All the action from day three of the third Test at the MCG, as Australia retained the Ashes in a humiliating, extraordinary morning session
10.30am (11.30pm UK): 12 overs, England 31-4 Right, here we go. Mitchell Starc to Joe Root. England need 51 runs to make Australia bat again, they probably to quadruple that figure to even have half a chance of pulling off a remarkable victory in Melbourne. Doubts around a Covid scare in the tourists' camp have been calmed for the time being. How does today go? That is anyone's guess. Not for the first time, though, much of the answer rests on Root's overworked shoulders...
10.52am: 16.5 overs, England 46-5 WICKET England lose their first wicket of the day, and it has taken 22 minutes. Starc breaches Stokes' defences and a positive start to the morning has suffered a major blow.
11.20am: 22.1 overs, England 56-5 A rare drop from Cameron Green, who dives away to his left and gets two hands to a cut shot from Jonny Baitstow but can't hang on.
11.22am: 22.5 overs, England 60-6 WICKET It doesn't cost Australia anything: Scott Boland is a touch fortunate here. It looked a marginal call in real time, and it proves the case on review, with Paul Wilson's decision not for the first time coming in for scrutiny. Bairstow is beaten on the outside edge and is struck on the back leg. It's good enough for Wilson, and Boland has his third wicket of the innings.
We're about two hours away - in playing time - from the halfway point of this Ashes series....
— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) December 28, 2021
11.31am: 24.4 overs, England 61-7 WICKET The end is nigh. Root is out. He edges to slip and David Warner does the rest.
11.40am: 26.1 overs, England 65-8 WICKET Five wickets for Boland, yet another duck for England. It's Mark Wood this time. This is the height of humiliation.
11.42am: 26.5 overs, England 65-9 WICKET Another one. Ollie Robinson edges to slip. Scott Boland's figures: 3.3-1-5-6.
11.50am: 27.4 overs, England 68 WICKET The end. An absolute shellacking of the highest, most embarrassing order imaginable. We're not even halfway through this series, by available playing time, and Australia have retained the Ashes. England still have two more Tests to get through. They don't bear thinking about...
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Posted by Derek on 28/12/2021 at 03:30
Australia will play their under 14 team in the last 2 tests against England and play for two draws !! 😂
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