Ashes 2023: Australia stand strong on rain-hit play on Day 3

Day 3 of the Test match witnessed an outstanding display of cricket, with Australia exerting complete dominance over England. The Australian bowlers came out with a strong attack right from the beginning of the day’s play.

In response to the Australian bowling onslaught, England’s batsmen struggled and kept losing wickets consistently. The collapse of England’s batting lineup was particularly striking during the first session, as they went from being 278/4 at the start of the day to being all out for 325. The morning session saw England lose six wickets for just 47 runs, indicating a significant collapse by their batters.

Mitchell Starc began the day by taking the wicket of England’s captain, Ben Stokes, who was caught by Chris Green. Later on, Starc struck again, this time dismissing Harry Brook after he had reached his half-century. Josh Hazlewood then dismissed Bairstow, followed by Travis Head, who took the wicket of Broad in the same over as he dismissed Ollie Robinson. The final wicket of the first innings was that of debutant Josh Tongue, who was dismissed by Pat Cummins, securing his first wicket of the match.

At the beginning of the second innings, Australia held a lead of 90 runs. The Australian batsmen started their innings with confidence, with the opening pair of Warner and Khawaja forging a 50-run partnership. However, this partnership was disrupted when Josh Tongue dismissed David Warner after he had scored 25 runs. Subsequently, Labuschagne and Khawaja accelerated the scoring rate, once again building a 50-run partnership for Australia.

Usman Khawaja continued his impressive form and completed his half-century. However, Marnus Labuschagne’s innings came to an end as he was dismissed by James Anderson. Play was interrupted by sudden rains, leading to the day’s play being halted. At the close of play, Australia had reached a score of 130/2, with Khawaja still at the crease on 58, accompanied by Steve Smith.

With a lead of 221 runs, Australia will aim to extend their advantage and set a substantial target for the opposing team. They currently find themselves in a comfortable position. On Day 4, England’s bowlers will need to step up and take early wickets to gain control of the match.