The Cricketer looks at the main talking points from day three of the fifth Ashes Test between England and Australia at the Kia Oval
We have seen it before, but it'll never get old.
Joe Root hasn't enjoyed a vintage summer by his own very high standards, hitting a century and two fifties in eight innings against Ireland and Australia.
There was a mid-innings slump in between at Lord's and Headingley when he went on a run of 10, 18, 19 and 21.
A regular theme has been Root's love of the reverse ramp, and we got another dose on day three at the Kia Oval.
Mitch Marsh bowled straight at the stumps and Root altered his stance and plundered the ball over the rope with reckless abandon. The shot even caught out England's media man Danny Reuben, who had to field the ball at third.
Root Reverse 🤙#Ashespic.twitter.com/gg7M069JSJ
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) July 29, 2023
It was one of the toughest days of the series for Australia, as their bowlers went around the park at five runs an over and England built a formidable third-innings lead ahead of the final two days.
Mitchell Starc was out of sorts from the off, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were ineffective in batter-friendly conditions.
Todd Murphy was by no means inexpensive, going for 110 in 22 overs, but he picked up a couple of prized wickets amid a day of carnage.
His first came as Ben Stokes miss-timed a shot down the ground and picked out Cummins, who took an easy catch.
The second was altogether more significant, however. Root was seemingly honing in on a 31st Test century, putting together his best innings since Edgbaston with a dozen boundaries.
But he was removed by Murphy to a ball floated outside off-stump which spun, caught the bottom inside edge of Root's bat and clattered into the middle stump.
It was just the third time Root has been bowled by a right-arm off-spinner in Tests, following in the footsteps of Ramesh Mendis of Sri Lanka and Ireland's Andrew McBrine.
And while Root may have been denied another three-figure score, the manner of the dismissal will have piqued his interest ahead of Australia's testing fourth-innings chase.
England men's Test captain Ben Stokes wearing an Alzheimer's Society baseball cap (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Ten months on from their aborted appearance during the South Africa Test on this ground, the Alzheimer's Society took over the third day of the fifth Ashes Test in south London.
With the disease affecting one in every three people, 900,000 currently being helped by the group and the condition being the biggest killer in the UK, raising awareness is the main goal for chief executive Kate Lee.
ECB chair Richard Thompson is also chair of Sport United Against Dementia, the Alzheimer's Society fundraising and awareness campaign. The society hopes they can become a permanent fixture in the English international summer.
Prior to play on the third morning, the Alzheimer's Society's Singing for the Brain group performed a rendition of Jerusalem as England and Australia's players lined up wearing baseball caps including with the group's logo.
Ben Stokes' side wore the incorrect names on their shirts to draw attention to the confusion often experienced by people living with dementia and how precious memories can be lost. Thompson later addressed the assembled crowd during the tea interval to ask for charitable donations.
"It is the UK's biggest killer," Lee told The Cricketer. "And it devastates lives.
"At the moment, once you get it you're not getting better. We need to work out as a society how we galvanise amazing events like this to support people with dementia to do the things they love."
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.