Sports
Sloppy Australia stay on top despite Jadeja’s double strike
Australia are ahead by 296 runs after an intriguing day’s play at The Oval where 25,000 fans were in attedance
June 09, 2023 | 11:41 PM
Australia remained in command of the World Test Championship final against India despite an error-strewn display at The Oval on Friday.Ravindra Jadeja removed first-innings century-makers Steve Smith and Travis Head but a third day of dropped catches, wickets off no-balls and rash shots still ended with Australia 296 runs ahead at 123-4 in their second innings.Marnus Labuschagne, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, survived several painful blows on a pitch of variable bounce to be 41 not out at stumps."We have quite a formidable score already but you just never know," Labuschagne told BBC Radio.The 28-year-old added: "My hands are just about hanging on. I’ve got good bone density. It is lively out there, and that does make it challenging when they bounce like that off a length, but that happens as a batter and you’ve just got to find a way through it."This match is taking place just a week before Australia face England in an Ashes opener at Edgbaston."We’re certainly not taking this game as Ashes preparation," said Labuschagne. "But it is certainly handy to have a Test of this calibre before a very big series."When Scott Boland knocked over Srikar Bharat’s stumps with just the second ball of the day, India were 317 runs behind with only four first-innings wickets standing.But Ajinkya Rahane (89) and Shardul Thakur (51) then made the most of Australia’s mistakes during a seventh-wicket stand of 109 before India were eventually dismissed for 296.Australia captain Pat Cummins took 3-83 in his 20 overs but his figures would have been better but for six no-balls."We made a bit of a meal of it in the morning," said Labuschagne, adding: "Pat just addressed it, said we weren’t good enough and we’ve all played enough cricket to know that was fair.Rahane insisted all was not lost for India."Australia are slightly ahead of the game," he told Sky Sports. "In the morning the first hour will be very crucial. We know funny things can happen."Australia were 2-1 when the under-pressure David Warner, who had managed just one century in his previous 33 Test innings, was caught behind off Mohamed Siraj.Usman Khawaja, Warner’s opening partner, fell cheaply for the second time this match when, on 13, he followed a first-innings duck by being caught behind carelessly edging a wide ball from paceman Umesh Yadav.Left-arm spinner Jadeja then removed Smith and Head, although both batsmen played a part in their own downfall.Star batsman Smith had spent just over five-and-a-half hours at the crease for 121 in Australia’s first-innings 469.But yesterday he gave his wicket away for 34 when he skied a drive off Jadeja to cover.Head’s dynamic 163 had established Australia’s strong position in the final. He continued to attack yesterday only for a quickfire 18 to end when, attempting a booming drive against the turn out of the rough, his miscued shot gave Jadeja a simple return catch.Earlier, both Rahane and Thakur were struck by nasty blows, while all-rounder Thakur was dropped twice in single figures, including on eight when he edged Cummins to gully only for Cameron Green to floor a straightforward chance.And just before lunch Thakur appeared lbw to fast bowler Cummins only for a review to reveal a no-ball.Rahane, who would have been lbw for 17 on Thursday but for another Cummins no-ball, hooked the Australia skipper for a sweetly timed six to complete a 92-ball fifty - a shot greeted by raucous cheers from a sun-drenched and India-dominated crowd of over 25,000.Rahane was reprieved again on 72 when he edged Cummins only for wicketkeeper Alex Carey not to commit to a catch, with first slip Warner unable to hold onto a desperate left-hand grab.But Rahane was denied a hundred in his first Test in over a year after an edge off Cummins was brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Green in the gully.SCOREBOARDAustralia 1st Innings 469India 1st Innings (overnight: 151-5)R. Sharma lbw b Cummins 15S. Gill b Boland 13C. Pujara b Green 14V. Kohli c Smith b Starc 14A. Rahane c Green b Cummins 89R. Jadeja c Smith b Lyon 48S. Bharat b Boland on Friday 5S. Thakur c Carey b Green 51U. Yadav b Cummins 5M. Shami c Carey b Starc 13M. Siraj not out 0Extras (b10, lb10, nb8, w1) 29Total (all out, 69.4 overs) 296Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Rohit), 2-30 (Gill), 3-50 (Pujara), 4-71 (Kohli), 5-142 (Jadeja), 6-152 (Bharat), 7-261 (Rahane), 8-271 (Yadav), 9-294, 10-296 (Shami)Bowling: Starc 13.4-0-71-2; Cummins 20-2-83-3 (6nb); Boland 20-6-59-2; Green 12-1-44-2 (2nb, 1w); Lyon 4-0-19-1Australia 2nd InningsU. Khawaja c Bharat b Yadav 13D. Warner c Bharat b Siraj 1M. Labuschagne not out 41S. Smith c Thakur b Jadeja 34T. Head c and b Jadeja 18C. Green not out 7Extras (b4, lb2, nb2, w1) 9Total (4 wkts, 44 overs, 201 mins) 123To bat: A Carey, M Starc, P Cummins, N Lyon, S BolandFall of wickets: 1-2 (Warner), 2-24 (Khawaja), 3-86 (Smith), 4-111 (Head)Bowling: Shami 10-4-17-0 (1nb, 1w); Siraj 12-2-41-1 (1nb); Thakur 6-1-13-0; Yadav 7-1-21-1; Jadeja 9-3-25-2Match position: Australia lead by 296 runs with six wickets standingToss: India
June 09, 2023 | 11:41 PM