Test Match Special - The Ashes: Head hammers down England hopes

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

Simon Mann is joined by Jonathan Agnew, Glenn McGrath and Phil Tufnell to review the 3rd day of the Adelaide Test as a Travis Head hundred nailed down Australia’s position.We also get reaction from England’s assistant coach Jeetan Patel and Australia spinner Nathan Lyon plus Andy Zaltzman has all the stats that matter.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. To embrace the impossible requires a vehicle that pushes what's possible. Defender 110 boasts a towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms, a weighting depth of 900 millimeters and a roof load up to 300 kilograms. Learn more at landrover.ca. This month in football, everything is up for grabs. The Premier League battles intensify, the Champions League reaches its crucial turning point,

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Drew Bowls to Travis Head. Big shot down the ground. Coming up for long-off boundary, one bounce before, he's got there. It's another fine effort from Travis Head. In front of his home supporters, absolutely loving it. Second hundred of the series.

He goes down on his knees and kisses the Adelaide Oval Pitch. After three days of this test match, Australia are in total control. England's chances in the game were slim after Australia dominated. The second day, today's play confirmed Australia's dominant position and the home crowd were treated to another hometown 100. Travis Head making his second century of the series. After being dropped on 99, a difficult chance to Harry Brooke in the gully. Australia 271 for four at the close.

A lead of 356, head 142 not out. Carey is 52 not out. Earlier, Stokes and Archer put on 106 for the ninth wicket. But too much damage was done on the second day. And England allowed Australia, a first innings lead of 85, and they built on that by the close of play. And with two days left, it feels as if this game is only going one way. Phil Tufnell is with me

Glenn McGrath is with me Jonathan Agnew is with me to round up the day's play well firstly Jonathan just sum up where England are in this test match well that's tearing down both barrels unfortunately I mean there have been glimmers of hope haven't there and the way that Stokes and Archer batter this morning

gave everybody some hope could they have chalked off another 40-50 runs that would have again you know made it not so simple a task for England but it would have at least reduced that lead down to 40 or 50 but 85 in any test match

it's still a significant lead and so for all the optimism you knew realistically that Australia could easily build on that they lost that first we get quickly, weather old it's been the case throughout the series where whenever England had just opened the door ever so slightly

Australia just slammed it shut again and that was the case again today there would be moments 149 for 4 think oh okay that was when Green was out a couple of quick wickets there quadja having been dismissed before him you think hang on a minute, just a chance here. You know, they've shut the door again.

Total lack of pressure. 68 overs, England bowled, three maidens, two of which are bowled by Joffa Archer, because they know they can just play Joffra, 10 overs for 15, they play him, a little score runs quite happily at the other end. Will Jacks again, I mean, I don't want to pick him out,

but, you know, holding an end, he's going for over five and a half and over. The Australian definition of a spinner holding an end, Nathan Lyon, is two and a half and over. and he just I don't know why Stokes keeps bowling him I don't know why Stokes didn't bowl himself there's clearly something there although I were told that he's fit to bowl

but he can't have been because he would have he would have bowled but quite simply run scoring is too easy at the other ends there is nobody to hold that end for the scene bowlers who come they come flogging in cast as usual you know runs runs through a brick wall for you

I thought tongue bowled quite nicely but they resorted to that short pitched attack again which always looks desperate And they did it at a strange times It did when Kerry first came in Rather than just bowling in the orthodox areas In which you do at a new batsman Why on earth was Jacks bowling when Kowager first came in

Why didn't they bowl pace at each ends for Kauaja Get him on that front foot He doesn't want to get there Get in Knicking behind No, no, have happened at Will Jacks You know, there were just strange decisions like that That haven't helped England's cause But Australia have just been head and shoulders above England

That's all you can say about it Yeah, the Stokes one is an interesting thing we were told he was fit to bowl but is he really that's the thing is it I mean he's fit to be out there but he's had a punishing first couple of days and we all

saw him with cramp yesterday evening he bought a lot in the first things he's taken on a lot but his position at the end of this series will be interesting how fit is he how fit is he to carry on playing test cricket that's an answer only he can

he can decide but I think it's a perfectly legitimate question to ask because there will be the usual inquest people will lose their jobs as a result of all this it's inevitable because of all the controversy about the preparation you know that there will be jobs on the line what will Ben Stokes decide to do I think

that's going to be very interesting to see does he think he can see it through another 18 months to the next ashes at home when you think that England would have a reasonable chance of winning that or will he decide look my body can't take this anymore I'm off to

leagues yeah well that's certainly for the future isn't we've got a bit of cricket to play before we get there well how did you see today tubs i think we've over the years you know enormous amount test cricket has been played and there have been lots of days like this where a team who are better than the opposition have a first thing's lead and they just nail it down what what else could england have done today um difficult i i tell you what i'm slightly in interested in it. And this is selection. This is selection now. Everyone knows that at Adelaide you play a spinner. Is that correct, Glenn? Pretty much bang on. The wicket spins. I can understand, I can understand, perhaps not playing a spinner at Perth. Yeah. Perhaps at Brisbane.

Perhaps not playing a spinner just a bit of part-time. But to not play a spinner, a full-time, recognized spin bowler at Adelaide I think there might be something just clogging up a little bit of selection here I know the whole thing about pack the batting and what have you but you know and I'm not having a go at Will Jaxx because he just hasn't got the

tools to do it I'm afraid but then I just want to know sort of like why why you know why why has Bashir almost become unselectable and for the second innings in this match Jacks has well more than anybody it's just exactly

extraordinary it's really It just totally backs up your argument. Yeah. And they've got a very part-time spinner bowling. He's had a very little experience. And he's bowed more than anybody. He's gone for five and a half and over. Yeah.

But then I just, I can't... Where's that thought prose then that hasn't then gone for that? I'm not quite sure. Well, is it in the planning that actually the Bashir project, if you like, was a wishful thinking project. And when push came to shove, that you mentioned the word unselectable. And it's quite a tough word, isn't it? But he's not going to play...

He's not being selected. If you're not going to be playing here, I can understand, you know, bits and pieces. It's very young, very inexperienced. It's like Bethel. I worry about Bethel, who might get chucked into the next test match. He hasn't got a game yet. I mean, he might be supremely talented, and he might be the moment. It might be the moment, actually, that we launch Jacob Bethel.

But to play test cricket, you've got to know, you've got to be comfortable with your own game. You've got to know what you can fall back, or do you've got to have some experiences of being under pressure and so on. To be able to use that as experience to take into a test match. You know, a 21-year-old spinner with such little experience, that's a really tall order, isn't it? To expect someone to do that. But isn't it? Well, yeah.

How are you at 21? How are you at 21? I think it was here. Oh, right. No worries at all. No, I mean. But it is young for a spin. Well, it is, mainly because of the body of work behind him.

Yeah, exactly. Hasn't got a county. Has it got this, hasn't got that. So you've got nothing to rely back. I'd been playing second 11 cricket. Exactly. A couple of seasons. For Middlesex and hardened...

Got John Embry looking after you and all that. Absolutely. So you come in here, okay, great big sort of wide-eyed and what have you, but you then have to fall back on what you got in the bank. Yeah. And if he's not going to play here, I don't know why he was here. Why he's here? So it's just perplexed to me a little bit.

Why he's here in the first place? Well, absolutely. I mean, yeah, I don't know. I mean, even if they've looked at him and said, well, he didn't bowl very well in the warm-up games, and he hasn't been bowling really well at the nets. no disrespect to Will Jacks he would have bowled better than Will Jacks

because he's a bowler you know it's in the blood it's in his bones how do you see it Glenn looking in from an Australia perspective the spinner issue that England have had here yeah it's an issue without a doubt Nathan Lyon

he didn't bowl well he bowled two overs in Perth so fair enough he didn't play in Brisbane so again I agree with toughest but here you've got to play a spinner you know a front on spinner if you can or someone who's an out-and-out spinner because it was taking turn on day one. There's been a lot of talk about England's batting this series, but really they don't look like taking 20 wickets.

They've taken 12 wickets in Perth, 12 wickets in Brisbane, and they just can't build pressure. And then they go straight to these bowling plans and fielding placements where they're waiting for the Australian batsmen to get themselves out. That's not how you play test cricket. You've got to put the pressure on you. You've got to keep bowling good balls and challenge them. And when they make a mistake, have the catchers there to dismiss it.

So how are you going to take 20 wickets? Fine. Think, oh, we'll just chase 500 every game and we can get it. But if you can't take 20 wickets, I don't know how you're going to be number one in the world. The field placing at once they see Travers' head with what was the head about five on the sort of gully

to sort of point area he's still trying to get through there though yeah and he's just whacking it like standing in a rifle range yes it is just waiting for the ball to be blazed at you yeah exactly

listen you know I mean that is listen we've all had tough days on flat pitches and if you come off and as a bowler Glenn and you know this you know and you take your boots off and you go well listen that was a long hot day but I tried to hold me lines and I tried to hold my disciplines I didn't get a bit of luck and things

and well that's fair enough but to then sort of go to that plan is just especially when Kerry's just come in he hadn't faced a ball and they went to the leg side short stuff and Coager coming out all know what is vulnerable and what he's good at and what he's vulnerable at

that again was a glaring tactical error to bowl Willjax at Coaja when he's just come in that's inexplicable yeah exactly and I agree with toughest you know you've had days where things don't go, well, twice in my career, we bowled all day and we didn't take a single wish. Yes.

And I'll tell you, we put more pressure on the batsmen those two days, but they were just too good than what England did here or have done this nearly this whole series. So, yeah, they've got to find ways to do it. And whether it's tactical, there's no doubt about that. Is Ben Stokes, is he a good captain? Does he have good field placement? I don't think he's had a good series.

I really don't. I think he was off it in Perth. I think he's been off it here for reasons that we just mentioned. I think it has been an excellent captain. He manufactured three wins in Pakistan and there's desperately flat pitches through really brilliant captaincy actually and incisive field changes and that was Stokes at his best

but I don't think he's had a good series here. There's no field changes here there's the first one I will go to a short pole then what? It's just like I don't even go back to something it's just let's just stick at this I think sometimes it might be a little bit that you think to yourself, well, I don't know whether the bowlers have got it in him to just hold it. So then you've got to be a bit funky.

You're almost thinking to yourself, well, they're going to be getting cut and slashed. So why don't we actually make a plan around your bad ball sort of thing or something? No, you're right. Yeah, you have plan A. If your bowlers can't bowl to the plan, you can't go to plan B because they're not going to be able to bowl to that. So are the bowlers up to execute? Well, that's the point I raised earlier. How do England actually practice that short ball attack?

Where they can't do it in the nets because the batser wouldn't face it. They don't play any games, so they can't practice it in that. Harold Lauer, never going back a million years, was brilliant a body line because they practiced it in counter cricket before the game here and did it. And they were incredibly accurate. It wasn't running in and overhead high bounces like you see here, flogging the ball in. It's getting the ball into the body.

It's being really, really accurate. It was no coincidence. is that Woodville got hit over the heart here in that famous game. But there's no protection. No protection. And you can put 20 bats, 20 fieldsmen on the behind square on the leg side. So things are a little bit different. But you've got to still bowl it accurately.

If it's not working, you can't keep doing it. You've got to look at, they've got to look to take wickets. You've got to be out there being proactive. I hate that short pitch. How are we looking to get them out? Oh, we're waiting for them to get themselves out. Like that's, yeah, you put yourself in that position of the bowler and you think, really is something to run up and go

bosh every ball and just bowl into the dirt I'm actually a better bowler than this you can't help but think that you're right and if that's what you're doing run in just how are you going to get a wicket you're just bowling yourself in the ground and you think well to be honest there's a rare chance I'm actually going to get a wicket here

rather than bowling that channel getting it through mix a pace up work on the ball hopefully get a bit of reverse swing a few different things like that coming around the wicket wider in the crease so you don't see much of that. There were stats on how many Australian bats and I've got out to it, I'll sit down and try

work it out tomorrow, but not very many is the answer to that. No, and also, I've just never... Were they not watching Australia bowl yesterday? Which was just an absolute, you know, masterclass. They should be sitting there. Here's a question, though, do England have the bowlers to pull off that planner?

Bowling, you know, the channel, whatever. Something that Steve Smith said before the series about having them pick the right attack for the current Australian... Listen, every professional bowler who's international bowler should be able to bowl on the top of off stunt, otherwise what's he doing it? Exactly.

Is it too boring for them? I don't know. The young, next generation, oh, I can't. That's boring. You know, 99 balls out of 100, top of off stunt with occasional... Oh, no, that's too boring. It can't be that. The point behind my question is if you look at...

If you look at cast, you look at tongue, they're not really off-stump bowlers, are they? You wouldn't say that before the series' time. You know, wood, cast, tongue, they're not really that type of bowl. You'd say, Atkinson probably is. You'd say that Stokes probably. I know what you mean. But I know what you mean, but they're...

You're saying they should have to do it, whatever. The captain says, bowl at the top of off-stump, you bowl at the top of off-stump. It doesn't matter if you're that kind of bowler or not that kind of bowler, if you know what I mean. You know, it's beggared belief. Just flicking through my notes I think Kerry was called it

Third Man in Perth which was a bit of one of those but just looking through this I don't see any other Australian bats and who's fallen to that I just saw at England when we batted Harry Brook sort of the route

Crawley you know that sort of coming forward and oh you know one of leave and it's that forward press all I've seen Australia do is step back and just flog it Cut, cut.

Through there. Look, there are lots of negatives. There are lots of negatives. Should we just focus for a few minutes on a positive? Archer's batting. Archer's batting. Badger's 301 in first class cricket. Yeah, but let's start with his bat.

He's starting to show what he can do. I mean, you average 31 in first class cricket with the bat and you're a fast bowler. You're actually an all-rounder, aren't you? Yeah. You are with the average of 31. The average is, I think, eight in test cricket. We haven't seen him bat like that in test cricket. actually until this tour

and he's played really well there that's good and he's bowed really nicely I think the Australians do feel like it will just see Joffar off and then we're going to fill a boots at the other end I think that's part of them he's bowed two of the three maidens

but he has bowed well he's running hard I would like to see him start like Mitchell Stark does bang with a straight on it but that's just the way that he prepares himself okay but I mean he's

he's done well he's had a good game yeah well he did England started well today they could have quite easily been 200 runs behind but you know Stokes and Archer they put that partnership together

and yeah that first session today you'd have to give to England and then from then on it just sort of as the day goes it sort of just slips back into the what's happened the rest of the tours so far yeah Glenn do you think Australia are just saying well that Ben Stoge is not bowling

do you think you are saying not see off job for Archer and then we'll we'll play under the rest? Well, they're saying Cof Archer, you know, if he, he's bowled two, what's your bowled ten overs? Two lots of five overs. In 66 overs. Like, I'd want a bit more out

of him than that. But, you know, even if you just bowl, give him, the problem is you can't give him a three over spell where he just comes on a blast because it takes him an over and a half or two overs to warm up. Then you get your three overs. And then, so, yeah, they would have identified

he's the danger, without a doubt. Okay, let's just seam off, seam off, and then it's easy, yeah. So it's a simple game plan. Look at Tuffus, search for positives. Oh, hold on. How have you felt Archers gone, Tuffus? I think he's done all right. Yeah, I think he's done a right.

I think that sort of criticism at Brisbane, you know, when they were just knocking off 60, has just sort of stung him a bit. And he's gone, well, hold on a minute. I think that was a bit harsh, you know, and a bit unfair, and I'd rather... No, it wasn't. Well, no, but you know what I mean.

Yeah, he's going, well, hold on a minute, I'm going to show you I'm a bit more than that, and I think he's done well. Listen, Pfeiffer's Fiver, he was plodding through where we're staying, and, you know, he could, see, he was a bit weary, you know, and I said, well, bulge off and he looked up, and so you should have,

five wicket, in a test match, is a big thing. It's hard work to get Fifers, apart from this fella next to me, he used to do them pretty simply, but the hard work to get Fifers and prize people out on flat pitches when they're determined, you know, he's a determined batters.

And so he should take a lot of credit for that. The issue, well, the problem is, if the rest of the series goes like this, Joffa might be saying, well, you know, bug a test cricket, I'll just go and play the T20s earned good cash. It's four, you know, four overs. I can steam in. I can go out and slog a few. It's, you know, this is hard work out here.

So why would I want to run in when the rest of the team aren't backing me out? You're listening to the TMS podcast from, BBC Radio 5 Live This month in football, everything is up for grabs. The Premier League battles intensify, the Champions League reaches its crucial turning point, and the World Cup draw sets the stage for the biggest tournament on earth. Football Daily from the BBC brings you sharp analysis, instant reaction, expert insight, and the stories driving the game on and off the pitch.

Your essential football podcast, deliver. every day. Listen to Football Daily on Spotify, to Football Daily on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, we've been giving our reaction up here. Let's find out what they're thinking. Who is it today?

Well, look, on the first day, it was bowling coach David Sagan. On the second day, it was assistant coach and Marcus Drosthic. Today, it's the spin bowling coach, Jitin Patel. He's been giving his reflections to Henry Moran. This morning it started so well, their partnership with Jop and Stokes to continue on from last night to get us within 100. It was probably more than we'd asked for, you know, in this situation.

I thought Jop had it amazing. You know, we're getting it early wicket, the hopes are up and obviously they put on a strong partnership. I mean, either I knows all that sort of stuff. I think we took wickets to the right times. We just couldn't back it up with those clubs like Ozzy did yesterday. Why is that? Oh, look, mate. Maybe it's a lot of time to do it.

Maybe it's a lot of heat. Maybe it's all sorts of things. it has flattened out you know it's one of those things it's just I don't think I think we went through different plans so I think boys trying to execute as well as they could but I mean the way Travis heads batted there is next level and he's probably showing us how I could go about it there's a lot of people that said this was the defining match of this era of English test cricket and at the moment it's going Australia's way I mean a lot of people say a lot of things about a

lot of different things well the first game was the finest so was the second so I was the I think every game of test cricket we play, especially out here in Australia, you know, it calls for heroes and we haven't had them just yet, but maybe we have tomorrow and the day after. But no question about it, this was the tour that was the tour that was going to be the key moment for Ben Stokes and Brendan McCullum. I mean, is that not widely accepted as part of the story? I don't think that's from our narrative. I think that's everyone else's narrative. I think that narrative of being the series is everyone else's story. But we're out here to try and win a series against Australia and take away the ashes.

And look, we've got a lot of work to get there to be, to do that. We've got a lot of work to do from the start. Hasn't gone our way so far. We've got a huge mission in the next couple of days. But I mean, this team's done some amazing things before. I've always said it. Tomorrow and the day after, it'll be pretty magical, I think. What's the maximum you feel you can chase down?

because there will be a limit. Oh, look, I mean, I don't know the maximum, mate. I really don't know. I really don't know. I don't want to put a number on that. It's been a long while coming for a batting line-up like ours to put on a big score in the series, maybe the next two days. It's all about how we come out in the morning. I mean, the guys are neck at the moment, right, is so.

If we come out in the morning, we put another couple on it. Look, 400, let's say we can bowl them out for 420. And we, no one knows them, mate. This England team's job is simple now and in some ways the clarity of thought is something that can help. Well, that's exactly it. You know, we spoke about that this morning or the coaches did exactly that. It's like, you know, maybe being backed into corners when we need to throw our most punches and maybe that is tomorrow and the day after. Ben Stokes looked devastated when he got out today.

How's he doing? I mean, he put so much effort into that innings, didn't he? He sort of got ourselves into a position where, you know, we might have been able to push the play. closer and I think it was a good ball to get him out but but also I think the work he'd done the night before I put him under put him in a position where he's like right now it's time to press on it didn't quite work from I think that was where the devastation was and you know look even even what he did yesterday was pretty strong and in a different innings for him to play the normal he had to dig deep to

find that and it was thankful that he did because he got us within reach is he fit to bowl yeah he is fit to bowl from what we know look He's just come off the park now, so we'll find out more, but from what we understand he is, yeah. It's a surfers that seems to be taking turn. Did England pick the right team, do you feel? Oh, mate, the hindsight's the world, isn't it? But, look, I don't think Jackson's ball particularly poorly. It's just having two set batters on a drying wicket that may have flattened out for now,

and it may spin again later, as was expected. He found it very difficult, and rightly so. I mean, you're playing test cricket in Australia against some of the best players in the world. world. And he didn't quite get it right all the time, but I don't think he bowed poorly all around. And just finally, as coaches, your job is one of coaching, but it's also making sure there's belief. How do you do that ahead of the rest of the game? Well, that's exactly it, mate. I mean, that's part of our job, is to make sure these guys believe in what they can do and how they can express that out there. And we'll get that

message across as well as we can tonight and tomorrow morning, and we'll keep pushing these guys towards a danger, because that's the only option we have. Ash is still alive? Who says it isn't? Well, there we go. That is Jitin Patel, the England assistant coach, although his emphasis is on spin bowling. What did he make of that, Jonathan?

I was wondering who they're going to wheel out tomorrow. Not sure who's left. That fellow drives the bus. Well, look, as you've said every day, it's impossible for them. These people to come out and try and talk sensibly and things that would, you know, they're not going to talk entirely honestly, are they?

They've got to support their players. So, you know, it's not right. to come out and say, yep, that's it. The ashes are over. Jack's can't bowl, and that's it. I mean, they don't want to come out and say that, are they? So, you just stick a microphone out there and ask the questions, and then you just get the answers, and you're not really worth discussing, I don't think. No, you're probably right.

And it is a question almost in that situation. What else can you say? Because, you know, you're on the verge of going at 3-0-down. Look at the scoreboard. Yeah, I think sometimes you've got to be honest. I totally understand what they say and everything is a very difficult thing to do but sometimes I think you've got to be honest

and occasionally you've got to say well hold on a minute we might have got something wrong here we might have got something wrong there we're going to learn from it and we're going to try and put it right and make things better I don't think there's anything wrong with that either there's been a bit of that actually

between test matches and Brendan McCullum and definitely and Harrybrook as well actually because he said I'd play a couple of horrible shots, didn't he? And Brendan McCullum was talking about the other day about we haven't been, we haven't played as well and all that sort of thing. And perhaps we do need to slightly adjust. And probably Ben was saying it as well.

Well, let's see how they bat in the second inning. They've got a lot of work to do still to bowl Australia out. I'd like to see they come out and bowl with much more discipline tomorrow. They'll have a new ball in, what, 12 overs or so. It's almost exactly the same situation as this morning, actually. new ball of 12 overs, let's see how they come out, and then let's see how they bat. And then we really will be able in a situation

of being able to pass judgment on that. I mean, at the moment, the game still isn't over yet. So, you know, there's always that in the back of your mind, but I mean, although it feels as if it's going one way. Something you picked up on during the day's play tougher about where Jamie Smith stands. Do you feel he's standing too far back? There were a few balls that seemed to,

There was one that actually did drop in front of him. There was a Nick from Labashton didn't cost England very much. And you feel that he's taking it very low down? Listen, I don't know too much about wicket-keeping, but I remember old Jack Russell, you know, snorters, as we used to call him. You know, he didn't like to be scrabbling around his ankles all the time, having to come forward and everything.

And we were talking about, you know, Jack's as a, you know, a full-time bowler. You know, it's sort of in your blood. what you've been doing. And, you know, I think as a wicket-keeper as well, you're forever assessing where you're standing a little bit. You know, it's just a subliminal thing that you're doing a little bit. It's just there because you've been doing it. It's a job and everything like that.

And it's the same when they're sort of like you're between the wickets and you're the engine and, you know, I was talking to Ian Healy about it. You know, you're not plodding up the other end, you know, and the bowler turns round. I bet every time you turned round, bang, there was your cordon, you know what I mean, ready for you, go, come on, pitch, come on, you know what I mean, it's sort of slowly getting into position, you go, come on, let's, you know, so there is a little bit of that, but it's been tough, it's been, it's been tough day for England, you know, but there are just these little things that you start thinking, you know, is it ingrained in what they're doing, you know, is that, is there a belief? because there's going to be a belief issue as well you know, Jacks is there going

well, you know, I'm a part time you know what I mean? You're listening to cheating there you know, we've got to instill belief but there are belief issues with people who, you know, it's not their number one thing they do. Yeah, yeah.

Well, Glenn, would you, keeper, would you hate it if the ball dropped short of them or would you be prepared for them to stand up if it meant they dropped to catch that came up around there elbow or something or shoulder? No, the keeper is incredibly important

and needs to stand in the right place and where the slips stand depends on the keeper as well so you want the keeper sort of carrying through nicely you don't want to sort of falling short because then you'll get the one that edges and fall short so yeah the keeper's incredibly important and like that tough has said they keep everyone going

You know, that's the energy, the getting between the wickets. But, yeah, if the ball's falling short and bouncing, no, they're far too deep. Look at Alex Carey, he's been up at the stumps. And, yeah, absolute masterclass. So this pitch is not going to get any easier. It's going to go up and down, I guess. You've got to stand where you think is the right place. Some will fall short on this pitch, but you've got to back yourself.

Right, let's hear from the Australia company. Now, Nathan Lyon has been speaking to Corbyn, Middlemass and the ABC team. You've got to give credit to England. They fought back with the bat this morning. We kind of expected that with the class of Stokes. And then Archie played a pretty good handy knock there as well. But the class of our guys, especially Travis and Alex here in the hometown, it's pretty amazing to get us in this position.

But I'm not happy yet. Boy, you can be happy, mate. The way you've played so far, three days of unbelievable, just relentless Australian pressure. It looks like you've just got better and better as a team as the series has gone on. But yourself, those two wickets early, has it spun or is it spinning more?

I think it's going to spin more. I think we're going to look in the way Jacks and even Rudy were bowling there. I felt like there was more consistent spin, even though they may have been a tad too wide here and there, but I feel like it's going to spin. And obviously, disappointed to miss out the last game, but, geez, you didn't miss a beat.

game straight away first over straight on the money coming out all right yeah yeah feel feel very happy been really good progress through the shield cricket into the lead up to the ashes obviously I've had this an eye on this hostage series for a for a long period of time it's obviously take me a little bit longer to get my teeth into the series but that opportunity will come later in this game as well what about you mentioned the the wicket there do you think it's going to keep deteriorating like that because it was obviously really hot and oppressive conditions maybe talk us through that and then also So what do you think will happen with the wicket?

Yeah, I think the natural wear of the wicket's going to be there. It still looks like a pretty good batting service at the moment. But if we can do the basics long enough for long periods of time, then hopefully we'll get the chances along the way. Did I see you had the pads on too? Were you a summons tonight, watchman? Yeah. What's going on?

What is going on? No comment. Just quickly, I thought they might have gone after you a little bit, attacked you a bit more. You had great plans. You bowed a beautiful line in length, and you had the fields in the right spot to cover everything. Did you think they were going to come after you harder?

Yes and no. At the end of the day, I want guys to come harder at me. It's a lot more enjoyable and a lot more fun when guys are trying to put you under pressure and you hopefully trade a little bit more chances or a few more chances along the way. But, yeah, we'll see how they go. I dare say they'll come pretty hard the second dig.

line talking to the ABC team. Now, just wrap things up. Zaltz is alongside me. What caught your eye statistically today? Well, let's start with a positive for England. Joffa Archer making his maiden test 50. 51 is the second highest

score by a visiting player banning 10 or 11 in Australia. He's now got 99 runs for the series, already the second most for England in an Ashes series by someone batting at 10 and 11 and he's 18 runs away from equalling a record that stood since 1884, five wickets and 50 in the first innings of an

Ashes test. He's only the fourth England player to do that since 1928. Otherwise, not so good for England. Let's focus on that. So this is where the negatives come in, is it? Well, yeah. So Will Jacks being asked to do a job that he's essentially not trained for in his first-class careers, as you were discussing just then, conceded 100 in both innings.

the last bowler to do that in an ashes test Shane Warn at the Oval in 2005 Warren had the consolation of taking 12 wickets in that game and bowling like the leg-spinning genius that he was. The last England bowler to concede 100 in both innings of an ashes test was Ian Botham in the final test of his legendary 1981 Ashes series so normally if you're a cricketer and you're in a stat with Warn and both of them you'd be quite pleased

but maybe not so much for Jax in that particular stat. Travis Head with his fourth 100 against England in all of them in Australia since he came back into the Australian team as a reinvented player at the start of the 2021-22 series. So 400s in the last seven Ashes test. He missed one due to COVID last time.

The last seven in Australia, four consecutive hundreds on this ground. Only the fifth instance in Australia of a player scoring centuries in four consecutive tests at a ground. His 142 not out is currently the joint highest second inning score for Australia against England since Ricky Ponting's 156 at Old Trafford in 2005. And it was his slowest of the 900s he's made since he came back for this sort of second phase of his career when he scored about 60.

65% quicker than he did in the first 19 test of his career since he came back and scored that blazing 100 at Brisbane four years ago but this century of 146 balls by 21 balls his slowest of his last nine test hundreds so a restrained innings that just confirmed Australian dominance of this game aided by Alex Carey the first wicketkeeper ever in an ashes test to score 100 and a 50 in the same game also five catches in an innings

Only two other keepers in all test matches have 150 and 5 catches in an innings. Matt Pryor was won for England against New Zealand at Auckland in the 2013-14 series. Kerry needs just 13 more runs to have the highest match tally by a wicketkeeper in Ashes history. No Australian keeper in any test against anyone had scored at 150 previously. So a great match for him. And just a sort of curious nature of the nature of the game. the play today, 27 consecutive overs of spin from this end of the ground. And when England took those wickets and maybe had a chance,

you know, when the second wicket fell, Australia is only 138 ahead, third and fourth wickets fell quickly. Australia was 2.26 ahead when Green was out. There was still a glimmer of hope then, but England at no point really attacked with their seamers. I was looking at the workloads of the bowlers. Archers bowled 77 overs in the series cast 75. If you compare that with England bowlers in the first,

first three tests of previous Ashes series. Jimmy Anderson in 2017-18. They bowled 130 overs after three tests, 129 overs after three tests of 2010-11. Graham Dilley, 137 in 1986. 87 in that 17-18 series, Broad and Wokes both bowled over 110 after three overs. Darren Goff, over 150 overs in the first three tests. We bowled brilliantly for England in 1994-95. So the fast bowlers have not had a heavy workload in this series so far. but England chose not to attack with pace from both ends at those key moments today when they had a final glimmer in this game

that now appears to have been conclusively extinguished. Okay, thanks very much. Zoltz, now you can watch the best of the action on the BBC Sport website and app now with our full highlight show available from 5pm on BBC IPlayer every day of the series for all our content from this series on BBC Sounds just search Ashes.

And the TMS Ashes debrief with Alex Hartley is available on. player and BBC Sport YouTube. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. This month in football, everything is up for grabs. The Premier League battles intensify, the Champions League reaches its crucial turning point, and the World Cup draw sets the stage for the biggest tournament on earth.

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