Crisps stop play, batting without bails along with Steve Smith watching it. Here is the selection of the activity in Old Trafford…
Steve Smith directed an Australia recovery to the side following concussion to a blustery and rain-hit afternoon 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 also removed his opening partner Marcus Harris (13) as Australia tumbled to 28-2 after electing to bat from chilly Manchester.
But Smith (60no) – rear after missing England’s Ben Stokes-inspired, series-levelling win in the third Test at Headingley – took his conducts tally for the series to 438 in a mean of 146 as the tourists closed a day on which just 44 overs were bowled on 170-3.
No proof that it was being seen by Smith just like a beach ball had been required following the batsman swatted an inflatable through the. It was an unusual sight but the shot with which he attained a record eighth consecutive Ashes fifty at a row has been all the more astounding.
Smith, at the words of Ian Botham, had to dive to attain a full, broad delivery which has been acres outside off stump but held his upper body contour well enough to drill it for four on the driveway – collapsing onto his back knee in the process.
„He looked like a drunk,“ celebrated David Gower,“but he middled it.“ Proving, in the process, that provided that you keep your eye on the ball your own position is of secondary significance.
The shot came in a crazy afternoon session where Australia batted with no bails about the stumps – the umpires removing the bails when they were repeatedly blown off by the end. It required several 25 minutes to get some bails – or the initial bails drilled to the end of those.
The wind brought additional interruptions as crap – mostly crisp packets – brought play to a stop . Inspired by Stuart Broad’s face, the delays got on his nerves.
Did England miss a trick by not going for the jugular at the morning session? The build-up to the Test has been dominated by the possible competition between Jofra Archer and Smith but, to the shock of lots of our pundits, the paceman didn’t appear to flex his back and go out if the returning batsman came in at 28-2 – the speed rifle always registering in the minimal 80mph bracket. What’s more, Archer bowled just seven balls he pumped over at Lord’s, forcing him to miss the third Test.
„It is possibly the first time that Joe Root has to be a bit tough with Archer,“ said Nasser Hussain, demanding some tough love, before admitting that conditions were tricky. „I know you are cold, I know you are stiff, it’s been a long summer, but turn it up!‘ Make him out that this is the most significant spell“
Nas continued:“Smith would have spent the previous two weeks considering this comeback against Archer, who has peppered him. I fully understand he was drained by the time Smith came and so you take him out of the assault to give him another burst before supper, but that burst never arrived.“
Ricky Ponting:“For me, England have appeared flat. But I do not wish to dismiss how hard those conditions have been for filming. 1 thing you can not see on the screen is exactly how windy it has been and also a stop, begin sort of affair. But there was not that fire which we would usually expect to see, coming quite a very long break from Leeds to here.“
Michael Holding:“Smith has been allowed to go out there and pretty much settle in and by the time Archer got straight back into the attack, Smith was pretty much settled. If folks get hit you can never really work out exactly what’s currently going on in their thoughts. It was strange because Archer had not fated his five overs at intense speed“
David Lloyd:“Who’s Warne sat?“ As the umpteenth empty packet interrupts the day session.
See 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 might even follow over-by-over commentary and in-play clips onto our rolling blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
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