England and Australia are poised for a thrilling conclusion to the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston after Stuart Broad rocked the tourists with two huge wickets late on day four.
Broad stepped up deep in the evening session to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith – the top two Test batters in the world rankings – and leave the tourists 107 for three chasing 281.
Despite the threat of rain on the final morning there should be enough time to avert a draw, with England hunting seven wickets and their rivals needing 174 runs to get over the line.
Memories of ‘the greatest series’ loom large
The fervour of the build-up to this series drew comparisons to the unforgettable series 18 years ago, when England reclaimed the urn after an 18-year wait. Key to that result was a nail-biting two-run win here in Birmingham, where Steve Harmison had Michael Kasprowicz caught behind just as Australia looked to have won it. The target that day was 282, just one more than today’s magic number. The tourists were much worse off on that occasion, ending on 175 for eight overnight, but could it possibly go as close again?
What they saidTweet of the day
Comedian and author Mark Steel attempts to paint a picture of ‘Bazball’ for the uninitiated.
Joe Root 2.0
Joe Root’s knock on the fourth morning exemplified his willingness to adapt towards a more high-risk, high-reward style under the current regime. He surprised everyone in the stadium by attempting to reverse scoop Pat Cummins over slip from the first ball of the day. The shot did not come off on that occasion but in the next over, he hit Scott Boland for six and four in successive deliveries with the same stroke. Root’s innings of 46 in 55 balls featured five boundaries and ended in unexpected fashion…
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In England’s second innings, Root came charging down the pitch to Nathan Lyon and was out stumped for the first time in a career spanning 131 games and 240 innings. In the space of three months, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has now stumped Root and Virat Kohli for the first time in their careers.
England target Boland
Scott Boland was a thorn in England’s side in the 2020/21 Ashes in Australia, picking up six wickets for seven in a stunning debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He finished the series with 18 wickets in three Tests and arrived at Edgbaston with an impeccable record. His effectiveness has been built around his meanness – with an economy rate of 2.31 prior to this week. England appear to have made a point of knocking him off stride, scoring at 5.61 against him over the course of the Test. It was telling that Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey began to stand up to the stumps to Boland to prevent the English batters from charging down the pitch.
Top five fourth-innings chases at EdgbastonMo blow
The final day of a Test frequently means bringing a spinner into play but concerns abound about Moeen Ali’s index finger – the digit he uses to spin the ball which is blistered because of his increased workload in his first red-ball appearance since September 2021. The all-rounder was described as “fine” by team-mate Stuart Broad but Moeen bowled seven unexceptional overs on Monday. His effectiveness is set to be tested by his problematic finger and will place question marks over his involvement through the series. There is just eight days’ rest between the end of this Test and the start of the next one at Lord’s, a match he will be doubtful to play unless the injury settles down.
ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.
Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.
Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.
Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.
Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.
"Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].
"We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.
"You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.
"We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."
West Indies grab three late wickets on day one as third Test against England in the balance
England lost three wickets in a dramatic end to day one of the third Test against West Indies, leaving them in a precarious position after restricting the tourists for 282.
Gus Atkinson finished with figures of 4-67, while Chris Woakes took 3-69 for England, as only a fine sixth-wicket stand from Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva saved West Indies from being bowled out for a much lower total.
But England, chasing a 3-0 series whitewash, let their dominant position slip when taking up the bat for the final 35 minutes, Zak Crawley (18), Ben Duckett (3) and Mark Wood (0) being dispatched as bowler Jayden Seales dropped them to 38-3.
Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat, leading his side to a solid start before a spell of three wickets in five overs before lunch put England on top.
Atkinson accounted for Mikyle Louis (26) and Alick Athanaze (2) on either side of Wood sending stumps flying with a full delivery to dismiss Kirk McKenize for 12.
Brathwaite's knock of 61 was brought to a halt shortly after the action resumed, the captain gloving Wood's leg-side ball to Jamie Smith as the tourists slid from 76-0 to 115-5 in 45 balls.
Holder (59) and Da Silva (49) then shared 108 to drag the Windies towards a respectable total, but things looked bleak for them when the latter feathered Woakes' ball through to Smith.
Having gone 30 overs without a wicket, England needed just 14 more to polish off the tail, the highlight being a terrific diving catch from Joe Root to send Gudakesh Motie (8) packing.
England were given just over half an hour with the bat to cap Friday's action, but any hopes of a serene finish were soon dashed.
Holder made two terrific catches off Seales' bowling, the first from Crawley's thick outside edge and the second to dismiss Wood for a duck, either side of Alzarri Joseph's cracking delivery accounting for Duckett.
That spell ensured what had been a good day for the hosts ended on a sour note, with the Windies sure to target quick wickets when the action resumes on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Atkinson and Seales dominate
This series began with all the focus on James Anderson as England's greatest-ever bowler bowed out at Lord's, but Atkinson has taken centre-stage since making his Test debut in the opening match and now has 20 wickets through five innings.
That is eight more than West Indies' Jayden Seales, the next-most prolific bowler in this series, has managed.
Seales was determined to have an impact on day one, though, and his two wickets at the death have set the stage for a far more competitive match than those England won at Lord's and Trent Bridge.
Bairstow set sights on swift England Test return
Jonny Bairstow bit back when asked if he was targeting an England return, insisting it is "all I want to do."
Bairstow was dropped from England's Test team for the ongoing series against West Indies.
The 34-year-old was part of England's T20 World Cup squad, and played in all five Tests of the tour of India earlier this year.
Bairstow has made 100 Test appearances, and when asked what his immediate target was, the wicketkeeper-batsman told former England captain and now-BBC Sport pundit Michael Vaughan: "All I want to do is play for England. That's end of.
"You don't need to ask me that do you? I think you know me well enough and I think you've known me for long enough to know that."
Bairstow did, however, enjoy a break away from the game, having had four weeks off before he joined the Welsh Fire for the Hundred.
He said: "At the same time it's been a great period of time.
"I had the best part of seven months away from home. Since January, I had five nights at home in my own bed since, until three weeks ago.
"That's the thing you have to sacrifice, time at home but at the same time, when you are away for that period of time, it takes its toll."
England are 2-0 up against the Windies in their three-match series, with the final Test starting at Edgbaston on Friday.
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