesn’t come off, when executed Bazball can force bowler’s off their lines and lengths – and on a surface this capricious that is a sizeable part of the battle.
14th over: England 95-2 (Crawley 32, Bethell 16) Target 175: Neser shares responsibility for Australia after the interval but he starts too short and wide to Crawley, who guides a neat dab behind point that Bethell’s speedy running turns into three. Strike rotated, the cricket Gods demonstrate further that they are on England’s side this afternoon as Crawley gets a regulation edge that flies for four in the gap between second slip and gully. Then he flat-foots a lofted two off the leading edge that lands safely in the covers.
England are now just 80 runs from victory.
