England again manoeuvre Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne into a cul-de-sac

Marnus Labuschagne tosses his glove in frustration following his dismissal on day one of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Picture: Getty Images

The coming of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to these Ashes is becoming its juiciest non-story. They arrive each Test with a trumpet blast of averages; they loom for a time with an ominous certainty; and somehow it is all staved off, adjourned to another day.

On the eve of this Fourth Test, the preconditions seemed to reach critical. Pat Cummins observed that Smith and Labuschagne “had moved their hotel pillows into the nets”. They were observed there, heads together, speaking that peculiar cricket esperanto of theirs, doubtless finishing one another’s sentences. The arcana of batting is their shared delight, their creed and code.

Despite having restricted the Australian duo to one score of more than fifty this summer, England, at least for public consumption, remained superstitiously cautious. Asked about their form last week, Ben Stokes mumbled: “You don’t read too much into stuff like that against world-class players.” Moeen Ali almost indulged in prophecy: “Great players are always due, and they are due some runs. As the opposition, you know it’s around the corner for players like that.”

Steve Smith hits out on day one of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Picture: Getty Images

At stages either side of lunch of this teasing, fluctuating first day at Old Trafford, that prudence looked well justified – if not quite a corner turned, perhaps a roundabout entered. But, again, England were able to manoeuvre Smith and Labuschagne into a cul-de-sac. The great and the world-class have something in common with the humblest village battler: they take one ball to get out.

Both captains came to the toss with the short-term indicator (South Africa’s dismissal for 151 on the first day last year) rather than the long-term trend (386 average first innings for the past 10 Tests) uppermost. When Cummins called incorrectly, Stokes threw the new ball to Stuart Broad, who usefully defeated Khawaja’s inside edge.

In his ongoing head-to-head with Broad, Warner had a qualified success by cannily spending 20 of the 24 balls of the bowler’s opening spell at the nonstriker’s end. In his favour, Warner slotted a positive cut and a nimble pull, oozed purpose at the crease and between the wickets. Then he seized the day a little too tightly, driving overeagerly as Woakes pushed the first ball after drinks across him.

England’s Stuart Broad celebrates his 600th Test wicket after dismissing Australia’s Travis Head. Picture: AFP

When Smith hoisted Woakes’ next ball high to long leg, English hopes also soared, only for Mark Wood to have come off the perimeter, and unable to retrace his steps. No batter prospers without luck. Was this to be Smith’s? He picked Broad off when the ball was too wide and too straight; 10 minutes before lunch, he mowed Moeen for six. It looked like a day, and a surface, of which Smith could partake at his leisure.

Labuschagne settled also. In spite of his fussy geometry of blockhole etchings, he played with virtuous simplicity, defending primly in the V, leaving decisively to the off. His half-century partnership with Smith, in a fluent 71 deliveries, appeared a mere down payment. Labuschagne later idled 24 deliveries on 40, without looking overly fussed, then unfurled the sweetest of cover drives off Broad.

By then, however, Smith was out, beaten for pace by Wood in crab-walking ever further across. He immediately commenced gesturing with his left hand, technically to encourage the belief the ball was missing leg stump, but also as if to ward off evil. On review, however, Wood’s rapidity defeated Smith’s denialism.

Marnus Labuschagne walks off after being dismissed by Moeen Ali. Picture: Getty Images

Labuschagne had just reached his second half-century in 17 innings when he was also judged lbw, to Moeen, pushing outside the line of a ball that spun quite sharply, review again corroborating the first impression. Labuschagne departed with his usual martyred air, hand to head, heart on sleeve. Nor was it quite what a team would have wanted to see having elected to go without a specialist spinner.

The quid pro quo, of course, is that this Australian XI bats way deep, a solitary run short of having a top nine all with Test centuries. Travis Head again proved awkward to quell, and Mitchell Marsh hit the ball so hard you feared for its remaining a sphere.

Atoning for their relative passivity at Headingley, the Australians also ran enterprisingly all day, the stump mic eavesdropping on their characteristic locutions, from Warner’s urgent “push push” to Marsh’s companionable “yeah mate”.

But 92 from Smith and Labuschagne in 167 deliveries? It was, once more, almost certainly within England’s budget, and a disruption to the Australian master plan of paving fast bowling’s path with fat, flat-pitch hundreds. Eight for 299 is not an altogether unsatisfactory day’s work, but in these conditions also represented runs foregone. Which is not what Australia would have wanted; nor, as summer began, what anyone would have expected from Labuschagne and Smith.