Ashes Series 2024: Pat Cummins quickly dashed Joe Root’s hopes of saving England on the first day of the match by catching him at slips with only the second ball. This brought Ben Stokes, the England captain, to the crease alongside Jonny Bairstow. England started the day at 68/3 in 19 overs, trailing Australia by 195 runs. During the first day, Mitchell Marsh played an impressive innings, scoring 118 runs off 118 balls, including 17 fours and four sixes, which helped Australia reach a total of 263 runs in 60.4 overs.Â
England’s bowling attack performed admirably, with Mark Wood taking five wickets, Chris Woakes dismissing three batsmen, and Stuart Broad claiming two. England had a shaky start to their innings, losing opener Ben Duckett early on, and Harry Brook, who was promoted to number 3, failed to make an impact and was dismissed for three runs. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Marsh were instrumental in taking key wickets for Australia.Â
The visitors currently hold a 2-0 lead in the five-match series and will aim for a victory to secure the series.
According to Michael Vaughan, England’s performance in the series has been disappointing due to factors within their control, such as their catching ability. This has resulted in them trailing 0-2 in the five-match series. In the third Test, Joe Root dropped Mitchell Marsh when he was on 12 runs in the first innings.Â
Vaughan believes that this missed opportunity allowed Marsh to score a quick and impressive century, and it is primarily because of this drop that the visiting team ended Day 1 on an equal footing.
At the end of Day 1, the crease was secured by the dynamic duo of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, who remained unbeaten.
Former England Captain Michael Vaughan Slams Jonny Bairstow
Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticized Jonny Bairstow’s wicketkeeping and England’s catching performance in the Ashes series. Bairstow, the 33-year-old wicketkeeper, has dropped several important catches throughout the series, and his poor form continued in the third Test at Headingley.
Bairstow’s missed chances allowed Steve Smith and Travis Head to continue their innings, and Joe Root also dropped three catches, including Mitchell Marsh early on, who went on to score a magnificent century.
After the first day’s play, Vaughan expressed his belief that England would not make significant changes despite Bairstow’s struggles behind the stumps.
He claims that they should opt for alternative options for wicketkeeper as Bairstow is making a lot of mistakes and is unable to play with full might and potency. Although Vaughan admire the way he plays, but considering his form he admits that England should choose a different wicketkeeper.
In contrast, the Australian team has performed admirably in the slip cordon, taking most of their chances and even converting several half-chances into dismissals.
The Former England Captain mentioned that Australia had three opportunities’ and they capitalized on it.
“It’s evident to everyone that the missed chances by England have had a significant impact, and they are likely trailing 0-2 in the series as a result.”
Michael Vaughan
Vaughan further said that England has missed approximately 14 chances while Australia has missed only 7, moreover there were five more half chances available to England that even Cameron Green would have taken.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow will continue the game on Day 2, and will look forward to pile up as many runs as possible.
