Crisps stop drama, batting without bails along with Steve Smith watching it. Here is the selection of the activity from Old Trafford…
Steve Smith directed an Australia retrieval to the side after concussion to a rain-hit and blustery day one of the fourth Ashes Test against England at Old Trafford.
SCORECARD | AS IT HAPPENED
Stuart Broad dismissed David Warner (0) for the fifth time in seven innings and removed his opening partner Marcus Harris (13) as Australia tumbled to 28-2 after electing to bat from cold Manchester.
But Smith (60no) – again after missing England’s Ben Stokes-inspired, series-levelling triumph in the third Test at Headingley – took his conducts tally for the show to 438 at a mean of 146 as the tourists closed per day by which only 44 overs were bowled on 170-3.
No proof that Smith saw it was needed after the batsman casually swatted at an inflatable to get four through the leg-side. This was an unusual sight but the shot by which he reached a record eighth successive Ashes fifty at a row was all the more astounding.
Smith, at the words of Ian Botham, had to dive to achieve a complete, wide delivery which was acres outside off stump but held his upper body contour well enough to drill it to four to the driveway – falling onto his rear knee in the procedure.
„He seemed just like a drunk,“ celebrated David Gower,“but he middled it“ Proving, in the process, that so long as you keep your eye your stance is of secondary importance.
The bizarre shot came at a crazy afternoon session where Australia batted with no bails on the stumps – when they were blown off by the end, the umpires eliminating the bails. It took some 25 minutes to discover some heavy bails – or rather the original bails with some screws drilled into the end of those.
The crisp wind brought interruptions as rubbish – mostly crisp packets – brought play to a shuddering stop . Inspired by the face of Stuart Broad, his nerves were got right on by the waits.
Did England miss a trick by not planning for the jugular in the afternoon session? The build-up into the Test was dominated by the potential competition between Jofra Archer and Smith however, to the shock of many of our pundits, the paceman did not seem to flex his back and go out if the coming batsman came in at 28-2 – the rate rifle always registering at the low 80mph bracket. What’s more, just seven balls bowled he pumped over at Lord’s, forcing him to miss the third Test at Headingley.
„It is maybe the first time that Joe Root needs to be a little bit hard with Archer,“ said Nasser Hussain, requiring a few tough love, before recognizing that conditions were catchy. „I know you’re cold, I know you’re stiff, it’s been a very long summer, but shake it up!‘ Make him out that this is the most crucial spell“
Nas continued:“Smith would have spent the past two weeks thinking about this comeback against Archer, who has peppered him. I completely comprehend he was tired at that time Smith came in and so you just take him out of the attack to provide him a second burst prior to lunch, but burst never arrived.“
Ricky Ponting:“For me, England have appeared flat. But I don’t wish to discount how hard these conditions have been for bowling. Is exactly how it has been – and also a stop, start type of affair. But there was not that fire that we’d normally expect to see, so coming quite a long break from Leeds to here“
Michael Holding:“Smith was allowed to venture out there and pretty much settle by the time Archer got straight back into the attack, Smith was pretty much depended. Struck you can work out exactly what’s currently going on in their mind If folks get. It was strange because Archer hadn’t fated his five overs at intense speed“
David Lloyd:“Who’s Warne sat?“ Since the umpteenth empty crisp packet interrupts the day session, blown across the ground by the wind.
View day two of the fourth Ashes Test reside on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports The Ashes September 5, from 10am on Thursday.
You can also follow over-by-over comment and in-play clips onto our rolling blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
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