Third Ashes Test. Headingly.

[K]

Broad resumes and beats the bat.

And again two balls later, this time to the other batsman.

Botham: "Goes late, and goes a long way."

Nasser says Broad is bowling as fast as ever and as full as ever, and he has "tinkered with his action".

[K]

Archer beats Khawaja, who was squared up with little footwork.

Archer strays down leg.

---------------------------

Broad to Warner.

During lunch, Warner was on his laptop, studying the video.
He's made two adjustments as a result:
He's got further to the offside and a little out of his crease.

Athers says he was surprised Root made such a big change between first and second innings at Lord's.

Botham: "I think he's making it more difficult for himself."
Botham asks whether he knows where his off stump is.

But Warner clips a boundary.
...

Broad hits Warner's pads. Appeal for LBW. Not out. No review.

cricinfo says Utra Edge also showed an edge. We didn't see that on Ch. 9.

[K]

First ball of a new over, Archer beats Khawaja, bowling over the wicket.

...

Last ball, Archer beats Warner, bowling around the wicket.

[K]

Appeal for caught behind down leg. Not out. They review.

Ultra Edge shows a spike.

Khawaja is out.

Pathetic batting from Khawaja. His technique is so flaky, it's unbelievable. All this flirting with the bat and no footwork. I was going to post in the last Test, that it wouldn't surprise me if he nicked off every innings for the rest of the Ashes.

Oz 2/25 (8.4).

[Pies4shaw]

It's difficult to understand how you could be dealing as best you can with a moving pitch in difficult conditions and then just give yourself up with a stupid leg side catch.

[K]

Nasser: "All over the place. David Warner, he is all over the place. Really battling."

Nasser wants another catcher. He gets his wish.

Warner gets a boundary, still with very little footwork.

Archer is not bowling all that fast. 82 mph.

Botham: "Wind it up."


Marnus has a Smith-like leave.

[K]

Nasser: "The weather's not going to improve. The conditions are not going to improve."

And it's Broad to continue around the wicket to Warner.
...

Broad hits Warner's pads. There is a stifled shout. It's going way down leg.


A while ago, the camera showed Jack Russell painting in the crowd.

[K]

Holding wonders whether Root has told Archer to bowl within himself.

Marnus again has a Smith-like leave. Is he imitating the guy he replaced?


But Marnus plays and misses to a wide ball to end the over.

[K]

Ponting on Broad: "His variation has been a scrambled seam ball that goes on."

-------------------------

Marnus has a swing and miss at a wide Archer delivery. There was no need to play at that ball, Ponting says. Marnus is still yet to get off the mark.

-------------------------

cricinfo claims rain is imminent.

[K]

Warner gets another boundary square on the off side off Broad.

Holding thinks you can bowl full and quick. He thinks Archer may be affected by all those overs he bowled at Lord's.

Warner is close to doubling the number of runs he's scored this series.

The rain has come! The batsmen are running off! Yay!

Oz 2/39 (14.5).

There's booing. Root is protesting to the umpires. The English team are standing there on the edge of the ground.

Holding says they had to cover the pitch. They couldn't just let it get wet. He says the fourth umpire is out there.

[K]

Taylor on Khawaja: "He's hitting that about a metre from his body."

He says Khawaja should be playing closer to his body, instead of pushing his hands out in front of his body.

7 out of Khawaja's last eight dismissals against England have been caught behind, we're told. I'm not surprised at all.

He repeats that the Harris dismissal ball could have been left.
Taylor: "Just on the length alone."

[K]

Meanwhile, Roach has taken two wickets in 5 balls, Agarwal and Pujara.

India 2/7 (5).

----------------

And in the rain break they are showing some highlights of a past WACA Test, in which Brayshaw is squarking in that grating voice of his, with no cricket analysis at all. Yuck, yuck, yuck. The Sky guys now are far, far, far better than that rubbish.

[K]

Play resumes. Marnus finally gets off the mark!

That was the last ball of the over.

--------------------------------------

Five slips for Warner. Archer from around the wicket.

Pace still down.

Archer over the wicket for Marnus.

Warne: "The key to facing any good bowling ... is, to put away any bad ball."

Marnus sways out of the way of a bouncer. He's looking comfortable again, though he's scored only two runs so far.

[K]

Woakes now. Over the wicket to Warner.

Warne thinks he could be the dangerman in these conditions.

Warne: "Since we've come back from the rain break, it hasn't done a lot."

Archer has his sweater tied around his waist!!
Athers laughs. Warne says you can't do that!

[K]

Some uncertainty from Marnus now.

But then he clips Archer for runs.

Athers: "He's looked impressive, in the short amount of time we've seen him."

------------------------------------------

They've gone off for light!

There are hoots and jeers! Yay! (Well, they batsmen were looking much more comfortable, so maybe half-yay... but the commentary says England are unhappy and the batsmen have run off quickly, so maybe full-yay after all. )

Warne says it's not up to the umpires. They take a light reading and go by that.

Oz 2/54 (18 ).

Archer has bowled 9 overs already, i.e. unchanged (but of course with many breaks in play). That's after 44 overs at Lord's. Wear him down!