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Bairstow back playing the clown as Bazball meets the Bison

Jonny Bairstow has been the talk of the cricket world and he was back costing England again on day one of the Third Test.

Jai Bednall and Andrew McMurtry
16 min read
July 7, 2023 - 4:48AM
Wicked Wood delivery claims Khawaja

A scintillating first day of the Third Test ended much like we finished at Lord’s - with all the attention on Jonny Bairstow.

The English wicketkeeper was in the thick of the action for most of the day, first with another costly performance with the gloves and then during a late appearance with the bat.

Bairstow has endured a subpar series behind the stumps and it continued as he dropped what should have been a comfortable take down the leg side off Travis Head’s bat.

The Poms were left ruing several missed opportunities that prevented them knocking over Australia inside two sessions - none worse than Joe Root’s drop of century-maker Mitchell Marsh when he was on 12.

Marsh, known as the Bison, blasted a run-a-ball 118 to rescue Australia after the top order all fell before lunch. Head was next-best with just 39 as Mark Wood took five wickets bowling at express pace.

But a first innings score of 263 was looking pretty good as three English wickets fell before stumps.

It brought Bairstow, who was promoted to No. 5 in England’s reshaped batting order, to the crease - and he couldn’t help sending a message to the Aussie fielders after his controversial stumping in the Second Test.

Jonny Bairstow was back in the thick of it on day one of the Third Test, dropping catches and playing the clown. Pictures: Getty
Jonny Bairstow was back in the thick of it on day one of the Third Test, dropping catches and playing the clown. Pictures: Getty

Bairstow (one not out) repeatedly hammed up to the crowd by dramatically placing his bat inside his crease while staring at the Aussies.

But he survived until stumps alongside fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root (19 not out) as the game remained nicely-poised with England 3/68, trailing by 195 runs.

Tension was expected to be high and the crowd lived up to expectation by loudly booing Lord’s villains Alex Carey and Pat Cummins when they walked out to bat.

But the Headingley fans lowered their colours by also jeering Steve Smith as he walked to the wicket in his 100th Test - a disgraceful act that was condemned by former Aussie cricketer Tom Moody after a week in which we heard so much about the “spirit of cricket”.

Both teams brought a new bully to the contest. England had Wood bowling at more than 150km/h, including one that crashed hard into the helmet of Carey.

And the Aussies had Marsh, who bludgeoned all of the England bowlers with huge pull shots for six and hard drives down the ground.

In the end they probably cancelled each other out as Marsh turned the momentum of the game before Wood crashed through the Aussie tail.

Mitchell Marsh absolutely creamed the England bowlers in the second session. Picture: Getty
Mitchell Marsh absolutely creamed the England bowlers in the second session. Picture: Getty

The other major talking point was Ollie Robinson leaving the field after suffering a back spasm midway through the second session.

He did not return and his ability to bowl in the second innings could shape the contest.

Australia will take satisfaction from taking some hard early punches from England in a must-win contest for the hosts and finding a way to take them and give some back.

Pat Cummins looked a handful with the ball on this pitch and Mitchell Starc forced plenty of play-and-misses without luck.

Root’s wicket will be key, but this England XI bats deep with Moeen Ali at seven and Chris Woakes at eight so early in-roads on day two will be key.

3.05am - Whose day is it now?

It’s getting harder and harder to decide who has taken the honours on day one after Mitch Marsh continued his banner day with Zak Crawley’s wicket.

Australia’s first innings total is starting to look decent enough now that England is 3/65 and the Poms’ reshaped batting order means Jonny Bairstow is already at the crease.

Marsh got the ball to swing, drawing an edge from Crawley that flew to David Warner at first slip.

2.20am - Maybe Harry’s not a first drop

It’s certainly not easy to bat out there right now as Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc make the ball talk.

But there’s going to be plenty of questions about England’s decision to elevate Harry Brook to first drop after Ollie Pope’s injury.

Brook did not look comfortable at all with the ball zipping about and was gone for three as Cummins claimed his second scalp to leave England 2/22.

“I would have moved Joe Root to three,” former England skipper Nasser Hussain said in commentary. “Get the man in before the crisis, not after.”

The Aussie skipper produced an edge that was nicely taken at second slip by Steve Smith.

2.10am - Carey is as good as Bairstow is bad

Alex Carey just keeps showing England what a great glovesman looks like.

The Aussie keeper jumped high to his left to snare a Ben Duckett edge off the bowling of Pat Cummins and reduce England to 1/18.

Carey just managed to hold on to the ball in the webbing of his gloves - and even appeared to use his nose as he was rolling to the ground to keep it under control.

It comes after Bairstow was again ordinary behind the stumps for the Poms, including dropping Travis Head.

1.35am - The end comes quickly for Aussies

Mark Wood versus the Australian tail wasn’t much of a contest.

The England firebrand was given the ball after Travis Head’s dismissal and wasted little time in sending Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins back to the pavilion.

Starc missed a fast in-swinger that cleaned up his stumps on two. Cummins missed one that nipped back for a duck.

It left Alex Carey needing to swing the bat, but Wood rattled him by sending a bouncer crashing into his helmet. The very next ball Carey holed out to deep cover-point for eight.

Todd Murphy did better, making 13 before he too was bowled.

Wood finished with 5/34 in a performance that will have England wondering how the First Test might have played out with him in the line-up.

Australia lost its last six wickets for 23 runs to be all out for 263.

1.10am - Head never quite gets going ... and now he’s gone

Joe Root’s generosity only goes so far.

Mitch Marsh scored an extra 106 runs after seeing a regulation chance put down by the English slipper - and Root was at it again early in the final session when he dropped Alex Carey.

But the same over he was beaten for pace as Carey slashed at a Chris Woakes delivery, Root finally made amends.

The victim was Travis Head, for an unconvincing 39 that wasn’t played in the style Aussie fans have become accustomed to.

Head became Woakes third scalp of the innings and Australia was six down still well short of a decent first innings score with just Carey and the bowlers left.

12.40am - Poms smashed by ‘16th man in the squad’

Welcome back, Mitch Marsh.

Few Australian cricketers have tested the patience of fans more than the big “bison” from Western Australia but he has made the most of his return from the Test wilderness.

Playing his first game since the 2019 Ashes, Marsh bashed the England bowlers all over the park to bring up a scorching century.

He fell for 118 on what became the final ball before the tea break, inside edging a Chris Woakes delivery on to his pad and watching in dismay as it popped up to Zak Crawley at second slip. It left Australia 5/240.

Marsh joked before the start of the series he is the “16th man” in the Australian squad but he’s already made more runs in one innings than Cameron Green managed across four in the first two Tests.

He reached triple figures in 102 deliveries and remarkably reduced Travis Head to the anchor role. Head couldn’t help but laugh as he congratulated his teammate on his ton.

Marsh had famously said “most of Australia hate me” after the 2019 Ashes series, in comments that mean even more today.

“Australians are very passionate, they love their cricket, they want people to do well,” he said. “There’s no doubt I’ve had a lot of opportunity at Test level and I haven’t quite nailed it, but hopefully they can respect me for the fact I keep coming back and I love playing for Australia, I love the baggy green cap and I’ll keep trying and hopefully I’ll win them over one day.”

That day came in November, 2021, when he blasted 77 not out to help win Australia the World T20 Cup but now he’s enjoyed Test redemption too.

Marsh comes from one of Australian cricket’s most famous families. The Marshes are currently in Bali celebrating Shaun’s 40th birthday but enjoyed every shot from Headingley.

12am - Big moment as Robinson limps off

Ollie Robinson abandoned the field midway through bowling the 43rd over of the innings in a potentially match-swinging moment.

It was later confirmed the seamer had suffered a back spasm and wouldn’t return again on day one.

We’ll wait for further information about the severity of the injury but Robinson looked downcast as he picked up his sweater and cap and trudged off.

Not much has gone England’s way since they took Australia’s fourth wicket.

Mitch Marsh and Travis Head brought up their 100-run partnership shortly after Robinson departed - off just 118 balls.

11.45pm — England dropping the Ashes

The old cricket cliche of “catches win matches” often proves itself to be true and if so, there’s a very clear reason England are down 2-0 in the series.

England dominated the first session at Headingley to leave Australia 4/91 at the break.

But it could have been so much better for the home side after Jonny Bairstow dropped two catches behind the stumps.

Although the first chance from Steve Smith was a toughie when he was on four, diving full stretch only for it to bounce of the end of his gloves.

He did end up catching Smith off a feather edge just before lunch.

But he also dropped Travis Head for 9 in a catch he should have swallowed.

Sky Sports’ Mark Butcher said: “You think of all the emotion Jonny has been through over the last weeks - what happened at Lord’s, dropping chances at Edgbaston, talk about Ben Foakes. He just seems to be ticking at the moment.

“His footwork was almost non-existent, he almost fell down the leg-side and it was no surprise he clanged it.

“He needs to clear his head and focus on what he is doing. I know he likes to play on the edge but that emotion is getting the better of him.”

And the catching issue carried on after lunch when Joe Root dropped Mitch Marsh when he was on 12.

On BBC’s Test Match Special, former England spinner Phil Tufnell said: “Joe Root is usually so good there. If you’re going to win Ashes Tests you’re going to have to take catches. Too many chances are going down. That was a regulation catch.”

Joe Root drops a sitter. Photo: Channel 9
Joe Root drops a sitter. Photo: Channel 9

He brought up his 50 after 38 overs.

Head is only on 20 but he’s not at his swashbuckling best so far as Australia rebuild their innings.

But as England have now grassed 13 chances and had two wickets off no balls in the series, is it any wonder at this point that Australia has been taking advantage?

For the record, Australia has grassed seven chances with one wicket off a no ball.

SEN Cricket posted after the Root drop: “Another dropped catch. What is going on in the field?”

When England have already lost one match — the first Test — when Ben Stokes dropped Pat Cummins in an ultimately decisive moment, it’s a trend England will have to break out of to get back into this series.

10.54pm — It’s all happening after lunch

Mitch Marsh scored a single off Stuart Broad in the first over after lunch but was seeing the ball pretty well as he blasted Chris Woakes for a monstrous six off the first ball of the second over.

But he is lucky to still be out there after he edged to Joe Root two balls later, only for the former England captain to drop it.

There’s plenty happening and the commentators were saying it appeared to be “a good time to bowl”.

It was the third dropped catch of the day, following two from Jonny Bairstow in the opening session.

10.07pm — England’s session

England have made the most of the first session at Headingley, leaving Australia 4/91 at the lunch break.

Former Aussie skipper Mark Taylor said although he thought it was England’s session regardless, he admitted the loss of Steve Smith minutes before the break swung it completely in the Pom’s direction.

Travis Head and Mitch Marsh will resume on 10 and 5 not out in the second session.

10pm — Smith in disbelief over dismissal

Steve Smith is gone for 22.

But the Aussie vice-captain was in disbelief after he got an inside edge off Stuart Broad.

The ball came back on Smith and nabbed the edge, but as umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave it immediately out.

Smith was shocked by the decision and immediately reviewed but the tell-tale snick as the ball went past the bat was as clear as day.

And some fans felt the need to boo Smith off the pitch as well.

9.35pm — Marnus gone

Marnus Labuschagne’s Ashes series has yet to take flight with the Aussie No. 3 caught in first slip by Joe Root off Chris Woakes.

Woakes and Wood have made a massive difference for England already in this game with Woakes bringing plenty of movement off the pitch.

It’s 3/61 as Travis Head comes to the crease.

9.20pm — Wood’s spell second fastest ever in England

Mark Wood’s first spell at Headingley was the second fastest in England’s history, being only his own record.

Wood was on fire and a Twitter user shared that 90 per cent of his balls were over 150km/h, with his slowest ball 146km/h in the four-over burst.

In fact the first runs he went for off the bat were with the second last ball of the spell — with the last ball he clean bowled Usman Khawaja with a 152km/h thunderbolt.

Almost single-handedly, Wood has made England look a lot more threatening.

9.05pm — England’s disgraceful act on Smith milestone

Mark Wood’s been bowling quick and finally earned a breakthrough, taking the wicket of Usman Khawaja and making a mess of his stumps.

But it’s brought Steve Smith to the wicket amid a chorus of boos.

Smith, who is playing in his 100th Test and is an undoubted legend of the game, was booed as he walked out.

Show some respect England. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Show some respect England. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

The crowd has been quite reserved to be honest, with a little booing for Pat Cummins at the toss, and a tiny bit after the Australian nation anthem.

But for a player who earned the respect of the English crowd back in 2019 with his heroics with the bat, the crowd chose Smith to unload their ire on as he walked to the crease.

Following a week of discussions about the “Spirit of Cricket” following the Bairstow stumping, it was quickly thrown out once again.

Another wrote: “English crowd booing the best since Bradman, in his 100th test and they want to lecture us on the ‘spirit’ of cricket? F**king spare me ya pompous bell ends.”

It comes after former England captain Nasser Hussain, who must have know that reaction was coming after the few days the cricket world has been through, penned a piece in the Daily Mail calling for fans to celebrate the record.

“In considering where Steve Smith stands among Australian cricketers upon the occasion of his 100th Test cap, you would have to call him the second best since Sir Donald Bradman,” Hussain began.

“He has also become accustomed to getting booed, and after Lord’s last week he told his Australia team-mates: welcome to my world.

“Smith gets booed when he gets off the bus and when he goes out to bat, and has songs sung at him fielding on the boundary.

“To be fair, he takes it in pretty good grace. Most of it is done in fun, and the English fans always love a pantomime villain, whether it be Ricky Ponting — after Gary Pratt, the substitute fielder, ran him out at Trent Bridge in 2005 — or Warne. Personally, though, I think it is probably time to stand and applaud Smith for what he has done as a cricketer.”

8.49pm — Mark Wood, where have you been?

England have been crying out for some actual pace with their quicks around the 130km/h mark throughout the series so far.

But Mark Wood’s first appearance in the 2023 Ashes has made amends.

So far, the fastest ball he’s bowled registered as 96.5 m/h — or 155.3km/h.

That’s pretty fast.

In his third over, he bowled a bouncer at Marnus Labuschagne that not only cleared the Aussie but Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps, bouncing once before breaking the advertising board on the boundary.

Safe to say, Mark Wood is quick.

8.04pm — Broad gets Warner in the first over

Stuart Broad has struck in the first over of the Test, taking the wicket of David Warner for the 16th time in Test matches.

It appeared to get off to a perfect start for Australia as Warner punched the first ball straight down the ground for a four.

But four balls later Warner went fishing outside off-stump and was gone for 4.

For the record, the most times a bowler dismissed a batter in the history of the game was 19 times — Glenn McGrath to Michael Atherton.

Broad to Warner now moves into equal fifth all-time alongside Malcolm Marshall to Graham Gooch.

The list goes:

— Glenn McGrath (Aus) to Michael Atherton (Eng) — 19 times in 17 matches

— Alec Bedser (Eng) to Arthur Morris (Aus) — 18 in 21 matches

— Curtly Ambrose (WI) to Michael Atherton — 17 times in 26 matches

— Courtney Walsh (WI) to Michael Atherton — 17 times in 27 matches

— Malcolm Marshall (WI) to Graham Gooch — 16 times in 21 matches

— Stuart Broad (Eng) to David Warner — 16 times in 29* matches

7.30pm — Australia set for selection shock

England are now 3-0 in the 2023 Ashes — having won the toss yet again.

Ben Stokes has sent the Aussies into bat on a green top at Headingley.

Stokes said he’d be happy to bat or bowl on the wicket but it’ll put the Aussie batters under the pump.

Australia also confirmed the three changes — Todd Murphy in for Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland in for Josh Hazlewood and Mitch Marsh ending his four-year exile with Cameron Green reportedly suffering soreness after a big bowling effort at Lord’s.

The Headingley crowd booed Cummins has he spoke to Nasser Hussain at the toss — let the games begin.

AUS XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Todd Murphy.

ENG XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad.

7pm — Australia set for selection shock

Australia could be mulling three changes for the third Test.

With Nathan Lyon’s injury ruling him out of the series, he’s set to be replaced by his heir apparent Todd Murphy, while Josh Hazlewood is expected to be rested for Scott Boland.

But the third change is unexpected with Mitchell Marsh believed to be firming for a return to the Aussie Test side for the first time in four years.

After an increased bowling workload in the second Test after Nathan Lyon’s injury, Cameron Green has reportedly pulled up sore and the Aussie side has been trying to keep the 24-year-old in cotton wool as much as it can in recent years to ensure a long career for for the all-rounder.

But Marsh was put on standby for the third Test and was seen with Aussie coaches putting plenty of work into him at practice.

And he left tongues wagging when he marked his run up before play.

While he did this before the first Test of the series, it appears this is less trolling and more a sign that it’s actually happening.

We’ll find out when the side is named by Pat Cummins at the toss — 7.30pm AEST.

6.30pm — Eight questions silence Poms once and for all

Former Australian umpire Simon Taufel has put England in their place once and for all as the debate continues to swirl over the Jonny Bairstow stumping.

Writing on LinkedIn, the five-time ICC umpire of the year savaged the questions of Australia breaching the “Spirit of Cricket” with eight of his own questions.

Taufel is also a current member of the MCC laws subcommittee, which also oversees the “Spirit” as part of the rules.

“Was Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lords a breach of the Spirit of Cricket?” Taufel wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider …

“1. Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping?

“2. Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?

“3. What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why?

“4. My experience is when people don’t like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view.

“5. Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side?

Carey threw it before Bairstow had left the crease. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Carey threw it before Bairstow had left the crease. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

“6. What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him making good his ground?)

“7. Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?

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“8. Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires’ decision?

“The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game. Maybe I am the odd one out here? The good news is that we are actively engaged with Test cricket, the best form of the game.”

They seem like just what most of Australia has been saying since it happened.

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