• England captain unbeaten but Denly departs for 50
We are still here. When England were 15 for two in their seventh over with another 344 runs required for victory and 70 overs to be bowled in the day, swift exit possibilities were being explored. Now other possibilities, more unlikely but much more intriguing, have surfaced. In their pursuit of 359 for victory England were 156 for three at the close with Joe Root on home turf attempting to play the innings of his life. At stumps he was unbeaten on 75, which already constitutes his innings of the series.
Nagging away at the back of the mind is the thought, “This is Headingley”. Extraordinary things happen here in the fourth innings, which have involved a wide variety of protagonists: Donald Bradman, Bob Willis, Mark Butcher and Shai Hope spring to mind. On Saturday afternoon England looked to their ordinary Joes to join this list. At least Messrs Root and Denly, to borrow some Strine, have been “pretty bloody ordinary” up until now.
Written by Vic Marks at Headingley
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/aug/24/australia-england-third-test-day-three-match-report under the title “Joe Root digs in to give England glimmer of hope in third Ashes Test”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
