Marcus Trescothick comfortable with decision to reprieve Ben Duckett
Mark Wood produced a thrilling display of fast bowling to help England blow away Australia on the first day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley but the match is in the balance as the hosts reply.
The quick bowler, playing his first Test of the summer, produced a hostile opening spell before cleaning up the Australian tail to finish with a first Test five-for on English soil.
But Mitchell Marsh met fire with fire, producing a magnificent run-a-ball hundred to rescue Australia after four early wickets. The all-rounder’s ton was the fastest by an Australian on English soil since Victor Trumper in 1902, but his dismissal on the stroke of tea precipitated an extraordinary collapse of six for 23 as Wood tore through the lower order.
The Durham rocketman’s five-for-34 led the way to curtail Australia’s innings at 263 all out. Follow all the live action below from Headingley as England face Australia:
England vs Australia – third Ashes Test, day two
Show latest update
Mark Wood thinks he can get even faster after lightning spell at Headingley
Mark Wood is convinced he can bowl even faster after approaching a searing 97mph and reigniting England’s Ashes campaign with a maiden Test five-wicket haul on home soil.
An elbow niggle kept Wood out at Edgbaston and Lord’s but he was worth the wait after turning up the speed dial at Headingley, clocking 91mph from his first delivery and topping out at 96.5mph.
His opening four-over burst ended with Usman Khawaja’s leg stump flattened by a 94.6mph thunderbolt and was recorded by the CricViz database as the second quickest spell in England – he also owns top spot.
“It’s disappointing that this one wasn’t the first,” Wood said with a smile. “To have two of them is great but I keep wanting to get better and push, push, push, to make sure I can bowl even faster.”
Jack Rathborn7 July 2023 09:35
Mark Wood bamboozles Australia with express pace to give England Ashes hope
A burst of breakneck speed from Mark Wood breathed life into England’s Ashes campaign as the third Test got off to a feisty start at Headingley.
Four days on from the stumping controversy that dogged the previous match at Lord’s, Wood bamboozled Australia with express pace that topped 96 miles per hour and claimed five for 34 in the tourists’ 263 all out.
A one-man show from comeback kid Mitch Marsh was responsible for the majority of those runs, but his breathtaking run-a-ball 118 would not have been possible had Joe Root not put him down at slip with just 12 to his name.
That was one of four drops for an England side whose collection of missed chances is starting to become a worrying theme of the summer.
Jack Rathborn7 July 2023 09:26