Live updates: The Ashes first Test, day four, England vs Australia ...

19 Jun 2023
England vs Australia, day four, first Test36th over - Scott Boland returns

First one swings, but it started wide and only got wider.

Joe Root - Figure 1
Photo ABC News
35th over (cont) - Jonny Bairstow is at the crease

Remember, Bairstow clattered 78 off 78 in the first innings.

He's taking guard outside off stump to Nathan Lyon. Maybe trying to force him to go back around the wicket.

Harry Brook is caught out by a brilliant diving effort from Marnus Labuschagne!!

Just like Joe Root, Harry Brook has thrown away his wicket on 46. This time it's with a sweep shot to a ball that wasn't really full enough to be sweeping and he's gone through mid-wicket, where Marnus Labuschagne took a superb catch diving to his right and scooping it up just above the taller blades of grass.

34th over - Lyon to Brook

Nathan Lyon's gotten one batter out for 46 in the innings. Can he do it again?

He sure can!

33rd over - Harry Brook is eyeing off another Test 50

Hazlewood is bowling pretty well here.

Beautifully driven down the ground by Brook on the half-volley and Pat Cummins does well to get around and stop it at mid-on. Ben Stokes was seemingly hypnotised and just stopped a quarter of the way down the pitch, meaning he had to scramble to make his ground.

Joe Root - Figure 2
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Lucky Cummins didn't pick the ball up cleanly.

Hazlewood gives Stokes a look at some width and he cuts away for a single.

And a leave to end the over. Haven't been many of those from England in this match.

Little bit of out-swing for Hazlewood, and Brook hangs the bat out at it and gets a single behind point.

32nd over - Lyon bowling to another defensive field

No slips. No-one under the lid. Singles galore on offer.

Decent bowling from Lyon though. There is some serious spin on this pitch.

31st over - Hazlewood comes in to Harry Brook

Brook goes back, loads up and charges, launching over the off side. That looked destined for the rope but it's absolutely plugged in the outfield, so just three runs.

Stokes cuts through the off side. A good sighter for him.

Hazlewood bangs one in short and Harry Brook looked ready to duck out of the way, but the ball didn't get up and he had to suddenly change tack to bunt into the outfield. Well played in the end all things considered.

How many stumpings will Carey take?
(Getty Images)

The record number of stumpings in a Test match in England is owned by Victorian keeper Jack Blackham, who took four stumpings (and a catch) in the 1888 Test against England at Lord's.

Joe Root - Figure 3
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Jack Blackham(Getty Images)

The record against England stands at five, by Indian keeper Khokhan Sen in Chennai in February 1952.

Khokhan Sen(Getty Images)

An Indian keeper holds the overall record in Tests as well, Kiran More took six stumpings against the West Indies in Chennai in 1988.

Kiran More(Getty Images)

Carey currently has three stumpings ... plus four catches.

30th over - Ben Stokes facing Nathan Lyon

A little bunt off the hip off the first ball.

HUGE SHOUT FOR LBW! The ball skidded on straight and collected Stokes's pad, but Marais Erasmus says no. Australia is reviewing.

Looks like the ball snuck under the bat and might have hit him juuuuuust outside off. Uh oh, might have some issues with the technology as we wait for the ultra edge.

Oh wow. It's been upheld because there's a ruffle on the snicko, but it's the bluntest mark on the soundwave, rather than the sort of spike that usually comes with an edge. Looked like there was daylight between the bat and ball too.

I think everyone was a bit confused as to how that process was handled.(Getty)

And we didn't even look at ball tracking.

Joe Root - Figure 4
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Oh, we have no and it was missing anyway. Play on, but pretty ordinary use of the technology to be honest.

29th over - Hazlewood to Harry

Oh he's beaten the outside edge. Brook looking jumpy.

And a short ball zips past Harry Brook's right ear. Well directed from Hazlewood.

A little shuffle down the pitch by Stokes and he just works off his hip for a single. You get the sense Stokes is just sizing things up before launching an attack right now.

28th over - Lyon is back

The English are refocusing after Root's departure.

Brook sweeps and the ball pops up off his pads and into the back of his bat in the follow-through and into Alex Carey's shoulder. Considering Brook's first-innings dismissal, I assumed that was going to lob up to first slip for a catch, but maybe he used up all his awful luck on day one.

Lyon launches one down leg and Brook just helps it on its way to fine leg for single.

Stokes faces the last ball and defends. Nothing wrong with what he's doing obviously, but I'm just surprised he hasn't tried anything weird yet.

Joe Root - Figure 5
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27th over - Josh Hazlewood gets his first look at England's captain

One ball into the over and he's called for the mallet to flatten out the landing zone.

The groundskeeper's come out with a spade and is scraping away some detritus from the surface. Surely making the landing spot deeper, but what do I know?

Stokes is looking defensive to start. Bazball's made me impatient.

He's walking at Hazlewood one ball, then stepping back into his area the next. Good luck bowling and finding a length to this weirdness.

A maiden from Josh Hazlewood. Where'd that come from?

26th over - Here is Ben Stokes. Let's see what happens now.

Properly good bowling to start.

Finding a bit of spin away from the left-hander.

JOE ROOT IS STUMPED! LOVELY BY ALEX CAREY!
(Getty)

Root was trying to get to his fifty in one blow and went barrelling down the deck, trying to heave Nathan Lyon over cow corner, but the ball dipped and spun through the gate and Alex Carey completed a superb stumping.

Lyon was coming around the wicket, so Carey's view of the ball would've been obscured for most of its journey.

Joe Root - Figure 6
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Great play from Carey. Jonny Bairstow could never.

Missed opportunity for Joe Root, but the half-century was never the point of this innings.

25th over - Josh Hazlewood is jogging in after a long delay for Harry Brook to sort out his spikes

Hazlewood too far outside off and worked for two to third man, then he strays onto the pads and Brook clips a single behind square leg.

FOUR! Wide and full and murdered through cover by Harry Brook. Copybook batting, but not the best bowling.

Feels like day one...

"I can't remember the first hour of an Ashes Test match like this since...the first day!" Jim Maxwell says on ABC Sport.

He has a point.

There's been a bit of everything today.

Jason Gillespie agrees.

"We are seeing some of the best Test cricket you will see," he says.

"One of the best fast bowlers in the world against one of the best batters. This is enthralling."

What a Bazball tactic that would be

Time to give Trav a bowl

- Jeff

24th over - Nathan Lyon continues

Lyon, from around the wicket, defends and then stands and defends the stumps as the ball rolls backwards. Harry Brook, take note.

Joe Root - Figure 7
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Root sweeps and takes a single.

Brook takes two runs with a push through the covers off the back foot.

(Getty Images)

Again, off the back foot, a little push but this time for no run.

FOUR! Brook takes a step or two and then hammers the ball over cover for another boundary. Lofted drive, a bit of a swing of the bat, nicely played.

Off the back foot, a single to cover ends the over.

Not a huge amount happening for Lyon out there at the moment, if we're honest.

That's drinks, time for Jon Healy.

23rd over - Pat Cummins continues

Josh Hazlewood again wanted a bowl, thought he was going to bowl, but Cummins is taking the ball for himself.

Brook guides the ball to wide third man for a single.

Root lets a ball fly down the leg side past his hip.

Good yorker, well dug out by Root. Not as much as for the wicket ball though, which was so brilliantly bowled, swinging late.

Around the wicket from Cummins, Root guides the ball to third man for a single. Strange tactic.

Brook defends.

Another brilliant yorker that starting swinging just a bit earlier, perhaps just out the hand rather than half way down the pitch, and Brook digs it out again.

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