Test Match Special - The Ashes: Carey controversy on enthralling opening day

Episode Date: December 17, 2025

Daniel Norcross is joined by Jonathan Agnew, Phil Tufnell and Glenn McGrath as Australia closed on 326/8 on the opening day of the crucial Third Test. They discuss a roller coaster of a day with plenty of snicko controversy,We also hear from Australia century maker Alex Carey and England bowling coach David Saker.

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Listen to Football Daily on Spotify to Football Daily on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. No, he's caught. Carter Midwitted. Well, clipped it to Midwicket.

Cast again, he had to move to his right. Two gifts! Absolute gifts! 94 before! Green's out for a duck. It's all happening in the first over after lunch. Kerry on 98, waits for Stokes, it comes in Bowles to be, drives into the offside. This will be his hundred. The ball just prevented from going for fours. He comes back for three and a terrific innings. from Alex Carey. So England ended the first day in not a bad position. Australia 326 for eight having elected to bat upon winning the toss. A lot of shoulders will have sagged on a boiling hot day for England and a must win match.

And yet somehow they've prized out eight wickets. Some through luck, some through judgment. Alongside Phil Tufton, Jonathan Agnew, Glenn McGrath to chew over the day's events. First of all, I mean, let's go through some. the highlights, 106 for Alex Carey on his home ground, an emotional celebration. Usman Kowaj who's come back from the dead, Lazarus

like, shouldn't have been playing in this game and of course the whole day began with Steve Smith being out of it and so often has happened in this series Jonathan Agnew stories about Usman Kowager not being able to do something or somebody else not being able to do something has resulted

in Australia benefiting from it in the first test Travis Head knocking that 100 and now Usman Kowager coming back from the dead getting 82 yeah he played well i mean he should have been dismissed on six i think to be fair to the slip field is this is a slow pitch and we've seen a couple of edges drop well short of of root at first slip uh james smith difficult for him keeping wicket the ball going through ankle high so therefore the slips do come up closer and it was quite a little flirty push off the front foot that quadra gave that flew to brooks left he will he will definitely feel they should have

caught it and that's one of those big moments in a in a day of test cricket and what it did show also was that that's the length that he bowled to Osamauga. You're trying to get him out. He doesn't want to get on the front foot. He likes to play from the crease. There it was, the right sort of length, pushing, driving, edging. And I just felt that, you know, for all the good things we have said about England today, I think there was a lot of bowling that was too short. I don't mean the bouncer stuff. That only happened fleetingly. But just short of a length. And Ben Stokes had been earnestly talking yesterday in his pre-matched stuff about the needs. to hit the top of off stump that's the length we have to bowl we've talked about it and talked

about it and talked about it well i haven't seen the data but there have been a lot of balls well today that weren't that weren't bouncers they were just too short and wide and the left hand just said thanks very much and they're just you know weather all got away um you know coager they're all they're all and then carry if you're going to bowl that length then you're going to get cut and on this size and this shape of ground you're going to concede runs so that was disappointing And I mean, we just talked about Jacks. It is bizarre that the part-time spinner should bowl more than anybody. And, yeah, it's gone for five and a quarter runs and over.

Yes, he's taken two wickets, rather donated to cross-batted shots. But that's a strange one. You know, I know it's been hot. But, you know, to concede that number of runs, I wonder what the reason was for him bowling that number of overs. Because Carr's only bowled 13, for instance. It's the first day of a game. Yeah, it's 34 degrees, but it's going to be hotter tomorrow.

But that seems like a lot of runs given away by the part-time spinner that didn't have to be. Well, we're going to talk more in depth about Will Jackson and bring in Phil Tavern on that, but just quickly off the back of that, an extraordinary stat that are prized out of Andy's Altman. Joe Root has bowled 299 overs in test cricket in the last three years, and Will Jacks has bowed 259.3 overs in Red Ball cricket. And Joe Root didn't bowl a single over today. which was, it was baffling. Glenn, we'll go back to the beginning of the day

because Agus talked there about bowlers bowling a bit too short. It seemed to me Joffre Archer actually hit his straps pretty well, but it's at the other end where Bryden Carr's begun by getting the ball to swing quite dramatically. First couple of overs,

and he was bowling a full length, and then suddenly, I mean, did he just lose his length? Or did he have a different plan? Because he was suddenly bowling it short and getting carted. And you thought at that point that England were going to be in serious trouble today.

Yeah, I'm not just. Sure. Sometimes when you start with a new ball, you're not, you know, the body's not fully warm and loose and you're bowling and you sort of get it up there and it comes out of the hand nicely and it swings, the first few over swing. And then when you're loose and you try to hit the deck more and you're running harder, you know, you're probably muscle a little bit. You're not as relaxed and maybe that's what happened. The first few over's got it up there swinging. And then as you try to bowl quicker, it just dragged it down a little bit and more hit the deck top of bowler. I think Cass is a more hit-the-deck type of bowler anyway. So that's probably his natural length. I thought they bowled a little bit too short.

There wasn't enough consistency in England's bowling. But they got the wickets. Archer, I thought he started well. He finished Brisbane with a fair bit of venom, and you wanted him to bring that into this match. Yeah, the way he got weather rolled out, I thought it was a good piece of bowling. He sort of was keeping it.

and then surprise ball that he went to pull it straight up in the air. You know, Travis had a bit of a loose shot, but a great catch by Crawley. So, yeah, that sort of gets things going for England. Unfortunately, they couldn't capitalize straight away. But, yeah, again, a lot of talk about bowling with consistency, bowling with patients, executing plans. I don't know. I didn't see it.

I don't know if they can execute as well as they'd like to. I think it's more that than they, than being impatient because there's, there wasn't, I haven't seen any time this series where they've just kept the ball in that area and built pressure. You know, we've got, what do we got, 83 overs, and they bowled 12 maidens. You know, it is test cricket at the end of the day. You would have thought if you're consistently bowling good areas, the maiden count will be significantly higher. And five of those maidens were bowled by Joffa Archer out of 16 overs.

He's finished today with three for 29 toughers, but there were some gifts in there. It was a bit like the bizarro world in which we've been watching England gifting wickets. But the first two wickets were gifts, really. I mean, beautifully taken by Crawley to get rid of head. But then we had the first over after lunch. Australia had gone to lunch at 94 for two. They'd repaired the damage of those gifts. We thought, a long hot day.

Manus Labashane, perfect for him. He could bat all day, couldn't he? First ball after lunch, he just bunts this ball. Strange dismissal, wasn't it? And then two balls later. Cameron Green's are falling over a bit, Clips a ball, straight to cars. Before you know it, the 94 for four

and the ashes are back on. Well, absolutely. And that is when you need a Glenn Magrard in your side or a Pat Cummins in your side. No, not with the back, Glenn. As he was practicing, batting. You need someone then, when you've had a little bit of fortune

and things have gone your way, you're allowed that in test match cricket, you know, a couple of soft dismissals. You go, right, come on now. Let's give them nothing. give them nothing. You don't have to try and, in a funny sort of way, you don't have to try and get a wicket. You just have to be there and thereabouts and let that pressure sort of build on the incoming Australian batsmen. And England just didn't do that for my

money, got hit both sides of the wicket, full and short as well. And you just start to build momentum, I think Andy said, four 50 run partnerships and all of a sudden you can just feel like sand going through your fingers that we've missed just another little moment. But take nothing away from Alex Carey came out in that pressure situation, came in front of Josh English as well, and delivered again and took the game

not away from England, but you know, to a 300 plus score and played beautifully disappointing for England, and John Statt, yeah, I mean it just doesn't seem right. Spin bowler for a start-off shouldn't be bowling predominantly the most

over on the first day. Apart from something like Shane Warren. Well, yeah, okay, you're talking about the best now. But not Will Jack. Not Will Jacks. But this is a part-time spinner. And is your part-time spinner.

So a little bit of a head scratch there. If you're thinking down that route, will you go with your proper spinner? It doesn't matter about how we can play with the battle or anything. If you're thinking that Will Jacks is going to be playing such a major part in the thing, why haven't you got a proper spinner in? But explain to me why Joe Root wouldn't have bowled there as well. I've just given you those numbers.

Joe Root has taken 73 test wickets. He's bold. nearly 300 overs in 10th cricket in the last few years. Why would it... Because it was left to Will Jaxx and frankly, I mean, describe his bowling for us. The length,

he just didn't control a length. No, he didn't control a length. Club bowling standard. Yeah, it was. It was. It was, yes. And Joe's a little bit better than that. Yeah. He can actually get it... Listen, he's got a better ball in him, Will Jax. He has got a better spinning ball that can bounce, you know. But Joe's a little bit more

of a sort of a roundy-arm slinger one that can perhaps, you know, go at three and a half, three and over or something and create a little bit of problem. And anyway, if you've got two, you may as well just have a little go at both of them, you know, because you get lined up a little bit. I like the way that root bundles through his overs too,

hurries the bats when he turns quickly, boom, boom, boom, boom, he pulls his straight quickly. He has that leggy, doesn't he? He has the weird one, and he has, you know. I don't worry about that. I don't think Joe, I don't think Joe would be given 100 runs away. No, I agree. Yeah, and even, no, just change him around a little bit,

but listen, England have stuck to the task. We've been pretty hypercritical, haven't we, of it's England side-bounds. And if England had batted like that, frankly, the dismissals, people have been all over them. Yeah. Well, let's get back to us on Quarja, because they then developed this partnership.

At 94 for 4, it felt like a false position because we'd seen the way the wickets had gone, and you knew a partnership was going to come from somewhere, and it did, a partnership of 91, between Coagia and Kerry, two left-handers. And for Coajer to come back into the side, the way he has done. Steve Smith, ill on the morning of the game,

it felt like Coadja's entire career was over. Yeah, it was written. He was written off, he finished. 39 years old, well played, thanks very much. They made the decision, didn't they? Going into this game, obviously, that they're moving away from Usman Cuadja and suddenly you get your chance.

And he's got out there and he's scored, what, 82. He did get that chance earlier on, but bats were entitled to do that. And, well, who knows what that means for Usman Coager? What happens at Melbourne? now, I mean, does Josh English step down as Kauaj? Because Kajanj is batting in an unfamiliar position at four. Yeah, so a little

bit different from coming in and opening and he's been under the pump and, you know, it's been a bit of a, I would say, Christmas present, but it's his birthday tomorrow. So you probably go birthday present before Christmas, but, you know, he did have a life on six. You know, if

Brooke takes that catch, he did try to, I don't know if he should have just caught it rather than try to make it look even better than what it was. I don't know what it was, but if he caught that, Usman's out for six. Australia really under the pump and could be completely different. You know, Uzi wouldn't get, he wouldn't have 82 against his name, but that's test cricket. You've got to make the most of it.

And that was a similar moment to what Travis Head had at Brisbane. You know, he's looking, you know, wasn't looking that good, get it and beaten. Then he got dropped by Smith, and all of a sudden something clicked and he just played positively. Uzi did the same thing Usman went out there from that moment on then he looked a lot more positive so you've got to take your chances Melbourne

I to be honest now I can't see Usman you know if he comes out and gets 100 in the second dig then it's going to be tough Smith will come straight back in you know I can't see Usman really well you feel if they made the decision to move on here

and okay circumstances they have to come back then that that decision remains isn't it? Can you go from opening to batting four to now batting six. Yeah, was he going to be 11 by Sydney? I don't know. So, anyway, it's, yeah, I can't see that happening. I mean, one of the features of his batting was that he went quite quickly, actually,

82 of 126 balls, which is not faster than we normally expect from us, McGuagher. And at the other hand, he had fabulous support from Alex Carey, who's, I mean, he was assisted, you'd have to say a little bit by the England's bowlers. They're both short to him. But the thing you're talking about it from what I concern, I am concerned about the Snicko and I'm not just saying that because of Carey today

but we've had a number of incidents in this series where the Snicko has simply not been good enough there have been little murmurry ones that have been given out when normally get a spike there have been occasions where the spike has shown well after the ball has passed that's been given out and I did talk to Ranjan Mandigella

he won't mind me saying this but the most experienced match referee in the business at Brisbane talking about other things but this came up and he said we are really concerned about Snicko in this series it's just not right And I just don't see how that spike, well, let's explain it.

Well, there's a spike. It was slashed outside the off stunt. The spike appeared, but it appeared, it was a proper spike, but it appeared this time before, before the bat. Supernatural spike. It couldn't have been anything else. It's not like predictive spikes, predictive snickho. Oh, it's about two foot in front of the bat.

Yeah, but the one's other ones have been two feet after the bat. It's obviously, it's not married. The software isn't working right. No. And so that's a problem. But for me, and not just me, working on ABC and that, and they're very fair and very balanced,

he should have been caught behind on 72. Breaking news. Carey's just said in the press conference, he thought he hit it. And he looked like he thought he hit it because he looked incredibly guilty. He played a very guilty shot about two after. It's interesting because I thought I could see a gap between,

but the other telling sign is when he walked down to, who was he batting with, Stark, he was nodding his head saying, yeah, I think I hit that. Or what's he saying? Has England burnt another review? Yes, they have. No, I think he did have that guilty look at whether he heard a voice or felt something.

There is a problem, there's definitely an issue with that software. And to be clear, on this one, if you're wondering precisely what we're talking about, so we've had once before, and we've been told that they've got a frames leeway. And it did say either way, it's just that so far it's always been the other way, it's been the way that after the bat. On this occasion, there was a big spike, and it looked like it was probably two frames, not the one. So England didn't get the leeway. It couldn't have been anything else bad away from body.

It's obviously in Australia and controlling the software. So hopefully it'll be sorted out before next innings. Yeah. Just as we have about probably. But we laugh and joke about it, but it's pretty crucial. It's important. You know, if you're going to go to the software and it's got to be right. It's supposed to work.

It's supposed to take the error out, isn't it? Well, it really is. That is the idea of it. Let's get some reaction from the England camp now. Bowling coach, David Sake. has been speaking with Henry Moran. Pretty tough day as far as the heat and the way the wig was pretty flat, but I was really impressed by the way we went about it.

Obviously Joff was very good with the new ball and I thought we've tore away really well for the whole day. Australian heat is heat almost like none other in world cricket. I mean it was brutal conditions out there and it's only going to be tougher tomorrow. Yeah, well we got here at about 8 o'clock in the morning. It was very hot then so I can only imagine how much high. and how much hotter it did get. So again, that's one of the impressive things

that the boys just kept coming. Yeah, it was a pretty good performance. I think Jackson did a great job, holding up one end, and the quick did a good job from the other. Ben Stoke's call for England to show a bit of dog in this game, a bit of fight. Have we seen that today?

Yeah, it was really impressive that the way we have responded after two losses, so it was great to come back the way we did today, but it's only day one, and there's still a lot of cricket left. still a lot of cricket left. Whose day was it? Pretty even. At the start of the day, if we were batting at the end,

I think we would have probably said that we had won the day, but it's pretty even. That's a pretty good day's cricket. What have you made at the surface? Because some have said that it's not doing an awful lot. Others have said it's maybe a little livelier. Well, that's the thing. You probably need to see two sides bat and bowl on it

before you make too much of a comment, but it looked pretty flat to us. and obviously the heat is also a factor so I'm not sure it was moving around too much. There was quite a lot of discussion from the Australia camp that they were surprised that England hadn't picked their main spinner on this tour for this game. From what you've seen today is still the right call? I think it was, yeah. There's probably two things to that. There's also giving us a bit more batting strength but, you know, Jackson's been performing quite well in the nets and they've liked what they've seen. I thought he bowled quite well today.

It's never easy for a spinner to bowl that many overs. In the day one of his cricket match, and I thought he did a good job. Joffar Archer's performance, as you say, was the standout. He's somebody that's come into this series with a lot of pressure, but he's performing. Yeah, just to string the games together

is really impressive for him. And he seems to be getting better as the series goes. So that's really important. Well, good for us looking forward. But he bought some really quick spells and quite sustained pace. as well, so that was impressive and hopefully he comes out and get his five for tomorrow. Why is it that every time a team seems to get on top in this game, something happens and blows it open again?

It's been a funny first day. Yeah, and I think test match cricket just keeps pulling those things up. So if you take your foot off the pedal for one minute, something will end up biting you. I think we've got two clumps of wickets back to back twice. twice so you know that's the game and if you keep on the game all day you get rewarded off that's what I think was a pretty even day at the end what's a good score on this surface do you think a 350 plus would be probably a decent score but you know if you look at the history of Adelaide Oval first innings a pretty big

scores so at 8 for 320 we'll take that you've been part of previous Ashes tours and you know what it takes to succeed and the challenges that this country poses of course and what do you make of where the squad's at mentally physically? Well mentally and physically they're in a good space. I think it's just about just keep fronting up. It is a brutal place to come and play. The Australians are never easy to be and you have to be on every time. I think the first two tests there are times in the game we've just dropped off enough and they've just taken the opening and we haven't been that far off because the scorecard might indicate that but I don't think we would

been that far off. And the series is still alive. So get a win and then the whole thing can change. And just finally, the job is to bat big and England will know that and there's no room for errors like we've seen in the first couple of matches. How strong from your coaching department has that message been to the team? Yeah, we need a really good batting performance. The first innings being particular. The game will be one by us if we bat really big first innings. And that's going to be the message. and there's no reason why not. I think the wicket will play better tomorrow than it did today

and at some stage it'll get quite hard to bat on. So our first innings will be quite important. David Saker, there, with Henry Moran. He sounds pretty happy with 3.26 for 8. I think England, unsurprisingly, I'm pretty happy with that, given that we found out from Andy Zaltzman, that it's a 570 is pretty much the average for Australian batting first at Adelaide,

but I want to pick something there. I don't want to, you know, just really go after Will Jacks, because we were on there when we were working out how many overs you bowed one season. You bowed a thousand overs in a season. Will Jackson bowed 259 overs in three years. Now, David Saker is defending him, but is this just an acknowledgement that the Shoa Bashir experiment was a mistake? Well, yeah, I mean, you come out at the end of the day's play

and you've got to say, you know, everyone's done pretty well. Which they have, England to be happy in this situation. But for my money, what did he say? And he got his two wicked. that's fine. Well done. But I mean if you're going at five and over, just over five and over, that's not my money holding up an end, really.

But then he hasn't got the work. He hasn't had the work. He hasn't had the work in his legs. And where's your groove? You can't find your groove anywhere because there's just not one there. So to be fair, he didn't do a bad job, but, you know, to say that he's held up and then

going at five and over's a bit of a stretch. I mean, in a way, England... I agree. that's a lot of runs for one bowler to give away holding an end up. I'm amazed that Stokes kept him on so long. Imagine if you bowed badly for the day. But I mean, David Saker is the coach. You've got to come out and say stuff.

You know, just to dissect it. Dissect it afterwards. That's 100 runs given away in 20 overs, you know, in a game that England desperately need to win. I'm surprised that Stokes bowled him so much, I must say. Let's just hope he gets 100 and then you think yourself Oh well hold on that that would be fair enough

Well I mean he's there It sounds to me to bolster the batting at number eight Absolutely and it's always difficult It's so difficult And we always found ourselves in this situation Coming down here You know you have a couple of bad batting performances Oh we know can Stewie go and keep

And bat's seven you know Who can we get in And you know all rounders and everything All of a sudden You know your clear planning sort of goes awry But listen He got his couple of wickets bowl. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

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Listen to Football Daily on Spotify, to Football Daily on BBC.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. We've spent quite a bit of time, obviously praising Alex Carey, who batted to blendedly, praising Usman Coager, who got 82, being a little bit skeptical, to say the least, about Will Jax and Bryden cars,

But England have got Australia 326 for 8, and in part that's because Joffar Archer had bowled 16 overs, five maidens, three for 29. Now he's come under the microscope a lot at the end of the last test in Brisbane. You know, oh, it's only now that you're bowling quick. Well, he stuck at it today, didn't he? He bowled, and he was the only person who really gave Stokes proper control, and the Aussies were forced to play him with a lot of respect. Yeah, I mean, he looked a bit stiff when he came back at the end. I don't blame it, one over with a new ball in your comes.

I think we forget that. I mean, what England wanted is him to be up. firing tomorrow. You know, he's got the two, he's got them, a 10 and 11 to go at, and he's got the chance of a fifer. You know, that's his moment to come flying in tomorrow and just finish off his two things, and then England to get batting.

But he did bowl nicely. He's a rhythm bowler, I know I keep saying this, but just because sometimes he doesn't bowl a spell of 90-1, 92 miles an hour, doesn't mean he isn't trying. You know, he's a very rhythmical bowler, and sometimes it just doesn't quite come out. The timing isn't quite there. It's not like Brighton Castle or Darren Gough

or these people just run up and just hurl the ball down. He's, there's a lot of stuff going on with Joffers. We've got a very smooth action, but it's a very rhythmical bowl. But I know he bowled really nicely. I mean, I'm certainly not going to accuse him about having bowled too short. Glenn, you bowled a lot of overs in Australia. Did he get his lengths, right?

Did he get his next side? Well, he's a dangerous bowler, isn't he? You want him to come on short sharp spells, unsettle the batsman. And my only issue with Joffre is, you know, a bowler of that calibre, you want him firing ball one. You're watching warm up before he bowls. Sometimes he doesn't even roll the arm over. The first ball is the actual first ball he's rolled the arm over.

And I know in Brisbane when I saw him there, he was bowling two overs at 135 before he cranked it up into the 140s. And you can't give a batsman, especially at this level, an over or two to get used to you. And, you know, they need him firing from. ball one. Yeah, he's got to loosen up, find a way to loosen up better, and then come in first ball and just let it rip. So, yeah, he's, he picked up some vital wickets. I think that one of Labashane first ball after lunch was a bit of a gimmy.

And then even green sort of going hard at it and it sort of held in the pitch a bit. Though it's a couple of, you know, gifted wickets really. But, you know, you look at him, 29 off 16. Ben Stokes, 53 off 19. Take those two guys up. Yeah, they're going over five runs and over. So, yeah, it's, yeah, he's done well. But I think, you know, he can be ready to go from the first ball of his spell.

And then that would be, he'd be even more dangerous. We've heard from the England, can we get some reaction from the Australian team. Now, Alex Carey has been speaking to Adam Gilchrist and Alyssa Healy from the host broadcaster. The man of the moment, Alex Carey, so much emotion around this game. We've just given you a big hug. We want to keep hugging you, mate. That's what you do to people, spectators of the game, 56,000 adoring local friends.

Calling out your name, excuse me, it looked like a very emotional moment for you, mate. Congratulations. Yeah, thanks, it was. It was great. Great to be out there with Mitch. And a decent day's cricket, I think, you know, the crowd, as you mentioned, 56,000 in Adelaide.

It's, yeah, it's pretty special. And, you know, to make 100 here in front of home fans and family was, yeah, special. I guess you know as well as I was looking to the heavens. Yeah, yeah, well we saw pictures of Eloise tearing up and you've spoken openly about your love and affection for your father and the role he played in your life, not just as a person but as a cricketer and a sportsman, the character has shone through, that was amazing scenes. Yeah, I try not to tear up, but no, it was, it was great and you know, to have, you know, mom, brother, sister, Eloise, the kids, yeah, it was a great moment and as you mentioned, you know,

My dad was, you know, played the biggest role, probably in my cricket, coached me all the way through, you know, as Dad's want to do and sort of let me go once I got into my older teenage years, but would always shoot a message and put the reverse sweep away and keep hard on me. But yeah, look, it was great, you know, I won't go into too much, Dev, but it was, yeah, special moment for myself, but for the family too, I reckon. Fair enough and you're it's more than okay to get emotional well done. Absolutely, absolutely.

First Ashes test century, it'd mean a little bit something more after 2023. I mean you've been through a lot since that moment we don't need to talk about it but... I'm more happy to talk about that I reckon. Yeah, okay, but first Ashes test century, how cool is that? Yeah, it was good. Look, we went out there in a little sticky situation too. We lost two straight after lunch and to build a partnership with Usman who we saw back into this team and we know how quality he is. and, you know, never good losing such a quality player

and Steve Smith early in the day. But, you know, for Usman to come out, when I guess there's been a lot spoken about him and we know how good a player he is and his record speaks for itself and, you know, that's a quality 80. I guess for both of us, we wanted bigger hundreds to really drive the game,

but to be eight down over 300 on day one, it's not a bad situation. But, yeah, hopefully we can keep scoring runs in the morning. and then our bowlers can go to work. Let me just watch some highlights there and I can hear that they're playing the audio as well. The Kerry cry going around this ground. Did you ever think, I guess you hope it might happen

probably with a Sharon in your hands? Yeah, that's probably true. I actually didn't hear it. That's how much I get in the zone out there. Yeah, it was, oh, that's very special. It would have been nice to go a little bit deeper and see us through tonight, but yeah, Mitch is playing really well

as I've got a big bug on my head. Mitch is playing well. Gazz was really good there, chipped away. Would be nice to push over 350 in the morning. But also, you know, they created over 10 chances and, yeah, hopefully you can do the same tomorrow when it's our time to bowl. We're averaging over 50 this year with bat in hand.

Obviously, gloving the ball beautifully as well, a lot spoken about the Gabbat test, but we know you've been doing it over extended periods of time. Do you get confidence from both skills doing them well or is it just a search for perfection the whole way around? Yeah, I'm always looking to improve and, you know, today, you know, getting out just over 100, you know, you want that big score and got to be better next time. But the game is always presenting opportunities to learn from and I feel like I'm learning

little bits as we go along and to be in this environment where you can really express the way that you want to play and be encouraged to do so. I think, you know, we've seen players come in and really flourish, both Webster come in and played really well. weather was doing the same. It's a fun group to be around. You know, staff, leadership, you know, the boys that are running the leadership program,

I really encourage guys to come in and play their way. And, yeah, enjoying my cricket. But again, I want to just do everything I can to help us win, win a series against England. But without looking too far ahead, we've got a good opportunity. It would be nice, like I said, to get a few more in the morning.

But it's a decent track. And hopefully Mitch can keep up the full. That was Alex and Kerry I'll have he scored 100 A very fine 100 it was too But he did say in the presser that he got a feather But he isn't a walker I don't blame him for not walking

But at the same time I do think as Jonathan said The technology needs to be looked at We have litigated that case But did he say he got a feather Or thought he may have hit it Sometimes you think you've hit it and you haven't Glenn

Glenn You can keep trying But it's It is what it is And look, there's no point in moaning about it. No. Australia, 3.26 for 8 at the end of this first day as a vital test match. And tomorrow, we keep on talking about vital sessions,

but in the context of the entire series, if this series is going to stay alive, England have obviously got to win this game. And that means that tomorrow is absolutely pivotal. They've got to get those two wickets quickly with the mop, maybe, or the hoover. Josh Tongue, alongside Joffra Archer. And then they've got a bat-time. and they've got about overs on a day that's going to be 39 degrees.

Toughers, has this team got it in them? They haven't shown that ability to stick around yet, but this is a situation where if they want to stick in this ashes, they've still got to be batting at the end of tomorrow, haven't they? Absolutely, it comes down to this first innings. First innings runs are always crucial in Australia. You've got to be looking at 400, 450, and if you get there even more, you know, I think they have.

I think they have. I think Nathan Lyons are going to be crucial. he was absolutely fuming at Brisbane and he's on his home patch here and with a little bit of a little bit of spin and bounce the captain Pat Cummins has come back as well but yeah it's a crucial day for the batting for England you know the bowlers are stuck in there manfully and got themselves into a reasonable position

right lads you haven't shown it since we've been there it's down to you go out there and get a big and fill your boots because otherwise it's done they've talked about it Harry Brooks talked about it. He's acknowledged and he's played some daft shots. But just because you know you have, it's not that easy necessarily to turn it around. You've got some negative suggestions going on in your head as well, perhaps.

So look, what can they expect tomorrow? Is tomorrow the day to bat or is the sun beating down on it? Does it start to deteriorate quickly here at Adelaide? No, no. No, I think tomorrow is definitely the day to bat. The pitch will quicken up. A little ball will come on nicely, be able to hit through the line. So I think tomorrow is the key.

They have to bat all day. They have to get $4,500 in this first innings because this pitch will probably take turn. We've seen a couple not carry through. Adelaide is renowned for day four, day five, getting a little bit inconsistent up and down. Nathan Lyon loves bowling here. We've already seen, you know,

Will Jack's getting some turn and some bounce. And that's what Nathan Lyon does, gets that turn, but that bounce, which takes a lot of wickets too. so but tomorrow that ball come in nicer if they but you've got to get in give yourself a chance get into the to your

innings get feel the pace of the ball and then yeah I think hitting through the line here will be better and easier than what we've seen in the first two tests so there's an opportunity for for England to when they bat tomorrow to bat long and bat big and get a good

lead to keep this series life it's going to be interesting just the way they play isn't it it's whether they double down on the basball and the aggression and let's even go harder or have just tweaked it a little bit and learned from their mistakes and as Glenn said on a long hot day here in Adelaide just tweak it a bit get yourself in and slowly start to wear them down don't be negative listen if it's up there whacking away you know and put the pressure back onto the bowlers because they'll be feeling it as well but tomorrow is the day without a doubt and 39 degrees is a tough day in the field but you're

you're under a helmet out there that can be equally as tough and get a little bit oppressive so see how the batsmen England batsmen handle the heat when they get that opportunity You can watch highlights on the BBC Sport website and app now with our full highlight show

on BBC IPlayer from 5pm every day of the series You can also watch the TMS Ashes debrief with Alex Hartley and guests on IPlayer Search for Ashes on BBC Sounds For all our content and we're back on air tonight from 11pm The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live

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