Ashes 2019: 3rd Test – Root leads fightback in face of adversity on 3rd day

The third day of the Ashes Test at Headingley was marked by a tussle between the English batsmen and the Australian bowlers. By lunch, England were out to bat with the target of 359 runs staring at them. An early collapse showed ominous signs but captain Joe Root and Joe Denly battled the situation. Root finished the day unbeaten on 75. Australia are seven wickets away from retaining the Ashes.

Labuschagne keeps the battle alive

On the second day of the Test, Australia had lost six wickets with Marnus Labuschagne at the crease. The doughty batsman batted out first ten overs of the third day with James Pattinson by his side. Stuart Broad bowled a fiery spell but failed to dislodge the pair. Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes eventually sliced through the tail. Labuschagne who copped a blow on the head from Archer was run out on 80. The Australian innings concluded soon on 246 all-out thus setting a massive target of 359 for England.

England suffers another early collapse

With more than two and half day’s play remaining, the only option left for England was to keep themselves on track of the target. The opening pair of Rory Burns and Jason Roy safely negotiated the four remaining overs till the lunch break. On resumption, Hazlewood forced Burns to edge one straight to David Warner at first slip. Two balls later, Pat Cummins bowled Roy with a stupendous ball. At 15/2, the match seemed to be heading for an early finish.

Root and Denly fight back

The English captain has struggled in the series for runs and this was a very important innings for Joe Root. A failure takes away the Ashes from the English team. However, Root showed great resolve in thwarting the Australian attempts. His partner, Joe Denly copped a lot of body blows from the Aussies but remained steadfast on the crease.

Unseparated for the next 53 overs, Root-Denly added 126 runs for the third wicket. The Aussie bowlers built pressure in the later phase with tight bowling. The regular appeals wore out Denly who fell for 50 from 155 balls. Ben Stokes eked out a gritty 50-ball two while Root remained unbeaten on 75 from 189 balls at the end of the day.

Brief scores- Day 3:

Australia 179 & 246 (Marnus Labuschagne 80; Ben Stokes 3-56) vs England 67 & 156/3 (Joe Root 72*, Joe Denly 50). England needs 203 runs to win.