England were eyeing another memorable Ashes climax at Headingley after knocking over Australia to leave themselves in charge of a fourth-innings chase in the third Test.
The third day in Leeds looked destined to be a washout, with no play possible until 4.45pm, but those who kept the faith were rewarded with a gripping final session that saw the home side grab control of the game and keep alive their dreams of regaining the urn.
Well rested after a long dressing room vigil watching the rain fall, they picked up the hunt and took six wickets for 108 to roll their rivals for 224.
That left a chase of 251, with openers Zak Crawley (9no) and Ben Duckett (18no) making a breezy 27 without loss in five overs at the death.
Four years ago Ben Stokes scored an unforgettable century at the same ground to reel in a target of 359, joined by last man Jack Leach in a remarkable last-wicket stand, but this time the odds are in the hosts’ favour.
They have no option but to win, with defeats at Edgbaston and Lord’s leaving them 2-0 down with three to play, but they have repeatedly proved their chasing credentials over the last 18 months.
Last summer they made sport of reeling in even bigger scores and reached a target of 296 with seven wickets in hand against New Zealand at Headingley.
Travis Head was the star performer for Australia, blasting 77 to propel his side into a competitive position, but he will now pass the baton over to the bowlers who need 10 wickets in a hurry.
When play finally got under way almost six hours later than scheduled, there was a false start. Only one over was possible before the rain returned, with four of Chris Woakes’ deliveries pitched short, despite conditions begging for the ball to be pitched up.
Mercifully, the next break only took 10 minutes and when the contest resumed Woakes decided to let the conditions do their work.
Mitch Marsh had just picked up a couple of boundaries to put England on notice when Woakes tossed it up towards off stump, found the perfect outswinger and flicked the glove as Marsh (28) made an unconvincing attempt to withdraw the bat.
England were up and running now and quickly lined Alex Carey up as their next victim. Fresh from his role in the Lord’s stumping controversy, as well spurious rumours about an unpaid hairdressing debt, he groped haplessly at Stuart Broad, edged one through the cordon and then brought down his own stumps as he deflected a wobbling Woakes delivery into them.
At 139 for six, the call went up for Mark Wood to enter the fray. The extra pace initially helped Australia get the scoreboard moving, Head punching his second ball for four and his second over costing 12, including four byes soaring high over the wicketkeeper’s head.
But his ability to force errors soon paid off as he blasted out Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in successive overs.
Starc flicked Wood high off his hips in what should have been a simple catch for Jonny Bairstow. The Yorkshireman, who has made a host of handling errors in the series, appeared to freeze in position, leaving an uncertain Harry Brook to throw himself into a diving catch from short-leg.
Cummins left Bairstow no choice a few moments later, fencing away from his body and nicking straight into the gloves.
Australia’s lead was 196 when Todd Murphy arrived at number 10 and 237 when he pinned lbw at the end of a superb over from Broad.
Head played a blinder in the 41-run stand, exposing his partner to just 10 deliveries while scoring rapidly under immense pressure. With boundary riders posted all over the park, he repeatedly hit the gaps, cutting and pulling square and winning his personal duel with Wood.
The more the Durham quick bent his back, the more Head’s score grew. Consecutive sixes into the leg side sealed the deal.
When England finally got a full over at Murphy, Broad was sure to make it count. He worked the tailender over for five excellent seaming deliveries then pinned him lbw with the sixth.
Head’s magic was about to run dry too, with one big shot too many picking out Duckett in the deep to set up the intriguing end game.
Crawley made a secure start for his side in an unenviable late cameo, with Duckett a more frantic operator. He nicked just short of the slips, then a couple of yards over the top of them, but also tucked into two meaty clips for four off an amped-up Cummins.
Every run was cheered to the rafters as it thinned out England’s day-four target and even a nasty blow to the thumb for Duckett could not dampen the home side’s spirits.
Another 224 are needed to send the teams to Manchester with the score at 2-1 and England expects.
Turning the tide: Windies captain Powell cautiously optimistic about comeback in T20 series against England
Though facing an uphill task in their five-match T20 series against England, West Indies captain Rovman Powell is cautiously optimistic that they can produce a comeback to not only overturn a challenging 2-0 deficit but to go all the way in the series.
Powell’s sentiments served as a rallying cry of sorts as they stare down a must-win situation in the third encounter at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Thursday to keep the series alive.
Still, Powell expressed confidence that the Caribbean setting, coupled with a few strategic changes, will bolster their fightback.
“St. Lucia is always a good place for us. It provides an opportunity for us to play good cricket, and the wicket is generally a good one, probably the best one in the Caribbean,” Powell said in a pre-game interview.
“The people of St Lucia always come out to support us, which is also good, and so we're looking forward to the next three games. Hopefully they can come out and support us, and we can deliver some good cricket,” he added.
After two tough matches in Barbados, which England won by eight wickets and seven wickets, respectively, Powell emphasized the significance of a renewed focus while also pointing to the need for every player to take personal accountability heading into the crucial contest.
“I think it’s a case of each guy reflecting on how things have gone so far from an individual perspective to see if we as individuals are bringing enough to the table, and then we try our best to try to put it together as a team. We have areas that definitely need work, but the guys are in good spirits. We had a good training session today, so we’re hoping to hit the ground running,” Powell explained.
St Lucia is not only familiar territory but also presents a new beginning, especially with the return of key pacer Alzarri Joseph from a two-match suspension.
Powell believes Joseph’s presence will fortify a bowling attack that has struggled in the opening games, as England easily chased down 182 and 158 in both games.
“If you should look at our bowling department, we really needed him in those games. So, it's important for him to come and hit the straps and hit the ground running. As a bowling group, we have areas where we need to control the power play because the middle overs generally take care of themselves, and he will come to bowl some of those overs in the backend,” he shared.
Despite the uphill battle, Powell cited the Caribbean side’s recent successes over the past 18 months as a reminder of their potential.
“It's a little uncomfortable being 2-0 to be honest; it's a position that we haven't found ourselves in in a long time, but it's an opportunity for us to show what we are made of as a T20 team,” Powell declared.
“England is a team that we have played quite often these days, and we have had good results against them. It's just unfortunate that Barbados wasn't good for us in terms of T20 cricket, but St Lucia provides a new opportunity for us to come out and play some good cricket,” the Jamaican reasoned.
Finally, Powell reiterated the importance of a victory on Thursday, not only to stay in the series but also to set the stage for an exhilarating weekend of cricket. The final two encounters are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
“It's a case of us getting back into the series; we just need a win, and once we get the win tomorrow, we can go from there. The guys are upbeat; even though we are 2-0 down, they are in a good frame of mind and ready to play good cricket,” the captain ended.
Tilak's unbeaten ton helps India take lead against South Africa
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten 107 as India went 2-1 up in their T20I series against South Africa, claiming a nail-biting victory in Wednesday's third match in Centurion.
Following their surprise defeat in Sunday's second match, the tourists bounced back to earn their 10th win in their last 12 outings in the format, putting them on the brink of a series triumph.
Tilak was the star of the show as he produced comfortably the best score of his T20I career, surpassing a knock of 55 versus Bangladesh last year in some style, while only facing 56 balls.
He hit eight fours and seven maximums to set South Africa a target of 220 for victory, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 50 from 25 deliveries in support before Keshav Maharaj broke their partnership in the ninth over.
Despite six of India's batsmen scoring 18 runs or fewer and four – Sanju Samson (0), Suryakumar Yadav (1), Rinku Singh (8) and Axar Patel (1) – being limited to single figures, the damage had largely been done already.
South Africa were then dropped to 84-4 within their first 10 overs as Varun Chakravarthy claimed the crucial wickets of Reeza Hendricks (12) and Aiden Markram (29).
Heinrich Klaasen's incredible 54 off 17 balls dragged South Africa back into contention, and they required 18 runs from four deliveries in a grandstand finish, but Arshdeep Singh trapped the hosts' dangerman lbw to secure India's victory.
Having fallen short of their target by just 11 runs, the Proteas must now win Friday's fourth match to salvage a 2-2 draw from the series.
Data Debrief: Big-hitting India on the brink
Tilak recorded a strike rate of 191.07 while Abhishek was at 200.00 as their early partnership powered India towards victory.
India have now hit over 200 sixes in T20I matches this calendar year, only previously surpassing that figure in the format in one previous year – recording 289 in 2022.
Kusal and Avishka centuries take series opener for Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando guided Sri Lanka to a 45-run victory via the DLS Method in the first match of their ODI series against New Zealand on Wednesday.
On a rain-soaked day, the hosts ended their eight-match losing streak at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium with a dominant display from start to finish.
After electing to bat, Sri Lanka were dealt an early blow when Pathum Nissanka (12) was caught by Nathan Smith from Jacob Duffy's delivery in the second over.
However, Kusal would join Avishka at the crease and put the hosts in control, with the pair putting on a 206-run stand.
The duo's contribution formed the bulk of Sri Lanka's 324-5, with Sadeera Samarawickrama (five), Charith Asalanka (40) and Janith Liyanage (12 not out) concluding their innings.
New Zealand started well in their run chase through Will Young (35) and Tim Robinson (35) before the latter was stumped by Mendisb Theekshana in the 13th over.
That kickstarted the tourists' collapse, with the dismissals of Young, Henry Nicholls (six), Mark Chapman (two) and Glenn Phillips (nine) leaving New Zealand 110-5 after 17 overs.
Michael Bracewell's 34 from 32 deliveries steadied the ship somewhat but the damage had been done, with the tourists falling short of their target by 45 runs.
Data Debrief: It's coming home
Sri Lanka have won five of their last six multi-game bilateral men’s ODI series (L1), including each of their last two, and they got off to a perfect start in Dambulla.
The Lions' victory was their first in the format at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium since a seven-wicket win against Pakistan back in August 2014.
They were helped by Kusal's knock of 143 from 128 deliveries, which was his fourth ODI century but his first on home soil since 2020.
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