The Day 3 of the New Year’s Ashes Test at SCG could easily have had a similar script repeating, resonating the dominance that the Australians have had, if not for a fantastic counter-attacking hundred from Jonny Bairstow and a fighting half-century from Ben Stokes.
England found themselves staring down the barrel again, being reduced to 36/4 at the lunch break, still trailing Australia’s gigantic 416/8 declared by another 380 runs. Another defeat seemed imminent for the tourists when Bairstow joined Stokes for an admirable stand that took the game back to the opposition.
After losing their openers Zak Crawley (18), Haseeb Hameed (6) cheaply, the visitors also saw their in-form middle-order bats walk back to the pavillion quickly. This is when Bairstow and Stokes put on 128 runs for the fifth wicket.
Stokes, who got a reprieve during the innings when a ball from Cameron Green brushed his off-stump without the bails actually failing off, frustrated the Aussies with a knock of 66 off 91 balls. At the other end, Bairstow also got into the act, quickly reaching his half-century.
However, just when it seemed that the Stokes-Bairstow duo was in for something substantial, Stokes got out LBW to off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Less than three overs later, England lost their wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler (0) without him opening his account. Lyon and skipper Pat Cummins brought Australia right back on top.
But, impressively, England didn’t cave into the pressure of the situation and continued their counter-attack, with aggressive lower-order bat Mark Wood joining Bairstow for another superlative partnership. The duo pressed on the gear and put the Aussies under pressure. Wood scored a fantastic 39, including two fours and three sixes. His partnership of 72 runs with Bairstow helped England avoid the follow-on possibility.
In normal circumstances, Australia wouldn’t have even contemplated the follow-on option on a track going more and more uneven. But with rain around, it was indeed a bright possibility. Thus, the Bairstow-Wood stand, following the Stokes-Bairstow rearguard, could still be key in helping England avoid a defeat in the New Year’s Test.
After Wood got out, England sent in their spinner Jack Leach to hold an end up near the close of play, which the stoic left-hander (4*) did with impressive calmness and composure. The dramatics were reserved for the other end, where Bairstow had reached the score of 99* before the start of the final over.
Recognising an opportunity to frustrate the usually free-flowing England batter, Cummins opted to go around-the-wicket and bowl wide outside the off-stump. Bairstow played and missed for three straight deliveries, but on the fourth, he moved across and sliced the ball over backward point fielder for a boundary that took him past hundred.
It was only Bairstow’s seventh Test match century but came at just the right time, with his team 3-0 down in the series and trailing the opposition for 380 runs with only six wickets in hand. It was also England’s first century for the series. The fact that it took them four Tests and nine innings to produce one perhaps sums up their struggles for the series.
But Bairstow and Stokes will be delighted to have saved the day for their team when things could easily have gotten worse. The series is lost, but a draw in Sydney would help England avoid a 5-0 whitewash and also earn them some much-needed points in the World Test Championship.
Brief scores
England 258/7 (Bairstow 103*, Stokes 66; Cummins 2/68, Boland 2/25) trail Australia 416/8 dec (Khawaja 137, Smith 67; Broad 5/101, Anderson 1/54) by 158 runs
