England 9 for 491 (Cook 244*, Root 61, Broad 56, Hazlewood
3-95) lead
Australia 327 by 164 runs
Australia 327 by 164 runs
It was difficult to know what the most satisfying sight for
England fans was on the third day at the MCG. Was it Alastair Cook
straight-driving a boundary to bring up his double-century? Was it Stuart Broad
backing away and swiping yet another bouncer to the square leg fence to raise
his fifty? Was it Australia's players shaking Cook's hand at the end of a
second consecutive day's play, once again not out? In the end, it was probably
nothing more than the sight of the scoreboard, which showed England holding a
164-run lead.
If this was England's day, it was more specifically Cook's
day. If a Cook's tour is parlance for a quick trip around many venues, it
neatly summed up his Ashes campaign until now: Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, never
more than a couple of hours at the crease at once. He entered this Test having
failed to reach fifty from any of his past 10 innings, the longest such drought
of his career. Questions were being asked about his place in the team.
But you don't play 149 consecutive Tests and score 11,000
runs without a healthy dose of resilience. Cook took a conscious decision to be
more proactive in this innings, to play a more positive brand of cricket. The
end result was 27 boundaries, an unbeaten 244, more than 10 hours at the crease
and 409 balls faced, the longest innings by any visiting batsman in a Test in
Australia since Cook himself accumulated an unbeaten 235 at the Gabba in 2010.
More correctly, that was the end result for now. Because at
stumps, England were still batting, on 9 for 491, with James Anderson yet to
score. Cook and England had batted through the day, building the kind of
first-innings advantage that leaves Australia's dreams of a clean-sweep all but
over. If England achieves nothing else in this series, denying Australia a 5-0
score line would be an outstanding recovery.
There were all sorts of fascinating figures from this day's
play. Cook's innings was the highest score by any visiting batsman in a Test at
the MCG, beating Viv Richards' 208 from 1984. Cook began this innings in tenth
place on the list of all-time Test run scorers and will finish it in sixth,
having passed Mahela Jayawardene late on the second day, then Shivnarine
Chanderpaul, and finally Brian Lara with a cover-drive for four from the
penultimate delivery of day three.
He compiled a 100-run partnership with Broad, remarkably
just the second time they had batted together in 113 Tests featuring both men.
But perhaps the most telling figure was Cook's control rate - despite spending
such a long time at the crease, Cook was in control of his strokes 91% of the
time. Australia had one chance to dismiss him on day three, when he flicked Pat
Cummins to square leg on 153 and Smith spilled a difficult catch, but it was a
very rare mistake.
His double-century, the fifth of his career, came up with an
impeccably timed boundary driven straight back past the bowler Jackson Bird
along the ground, from his 360th delivery in his 563rd minute. His partner at
the time, Broad, was jumping for joy at the non-striker's end as soon as he saw
the ball leave Cook's bat.
Broad, for his part, played an invaluable role by scoring
56, the first time an England No.10 had made a half-century since Chris Lewis
in 1991. In one of the least surprising tactical decisions of all time, Australia's
fast men peppered Broad with bouncers, but he found ways to evade, survive, and
then swing and score from the short stuff. He struck eight fours and one six,
and brought up his fifty by backing away and swivelling a hook for four off yet
another bouncer.
Broad was eventually out when he slashed Cummins high
towards third man, where Usman Khawaja made good ground to take a catch low to
the ground while diving. Replays were needed to see whether Khawaja had
collected the ball cleanly, and although the ball bobbed out of his hands and
became invisible under his body as he dived, the soft signal of out from the
on-field umpires was enough to ensure Broad was sent on his way.
The morning had started with Cook at the crease alongside
Joe Root, who had 49. Root had no trouble registering his third fifty of the
series, but on 61 he threw his innings away with a top-edged pull off Cummins
that pinpointed Lyon at deep square leg. It continued Root's frustrating habit
of getting out after reaching a half-century; his career conversion rate of
fifties to hundreds is 27%, roughly half that of his counterpart Smith.
Still, the Root-Cook partnership had been worth 138 and had
delivered England to a position from which they could push for a first-innings
lead. Dawid Malan then fell in strange circumstances when on 14 he was adjudged
lbw to Hazlewood and decided against using a review, although replays confirmed
a thick inside edge. It made Malan the second England batsman this innings to
be lbw off his inside edge, after James Vince also failed to review on the
second day.
Lyon, who is virtually assured of finishing 2017 as the
year's leading Test wicket taker, removed Jonny Bairstow, caught behind for 22,
and Moeen Ali, whose disappointing tour continued when he was well caught by
Shaun Marsh at short cover trying to clear the infield for 20 off 14 balls.
Chris Woakes combined with Cook for a 59-run stand that ended when Woakes
gloved one through to the wicketkeeper off Cummins for 26, and Tom Curran
followed soon afterwards, caught behind off Josh Hazlewood for 4.
But all the while Cook remained. At one point, Smith even
resorted to an eccentric-looking field containing three catching covers that
resembled a displaced slip cordon in a futile attempt to force an error from
Cook. It worked about as well as the short-pitched barrage to Broad. It was yet
another sight to please England fans, a sign of Australia's desperation. But
Cook was not to be moved. By stumps, he had a strong chance of becoming the
first England batsman in 20 years to carry his bat in a Test innings. It would
be well deserved.
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