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49th over: England 227-4 ( Root 81, Stokes 0) England forbear an over from Starc.
“Everytime England suffers a drubbing in pursuit of the sacred urn, I satisfy myself with the fact that they are not in fact the real McCoy (the Ashes… not England),” writes Neel Darkshy.
”Some years ago I worked on reconfiguring and extending the home of Ivo Bligh, England captain and proud custodian of not only the Ashes, but also a batting average of one-third of a Crawley.
”The story passed down from generation to generation and on the the new owners was that the maid of the time knocked the urn off the mantelpiece smashing it and replacing the ashes of the original bails with those from the fire.”
A fantastic story! Can it be true?
48th over: England 226-4 ( Root 80, Stokes 0) Alas no hundred for Harry Brook, though he did reach his second highest score against Australia. Stokes flashes at his first ball and it squeaks past the outside edge of his ambitious drive.
WICKET! Brook c Smith b Boland 84 (England 226-4)
Brook leans over, hanging out his bat like a man poking a bull with a stick, and edges a catch to Smith.
47th over: England 223-3 ( Root 78, Brook 83) Here comes England’s spectre. Brook pulls his first ball, splendidly stopped on the rope by Webster. Pancakes his fifth in a not altogether convincing way, but gets away with it.
46th over: England 217-3 ( Root 77, Brook 79) With Brian Draper’s Jerusalem being sung by men in white T-shirts with a printed MCC tie, Root nicks his first ball from Scott Boland for four.
The players are out – here we go!
Time for a very quick coffee, back in five.
“Supporting Joe this morning after realising I was opening batsman for King Ecgbert school in Sheffield which is the same school Joe went to! Only difference is the fact that I was rubbish and he turned into the best batsman in the world!”
Sliding doors Bobby Collick, sliding doors.
Graeme Swann and Cook are dissecting the mystery of Cameron Green: so much potential, they say, but he has lost his mojo. He doesn’t know quite who he supposed to be with either bat or ball. Swann says that his body language is not brimming with confidence either.
England have been warming up with a game of football in their purple practice kit.
Alastair Cook has been casting an eye over Joe Root. “At soon as the sun got on the pitch it got a bit easier. The slowness of the pitch allowed his major scoring shots through the offside. I can’t see how, unless he makes a batsman error, Australian will get him out. I think the odds are in his favour for a hundred.”
Very bold Alastair.
And hello Paul Moody!
“Hi from Brasil, boa noite.
“Too many lows, but still Aussies at home was a hard ask. Dead rubber that this is, maybe it can give a bit of joy.
“I think South Africa look best of all nations now. I’m an expat, living a stereotype beach life here. But still English at my centre.”
The South African women are doing well too. Peculiar when as a nation they’ve thrown so much towards the white-ball game.
“I took my daughters on a minor pilgrimage to the West Sussex village of Felpham today, to visit the cottage where William Blake lived for three years and where he wrote Jerusalem.
“My daughter was a little blank, so I hummed the tune that was put to his words, and rehearsed so religiously by the Barmy Army. “I didn’t know he was a record producer” said my youngest, 15.
“Anyway, it felt like a little connection with the Ashes, half a world away from here. And half a mile down the road from Blake’s cottage, at Middleton on Sea, the cricket ground where my father-in-law tells me he played alongside Mike Brearley and Mike Griffiths, back in the day.
“Ghosts and angels everywhere, and happy reminders of the sheer barmy poetry of it all.”
What a lovely email Brian Draper, thank you. I belatedly learnt today that the fugit in tempus fugit is less flies and more flees. Your email gathers that up beautifully.
It’s minus one here in Manchester, with snow on the ground, due to drift down to minus six by early morning. My tree is drooping but still standing in multi-coloured light gorgeousness, but only it and a panetone are left from Christmas.
Ah, here are the timings for today:
Play commences 10.00am
1st Session 10:00am - 12:30pm
1st Drinks 11:15am
Lunch Break 12.30pm
2nd Session 1:10pm - 3:10pm
Tea Break 3:10pm
Session 3 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Scheduled Stumps 5.30pm
A minimum of 98 overs is scheduled, but an additional 30 mins may be permitted to achieve the minimum overs.
Preamble
Tanya Aldred
Hello to all those who haven’t run out of steam. Rain and bad light, and perhaps the light touch of administrative caution, drew an early curtain on day one, but England finished firmly on top. For the first time this series, England’s two Yorkshiremen, king and pretender, took the sword to Australia in the way we always dreamt they might.
Root was crisply correct, all succulent drives and gin and tonic nudges. Harry Brook more harum scarum, with audacious brilliance mixed with have-a-go-heaves. Their partnership of 154 was the largest of the series.
Australia need Mitchell Starc to pull them out of the doldrums quick smart, in front of another full house at the SCG. The weather is set fair. Do join us, play starts at 11pm GMT/10am Sydney time.
