A resurgent Australia looked set to level the Ashes after a century by the reborn Mike Hussey in the third Test against England. At stumps on the third day, England were in disarray at 81 for five in their second innings, chasing 391 for victory with nightwatchman James Anderson yet to score and two full days of play remaining.
Up 1-0 in the series, England faced their biggest-ever run-chase to win the match and their hopes appeared forlorn after the top five – Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood – all went cheaply late in the day.
Cook was trapped leg-before-wicket by Ryan Harris for 13 and Strauss (15) became Mitchell Johnson’s seventh victim in the match when he nicked a ball to Australian captain Ricky Ponting in the slips. Pietersen, dismissed for a duck in the first-innings, made just three before being caught by Shane Watson from the bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus. Just minutes before stumps, Trott fell to Johnson for 31, caught by Brad Haddin on the rebound off the hands of Ponting, who immediately left the field with an injured finger.
Siddle confident of victory
Then from the last ball of the day, Collingwood (11) was caught by a diving Steven Smith in slips from the bowling of Harris. Australian paceman Peter Siddle hailed the match as a turning point in the series.
“There was a lot of pressure on us in this match to get a result and one that was our way,” said Siddle. “It has opened it up massively, two to go now and there is still a lot of work to be done.”
But England’s recalled pace bowler Chris Tremlett, who picked up five for 87 in the Australian second-innings to finish with eight wickets in the match, refused to concede defeat.
“We’ve still got a couple of good players to come in, obviously Belly [Ian Bell] and Matty [Matthew Prior],” he said. “All you can do in these situations is believe. It’s a long shot but it only takes one partnership. Stranger things have happened in this game.”
The Australian second-innings of 309 was anchored by another brilliant effort from Hussey, last man out for 116, who now has 517 runs in the series at 103.40. If England can somehow conjure an unlikely win here they will retain the Ashes, while an Australian victory will level the series with two Tests to play.
Chris Tremlett
“We’ve still got a couple of good players to come in, obviously Belly and Matty. All you can do in these situations is believe. It’s a long shot but it only takes one partnership. Stranger things have happened.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2010.
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