Wood and Marsh star as Australia snatch late third Test wickets

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The fire of Mark Wood countered a brutal Mitchell Marsh century as Australia snatched back the advantage amid the boos and jeers of an unforgiving Western Terrace during a widely fluctuating opening day of the third Test at Headingley.

Playing his first Test in seven months following injury, Wood’s express pace claimed 5-34 as Australia lost 6/23 after Marsh appeared to drag back the game back from the brink with a spectacular, run a ball 118. He hit 17 fours and 4 sixes, with 113 coming in the second session.

Mitchell Marsh celebrates with Travis Head after reaching his century during day one of the third Ashes Test at Headingley.Credit: Getty Images

The last time an Australian made a century in a session in an Ashes Test in England was Stan McCabe during his 232 at Trent Bridge in 1938.

By stumps England had Bazballed to 3/68 once Australia had been bowled out for 263. But the hosts’ position could have been so much better if they had not fielded poorly again, raising more questions about their light preparation for this series and the decision to install Jonny Bairstow as wicketkeeper after almost a year out of the game with a badly broken leg.

Marsh was just 12 when Joe Root put down a regulation catch at first slip. At that stage, the BBC claimed England has missed 13 catches and stumping during the series, taken two wickets off no balls, and failed to review an lbw that was out.

Bairstow had missed almost half of them, claiming nine of a possible 15 opportunities. His Australian counterpart Alex Carey, the new pantomime villain of English crowds, had taken 15 of 17 opportunities across the first two Tests to that point.

Bairstow had dropped Travis Head on nine from a leg-side chance he should have taken during the first session, although umpire Nitin Menon added to the confusion by calling four byes. Hawkeye clearly showed an edge which would have given England the wicket had they reviewed, if Bairstow had managed to gather the ball cleanly.

Head (39 in 74 balls) played the unusual role of anchor to Marsh as they added 155 for the fifth wicket in just 27.1 overs. It hauled Australia back into the match after collapsing to 4/85 once they had been sent in on a greenish pitch.

Australia were charging back into the match at 4/240 when Marsh nicked a delivery from the recalled Chris Woakes to Zak Crawley at second slip on the stroke of tea and everything changed.

Playing his first Test in four years, Marsh, 31, was only afforded the opportunity because of a minor hamstring strain to Australia’s next big thing, Cameron Green, 24. Marsh once carried the same expectations as a talented allrounder but by the time he lined up for the last Test at the Oval in 2019, his first Test of the tour, Marsh openly admitted “most people in Australia hate me.”

England’s Mark Wood celebrates with Ben Stokes after taking the wicket of Australia’s Todd Murphy.Credit: Reuters

Green, who is still feeling his way in Test cricket, may have to wait awhile to regain his place following Marsh’s performance.

For exactly two hours on Thursday, Marsh was the hero of a nation, hammering a refreshed attack on a fresh pitch, and pushing the mute button on the Western Terrace.

But as his replacement Carey walked out with Travis Heads to bat after the tea break, the volume went up full throttle. Carey was fresh from stumping one of Yorkshire’s favourite sons, Bairstow, for walking out of his crease at the end of an over during what became a fractious second Test at Lord’s.

The boos that greeted Carey to start the last session changed to chants of “same old Aussies, always cheating” then became “stand up if you hate Carey.” They cheered when Carey was hit a full blow on the helmet by Wood during a dramatic spell and cheers again when Carey holed out next ball slashing to cover, before booing him off again.

Australian Captain Pat Cummins was subject to the same rampant booing, no doubt for failing to recall Bairstow last Sunday, but the skipper didn’t last long, trapped lbw by Wood’s second ball.

The booing started early, straight after Australia’s national anthem, accompanied David Warner (4) and Usman Khawaja (13) as they walked out to open the batting, following Warner off a few minutes after wild celebrations when Stuart Broad dismissed him in the first over.

The booing rose to new heights when Steve Smith (22), playing his 100th Test, replaced Marnus Labuschagne (21), reinforcing the fact that Sandpapergate has no statute of limitations in England.

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