3rd Test, Leeds, Aug 22 - 25 2019, Ashes 2019

Scorecard & Report

Day 1

Anyone watching his debut at Lord's was left in little doubt as to what Jofra Archer brings to this England side, but his six-wicket haul rammed the message home all the same as Australia were bowled out for 179 on the opening day of the third Test at Headingley.

It was a case of another day, another intriguing chapter in this Ashes contest as David Warner found some form and Marnus Labuschagne - only in the side because Steven Smith was still suffering the effects of being concussed by Archer - top-scored for Australia for the second time in as many innings. But Archer, playing just his second Test, had the last word, his 6 for 45 putting England on top.

Despite rain and bad light forcing a delayed start and long, frustrating stretches without any play at all, there were enough twists and turns amid the action to ensure it was in keeping with the rest of the series so far.

England, keen to make the most of Joe Root's decision to bowl in overcast conditions upon winning the toss and having already reduced the tourists to 25 for 2, were stymied first by the weather they had hoped would work in their favour and then by the stubborn pairing of Warner and Labuschagne.

But just as it looked like Warner might dig in after rediscovering some much-needed form with his first double-figures score of the series and then having a caught-behind decision rightfully overturned, he exited, the first in a flurry of three wickets that had England back in control as Australia slid from 136 for 2 to 139 for 5 in the space of 15 balls.

That became 162 for 6 thanks to Root's deft use of the DRS when Tim Paine was given not out lbw on 11 to a Chris Woakes inswinger, with replays showing the ball hit the knee roll in line and would have taken the top of leg stump.

But as in the second Test, when he came in as Smith's concussion replacement and scored 59, Labuschagne produced another composed innings.

After play started 70 minutes late, Archer struck in the fourth over of the match when he had Marcus Harris - in the side for Cameron Bancroft who was dropped after scores of 8, 7, 13 and 16 in the series so far - caught behind for 8. Harris' disappointment was compounded as the players immediately followed him off the field as the rain returned.

After lunch was taken early, Stuart Broad had Usman Khawaja out just as cheaply early in the second session, caught down the leg side after a confident and ultimately successful review by Root. The England players looked rather dubious when play was halted as light rain began to fall again with Warner on 18 and Labuschagne yet to score and they were even slower to leave when bad light was called 3.1 overs into the resumption.

An elongated tea break was followed, however, by a break in the weather, which is forecast to be fine for the coming days. That did not, however, lift England's mood as they became bogged down in a tenacious partnership between Warner and Labushcagne, which yielded 111 runs.

Warner reached his half-century off 79 balls with a four off Woakes and booing could be heard as the batsman - still finding his way back into the game following his year-long ball-tampering ban - acknowledged the crowd, which also offered warm applause as his wife and two of his three young daughters cheered him on from the stands.

Warner was on 61 and mighty swift to call for a review when he was given out caught behind off Broad, with UltraEdge revealing he had not hit the ball. He failed to add to his score, though, before Archer found the edge in the next over with a near-unplayable 90mph ball and Bairstow took the catch.

Far from the onslaught of speed and aggression he showed with such devastating effect at Lord's, Archer bowled in more controlled spells with no damage whatsoever to his figures. He still produced speed when he needed to, as Warner discovered, and enough bounce to keep the batsmen on their toes. He bowled the most overs with 17.1, having sent down 44 overs of venom in the previous match, which ended just four days ago.

Broad, too, caused Australia some problems, answering Labuchagne's fifty celebration with a ball to the groin that took the batsman several minutes to recover from and taking 2 for 32 from his 14 overs, including the dismissal of Travis Head for a duck with a gem of a delivery that crisply struck the top of off stump, the second wicket of Australia's mini-collapse.

Matthew Wade followed, also for a duck, after an Archer delivery struck him on the glove and thigh pad before dropping behind him and rolling gently into the base of leg stump.

Labuschagne carried on as Paine, James Pattinson and Pat Cummins fell - the latter two more Archer fodder - before his bizarre dismissal, lbw to a dipping Ben Stokes full toss that he reviewed to find the ball would have smashed into the centre of middle stump.

Nathan Lyon was the last man out, and Archer's sixth wicket, lbw to a full, straight ball that was hitting leg stump and which allowed England to claim the day.

Day 2

A dire capitulation with the bat left England's Ashes hopes hanging by a thread after another thrilling day at Headingley in what has been an engrossing series.

Credit went to Australia's strike bowlers - led by Josh Hazlewood's devastating five-wicket haul - for putting Australia in position to win the third Test and take a 2-0 lead in the series, which would allow them to retain the urn, with three days still to go in the match. But England did not help themselves one bit, bundled out for just 67 - their lowest Ashes total since 1948 - with rash shots an all-too-common feature.

Sixteen wickets fell on a day when Joe Denly was England's top-scorer with just 12, Jason Roy's struggle to establish himself as a Test opener faltered again, and Joe Root made consecutive ducks for the first time in his career as questions resurfaced about his batting position.

In all honesty, just about everyone under an England helmet looked out of position and out of their depth as Hazlewood struck early on his way to claiming 5 for 30, well supported by Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, who chimed in with three and two wickets respectively.

Replying to Australia's seemingly below-par 179, England were in all sorts of bother at 10 for 2 after Hazlewood had Roy and Root both caught in the slips by David Warner - who had not only rediscovered some form with the bat, striking 61 the previous day, but also in the field, overcoming a rash of dropped chances earlier in the series to hold four on the second day at Headingley - the most ever in an innings by an Australia fielder in an overseas Ashes Test.

Roy was out driving at a Hazlewood delivery which was wide of off stump and moved ever so slightly to draw the edge, while Root - batting one place higher than his preferred No. 4 - hung his bat out to a good ball which had a hint of movement off the seam. When Rory Burns gloved a Cummins bouncer to Tim Paine behind the stumps, England were 20 for 3 and from there the procession of cheap wickets continued.

Ben Stokes flashed a drive at a wide one to slip, before Denly's tortured 49-ball stay was ended via another outside edge. Denly was the only batsman to make it into double-figures, and Bairstow fell to a brilliant Warner grab, Chris Woakes gloved behind from the first ball after lunch and Jos Buttler chipped Hazlewood straight to cover.

During the evening, as England attempted to claw their way back into the game, Stokes toiled for a mammoth 15.2 overs, with only four balls breaking up his spell before he was called back into action when Jofra Archer suffered leg cramps. Stokes' efforts delivered two wickets for England, alongside two for Stuart Broad, as Australia finished in a strong position, Marnus Labuschagne passing fifty for the third time in as many innings and still unbeaten at the close.

With three days yet to build their lead and then bowl England out, Australia were in the best position they could have hoped for after grafting in difficult batting conditions on the opening day for their total of 179.

Their prospects didn't look so great when Warner was out lbw for a duck, dismissed for the fourth time by Broad in six innings this series. Marcus Harris followed soon after and, when Usman Khawaja was out to a loose shot off Woakes, they were 52 for 3, leading by just 164.

But Travis Head and Labuschagne dug in and it was a long time before Stokes, brought into the attack in the second over after tea, made the breakthrough. Stokes tried with all his might to make things happen for England, delivering a maiden first up and suffering a dropped catch - Labuschagne juggled and spilled by Root in his second over.

Stokes hit 89mph bowling to Labuschagne, then dismissed Head in his next over, sneaking through a yorker via the batsman's inside edge. Matthew Wade treated an 88mph Stokes delivery with disdain, flicking it through midwicket for four, before Stokes responded by peppering Wade with a series of short balls.

Stokes bowled eight overs straight before he was replaced by Archer but, four balls into the over, Stokes had to finish it when Archer was struck down by cramp. Archer eventually returned to the field, to the delight of the crowd, whose watermelon beach ball he had saved from the clutches of a security guard earlier. But Stokes bowled on and eventually struck again in his 13th full over with the wicket of Wade, caught behind off the glove. That prompted Stokes to collapse on the ground, an exhausted grin on his face as his team-mates gathered round to congratulate him.

Broad had Paine out amid some confusion over whether it was lbw or a caught, prompting the batsman into a hopeful review. DRS confirmed an edge, to Paine's obvious displeasure, but Labuschagne remained until the close to leave his side in decent shape.

Day 3

Josh Hazlewood beat Joe Root's bat by a lick of paint with a ball that buzzed outside off stump just inside the last hour of yet another dramatic day of this Ashes series. The hint of a smile at the corners of Root's mouth spread into a nonchalant grin as he eyeballed the fast bowler who was following up his leather-bound assault with a little verbal one.

The pair were locked in battle, just as their respective sides were, playing out a scene that had seemed so very unlikely just hours earlier at the start of play on day three of the third Test at Headingly and certainly after the lunch break.

Root and Joe Denly - two England batsmen needing big scores as much as any - had dug in and turned the match on its head, a recurring theme in a series that has seen momentum swings , twists and turns throughout. The pair put on a 126-run partnership, Denly reaching his second Test fifty, and Root unbeaten on 75 at the close.

The 67 all out England coughed up in their first innings had heaped more pressure on England's batting line-up and these two hadn't escaped - far from it. Questions swirled over the influence Root's role as captain and his move one place up the order to No. 3 was having on his batting performance and Denly was struggling to establish himself as a Test player in his sixth match.

But the pair came together after England had stumbled again to 15 for 2 in their second innings chasing a lofty target of 359, set when Australia resumed on 171 for 6 and Marnus Labuschagne, who was not out on 53, proceeded to reach 80 and top score for the tourists for the third time in as many innings as he guided them 246 all out.

In reply, England lost their openers cheaply, Rory Burns to a Hazlewood delivery he should have left but which he prodded to David Warner at first slip and Jason Roy to a gem from Pat Cummins which zeroed in on off stump. It looked like Australia, who lead the series 1-0, would have retained the Ashes by the end of the day.

But some dogged batting from Root and Denly frustrated Australia's bowlers, as demonstrated in that exchange between Hazlewood and Root, which didn't end there. Hazlewood followed up immediately with another ball that beat Root's bat moving away slightly off the seam, and then a length ball that had the batsman shouldering arms and copping another earful.

It was an intense and important spell from Hazlewood, who had taken 5 for 30 in England's first innings. Nathan Lyon kept Denly on his toes in the next over, with a big appeal for a catch at short leg which came off the pads, an appeal to the DRS for leg-before, which was sliding down, and an attempted run out - all of which Denly survived.

Hazlewood struck on the third ball of his next over though, pummelling Denly with a short ball that hit the glove and looped to Tim Paine behind the stumps. Denly had faced 134 balls for his 50 and 21 more without adding to his score but he had produced an innings sure to boost his confidence and secure his place for now, his delicious pull through midwicket off Hazlewood for four midway through the second session one for the highlights reel.

Likewise, Root went a long way towards answering his critics after scoring consecutive ducks in his previous two innings with his 57 at Edgbaston his only knock of note in this series before now. He is still far from Mark Butcher's unbeaten 173 which allowed England to chase down 315 against Australia at Headingley in 2001, but the England captain will have his sights set on producing something special at his home ground.

Denly's exit brought in Ben Stokes, who scored fifty in the first Test and was Man of the Match with an unbeaten 115 in the second, bolstering England's hopes this time around.

Australian skipper Paine, trying to keep his troops pumped up late on the third day, yelled from behind the stumps: "We'll get two more tonight boys, two more in the morning". They didn't get the former. They will need the latter and more. But, with the second new ball due after eight overs on day four, they will fancy their chances every bit as much as Root and Stokes. With England's first innings hardly erased from memory - despite the best efforts of Root and Denly - probably even more so.

Day 4

Ben Stokes. Nerveless, gifted, superstar Stokes.

A day that began full of possibility flipped and flopped and flipped again on the balance of probablility and ended with an air of impossibility as England kept the Ashes alive, thanks to Stokes' match-winning century. His unbeaten 135 handed England the most unlikely of victories, by one wicket, in the third Test at Headingley, allowing them to level the series at 1-1.

In one of the most thrilling finishes imaginable - well, since England's World Cup triumph last month with, you guessed it, Stokes, front and centre - he and Jack Leach stood up against the odds and steered their side to their highest successful run chase in Tests, two days after they had been humbled for 67 in their first innings and were then set 359 to win.

Numerous times Australia threatened to take the final wicket they needed for a victory that had seemed inevitable, only to fluff their lines repeatedly.

Stokes was dropped on 116 when he sent a top edge off Pat Cummins towards third man, where Marcus Harris got his hands to it but couldn't hold on. Australia then wasted a review - which would come back to haunt them - when Cummins rapped Leach on the pad and the DRS confirmed the ball had pitched well outside leg.

When Stokes just cleared the man on the rope for a six off Nathan Lyon, the crowd went wild and England needed just two more to win. Two balls later, Leach should have been run out after going for a non-existent single, but Lyon fumbled as he tried to gather the throw from backward point. Stokes should have been out lbw attempting to slog-sweep the very next ball, which was pitching on middle and leg and shown by Hawk-Eye to be hitting the stumps, but with no reviews left, Australia could do nothing.

The hosts had dared to dream when they resumed on a hot summer's day at 156 for 3 with Joe Root unbeaten on 75 and Stokes locked and loaded having faced 50 balls for his 2 not out.

Cue the possibility. These two batsmen at the crease - Root with a point to ram home after going some way to answering critics of his batting, captaincy and combination of both, and Stokes with a fifty and a Man-of-the-Match century to his name in the previous two Tests - were fully capable of bringing England within reach of the 203 runs still needed to clinch victory.

Cue the probability. Australia's attack, while frustrated on the third afternoon, had kept the pressure on and, with the second new ball due after eight overs on day four, England faced a big task just to navigate the morning, let alone chase down the target. That became even more unlikely when Root fell, having added just two runs, to a brilliant slips catch from David Warner - his sixth of the match - off the bowling of Lyon in the sixth over of the day.

Stokes and Jonny Bairstow swung the probability back in England's favour with a defiant, and threatening, 86-run partnership. Their union was broken when Bairstow, on 36, attempted to cut Josh Hazlewood but guided the ball to Marnus Labuschagne at second slip.

Cue the impossibility. Stokes' knock, which included 11 fours and eight sixes, also saw him farm the strike expertly, while England No. 11 Leach deserved huge plaudits for holding his nerve in a 76-run partnership with Stokes off 62 balls, to which Leach contributed 1 off 17. Only once in the history of Test cricket - actually only a few months ago, in Durban - has a last-wicket pair scored more to secure victory.

Stokes had looked like running out of partners. Jos Buttler, initially called through and then sent back by Stokes, was run out to a direct his from Travis Head, Chris Woakes chipped Hazlewood straight to Matthew Wade at short extra cover, Jofra Archer holed out after a brief cameo and Stuart Broad was out lbw to a James Pattinson yorker.

As Stokes neared his century, Hazlewood - who was one wicket away from claiming 10 for the match - returned to the attack. Stokes proceeded to take 19 off the over, bringing up his ton with a four hammered through wide long-on, and following up with consecutive sixes.

Stokes admitted there were moments when he wasn't part of the action that he couldn't watch. Leach levelled the scores with a single off Cummins and when Stokes brought up the win on the next ball, flaying Cummins through the covers to the boundary, he let out an almighty roar, arms outstretched as Leach ran to embrace him like the saviour he was.

It seemed like so long ago that Stokes had toiled with the ball for 24.2 overs to claim 3 for 56 in Australia's second innings, when Labuschagne top-scored for the tourists for the third time in as many innings with 80. It made Stokes' feats with the bat all the more remarkable.