Australia has the lead despite rusty start from bowlers and fielders at WTC final

Despite dropping catches and snaring wickets with no balls, a rusty Australian outfit outpointed an equally rusty Indian opponent.

Marnus Labuschagne of Australia drops his bat after being hit on the hand. Picture: Ben Hoskins/Getty Images for Surrey CCC

There was plenty to put a smile on English faces as a rusty Australia appeared to do its best to keep India in the World Test Championship Final on the third day The Oval.

David Warner, so good in the first innings, nicked off for one in the second.

Steve Smith dismissed himself by apparently trying to hit a ball out of Vauxhall and into the Thames, and before that there was the fielding innings.

Australia has a 296-run lead with six wickets in hand and the clear advantage in the game despite an uneven performance.

India has defied them before, but will have to take a lot of quick wickets on the fourth morning and break a 121-year fourth innings batting record at this ground to win from here.

On another front a series of dropped catches, no balls and the sight of underdone Australian bowlers on the third morning will have brought a smile to the face’s of an England top order intent on knocking this mob out of the Ashes.

“It was certainly a mixed day,” Mitchell Starc said after play.

“The wicket is starting to play a few tricks here and there, staying a bit low, obviously a few jumping up. I thought we created enough chances, we bowled a bit inconsistent throughout the innings, we knew the scoring was going to be quite quick with the square the full way across and India playing quite aggressive.

“Overall we know we can improve on that first innings which is an exciting thing for a group to 10 wickets for just under 300.

“Plenty of room to improve but not too bad.”

Starc admitted the attack was a bit creaky after four months off.

“I think we all came into the game feeling good with the work we’d done back home and leading in to coming over and the work we did at Beckenham.

“Everyone felt pretty good, the rhythm felt there but game time rhythm is different. We all struggled for that rhythm yesterday, but I think everyone felt a bit better today.

“We will be better for the run.”

Cameron Green. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The locals, who failed to make the final, wouldn’t have minded seeing Shardul Thakur repeatedly smash rising deliveries into Marnus Labuschagne’s hands later in the day either.

The Oval pitch’s uneven bounce has made batting difficult enough for the first few days, but the suggestion of cracks at the Vauxhall End has made it downright dangerous.

The last thing the Australians need is a broken effing whatever ahead of the Ashes.

Labuschagne survived, however, and was on 41 no at stumps with Cameron Green undefeated on 7 as the Australians wheezed to 4-123 at stumps.

His has been a critical knock.

Smith, who had just finished saying he is not bothered by this Bazball nonsense and will play at his own pace, raced out of the blocks with a series of boundaries, settled in and then attempted to play one of the more expansive and ambitious shots of his Test career when on 34.

Steve Smith walks off after being caught by Shardul Thakur. Picture: AFP

Had the former skipper made contact the ball would have left the suburb, instead it swirled high before dropping into the hands of Shardul Thakur. Smith had gifted Ravi Jadeja his wicket.

Hero of the first innings Travis Head must have been feeling invincible when Umesh Yadav fumbled a simple offering on the boundary and moved his score from 12 to 18, but when he slapped an awkward shot back at Ravi Jadeja (2-25) two balls later the bowler made no mistake.

Earlier two simple catches went down off the bowling of Pat Cummins and while the Australian captain showed his frustration in an uncharacteristically annoyed kick at the ball before lunch, he was as much to blame as anyone.

Starc scoffed at this assessment later, claiming the skipper was going for a run out and had a smile on his face.

Cummins, whose overstride on day two left Ajinkya Rahane at the crease despite being trapped plum in front on 17 on day two, repeated the error on the third morning

A good hundred and something runs after the first reprieve later Rahane’s partner Shardul Thakur was given out LBW, but the review again showed the bowler had over stepped.

The Australian captain’s cat can thank its lucky stars it is not on tour.

Green, who dropped a relatively simple catch in the first session, reprieved himself by taking a one handed blinder at gully to remove Rahane soon after lunch.

It was telling that the bowler, Cummins, almost instant reaction on seeing the catch taken was to look back at the umpire to check he hadn’t over stepped for the sixth time in the match.

Maybe fast bowlers, notorious for overstepping in the nets, will start practising as they play after the two non-wickets but there is a deep recidivist streak in that gene pool.

Rahane was 89 when dismissed. The first no ball cost 72 runs and allowed India to climb out of a deep hole on the second day.

Thakur, who survived a half chance on two when Usman Khawaja couldn’t quite reach a snick over slips, was given another life when Alex Carey didn’t go for a nick between him and first slip.

A surprised Warner managed to get a hand to the ball but reacted late.

It is not the first time Carey has caused confusion by starting and then failing to go for the catch which is almost every time the keepers.

Much of the debate around bowling places in the Australian line up for the summer, much of it around whether Scott Boland is ahead of Josh Hazlewood but another front opened up in the Australian fielding innings.

Starc had looked a lock for the first Test after proving supernumerary for the last English Ashes in the UK where he was utilised in just one Test.

Then he was considered a liability because he concedes runs, but since he has proved more reliable and economical – ironically because he stopped worrying about run rate.

Starc took 2-71 at an expensive 5.19 runs an over in the Indian innings. Yes he was a little underdone and yes he produced the sort of snorter that is his specialty to remove Virat Kohli, but the speed with which India scored against him may have stirred some bad memories.

The Oval is, however, a ground where quick bowlers will bleed more runs because of the expansive square.

Both sides bowling attacks have looked rusty and there’s been much talk of the lack of preparation for this game. It seems to have had the most effect on the bowlers.

Ricky Ponting, who was coaching Delhi at the IPL and is commentating at the Test match admitted he does not know whether it was better to have been playing T20 or practising in the nets, but noted the Australians have had the edge in the game.

“They‘ve (India) been outplayed so far,” he said. “Their preparation probably wasn’t ideal coming into a one off test.

“A lot of their players at the IPL, a few of the Australian boys were there as well, a few of the Australian boys hadn’t done anything for the last three months either.

“I ummed and ahhed coming into this game wondering what was the best preparation? Was it to be playing hardcore competitive cricket in the IPL or was it better off being at home and resting up and doing a bit of non-competitive training.

“So far it’s shown that both teams have a little bit rusty, Starc and Cummins have looked a bit rusty with the ball, the fact pat’s got some wickets with some no balls suggest his rhythm hasn’t been where he wants it to be.

“I think having a one-off game like this means it’s never going to be ideal preparation for anybody but you’ve got to do what you can do to prepare to execute. Travis Head’s an example of that, he hasn’t picked up a bat for a few months and he comes out and plays the way that he did, so it comes down to the individual and how you get yourself ready for a game like this.”

Ponting said Cummins no ball issues could be attributed to the lack of preparation.

“He‘s lacking rhythm, he hasn’t played for three months,” he said. “He’s bowled six no balls in this innings, two of them have cost him wickets – you’ve probably looked into it, but he’s never been someone that I can remember that’s been plagued by any kind of no ball issue.

“I just think it’s because he’s not back into full game mode, and not back into his full rhythm. As today went on I did think he looked better and I think he’ll be better in the second innings as well.”