India fight back in World Test Championship final against Australia
India fight back in the World Test Championship final as three dropped catches and major Pat Cummins error frustrates Australia at the Oval
- Australia endured a frustrating morning at the Oval
- They dropped three catches while Cummins made a major error
- The Aussies are still in charge but there are alarm bells ringing
Australia’s sloppiness has threatened to let India back into the World Test Championship final, after Pat Cummins’ side spilled three chances and missed another to a no-ball early on day three.
Australia managed only one wicket before lunch on Friday, as India went to the first break at 6-260, still trailing by 209 at The Oval.
Cummins’ men remain in charge of the match but drops from Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and David Warner a week out from the Ashes will serve as a wake-up call.
The captain’s front foot is also an issue, with Cummins denied an lbw for the second time in the match after overstepping to Shardul Thakur in the last over before the break.
Ajinkya Rahane has in particular made Australia pay, going to the break unbeaten on 89 after also surviving an lbw courtesy of a Cummins no-ball on 17 on Thursday.
Australia endured a frustrating morning session on Day 3 of the WTC final in England
Thakur is alongside him on 36, having been put down on zero and eight.
The pair have combined for a 108-run stand to put Australia on the back foot for the first time in the match.
Scott Boland (2-47) has again been Australia’s best with the ball, taking the wicket of KS Bharat (five) in the first over to further strengthen his Ashes claims.
The Victorian seamed the ball back off a good length to take Bharat’s off stump, the kind of ball Steve Smith described on Thursday as being most dangerous in England with Boland’s shorter height.
Australia expect to have Josh Hazlewood back for the first Test at Edgbaston next Friday.
All eight of Boland’s Tests have come with one of the frontline quicks unavailable but with every over in England he has pushed closer to selection.
Data from analysts CricViz shows Boland has delivered 56 per cent of balls on a good line and length in the past three years, a higher ratio than any other Test bowler.
Boland was unlucky not to have a second wicket in the opening over of the day when he had Thakur dropped by a leaping Khawaja at third slip.
Three catching opportunities were spurned while Pat Cummins overstepped the crease
Cameron Green cuts a dejected figure after dropping a golden chance on Friday
Thakur then survived a second chance on eight, when Green dropped a regulation catch at gully off Cummins.
The other drop came when Warner backed away from a catch at first slip with Rahane on 72, seemingly expecting wicketkeeper Alex Carey to pouch the chance.
After also surviving the Cummins no-ball on Thursday evening, Rahane rubbed salt into Australia’s wound on Friday morning by hooking the quick for six.
He also survived an lbw review on umpire’s call off Green, before hitting boundaries off the next two balls from the allrounder and flourishing through the offside off Nathan Lyon.
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