Third Ashes Test. Headingly.

[K]

Four overs for 36 runs.
They wouldn't want to throw away the Ashes here.

Ponting suggests Oz should take the pace out of the game right now. Bring Lyon on.

Ponting also says this will suit Buttler "if he gets a bat".

Ponting: "Slightly more defensive field now..."
Wade is blocking up the cover region.

[Dark Beanie]

Mike Atherton pointing out that the bowlers have been inconsistent today.

Aussies need to relax a bit.

England last 4 overs batting like a one day game.

[K]

Gower advises the bowlers: "Get boring."

Ponting: "The more dots you can bowl, the more pressure you can build."
When you allow so many runs, batting feels easy, he says.

Stokes cuts for 4. Cheers.
It was short and wide from Pattinson.

Ponting: "Momentum's definitely starting to shift in England's favour."

Paine (?): "Come on. We're two away from the bowlers. Two away from the bowlers."

The broadcast predictor says:
Oz 56%
England 44%
Draw 0%.

England are favourites with the bookies now.

[K]

Stokes pulls Cummins for 6.

He defends the next ball, and the crowd erupts in cheers.

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Atherton says he thinks Paine will turn to Lyon.

Warne says there'll be a half-chance and asks if Oz will be in the right frame of mind to take it.

Byes now. Sloppy. The runs keep flowing.

Bairstow's eyes are bulging.

[K]

Athers is right. Lyon is on.

Paine: "Here we go, boys. Come on."

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Athers & Warne talk about the crowd noise.

[K]

Cummins beats Bairstow outside off, but still no wicket.

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Lyon beats Stokes for the third time.

Something in his line of sight in the crowd is bothering him. Warne thinks it's a watch. He says there are grounds around the world he won't name where spectators deliberately shine their watches into your eyes.

...

Bairstow sweeps Lyon for 4. The crowd erupts again.

[K]

Athers talks about the Marnus run out.

Athers: "All those little moments you look back on at the end of a Test match..."

Warne: "... when you're on the wrong end of the result."


If Oz lose here, they should look at the pathetic batting in the second innings, from guys like Harris, Khawaja, ...

[K]

Marnus to bowl the last over before lunch.

Warne: "Just need one good ball."

The crowd continues to cheer singles.

Warne says the batsmen need to stay in the moment: "They can't get too far ahead."

The crowd claps even a block. One ball to go...

He gets a single.

The crowd erupts.

England 4/238 (96). 121 runs needed. Lunch.

[K]

M. Taylor reckons it's 55-45 England's way.

Taylor: "They need to go bang, bang. ... Nathan Lyon is worrying Ben Stokes."

Healy: "Full marks to Stokes, who's consolidated a session..."

Chappell continues with his previous angle about Bairstow getting Stokes going.

On helmets being hit...

Chappell: "Batsmen charging on to the front foot, it's very hard to get inside the line."

Healy on Bairstow: "England have an impression that he gets bowled too often between bat and pad. Australia haven't tried that at all."

Chappell said he likes the way Bairstow plays the same way all the time, but as the Sky commentators said no truly good batsman does that.

[K]

Taylor says he think Lyon will start straight up. He says, one way or the other, this could be over by tea, because they'll score a lot faster.

Yes, it's Lyon.

Imagine that flat-track bully Bairstow hitting England to victory this session.

Athers: "An extra man on the leg side... so there are only two men on the on side."

Paine: "Pin him back, pin him back."
Everything Paine says sounds like it comes repeated.

Botham says the crowd noise gets to players.

Athers: "Another very good over from Nathan Lyon."

[K]

Hazlewood from the other end.

Athers: "Certainly the two I would have gone with."

Given out caught behind! But Bairstow reviews immediately.

Ultra Edge... Nothing. The crowd cheers. There are some boos too.
Decision reversed. Not out.

Botham: "I didn't hear anything on my stump mic, and I have it turned up quite high."

The ump was Gaffaney.

Replays show Paine asking if he hit it. You can easily lip-read Bairstow saying, "No, I didn't."

Botham makes a very bad attempt to imitate a Yorkshire accent.


Appeal for LBW. Not out. No review.

[K]

Paine: "Leading edge for you, Gazza."

Stokes edges Lyon past Warner at slip to the boundary for 4.

Was that the Ashes running away right there?

[K]

But Hazlewood gets Bairstow flashing to slip.
Short & wide, taken by Marnus, who pumps the fists in celeberation.

England 5/245 (99.1).

Botham says it was one of Hazlewood's bad balls. He's not wrong.

Healy: "The break's been good for the bowlers. ... Find the length and a little bit of sideways..."

Chappell: "It was a little bit of a tentative dab..."
Chappelli obviously still sticking to his hit-out mentality.

Athers: "Not one of his better balls was it, Beefy? ... Not the easiest catch."
Marnus took it fingers up, against his chest.

Athers: "Much better, Australia, since lunch."

[K]

Paine: "6, 7, boys. 6,7."

They replay the Stokes nick.
Athers thinks Warner may have been "a little late to react".

Misfield... by Head?? Again, the names and numbers on their shirts don't help at all, and just look so ugly.

111 needed.

[K]

Stokes pulls Hazlewood hard in front of square for 4.

If not for the misfield last ball of Lyon's over, the new batsman Buttler would have been on strike.

Botham on the lack of a fifth bowler: "That has to be the one worry for Australia. ... They don't have someone to turn to as a fifth bowler."

Athers: "It's going to be short spells for each of them..."

Botham says the good thing for Paine is that he has total faith in Lyon to shut one end up.

Not just that, I'd say. He's the one who's troubling Stokes the most right now.