England's Ben Duckett in action during the third Test of the Ashes Series at the Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds on Saturday, July 8, 2023. - Reuters
LEEDS, England (AP): Travis Head erupted with a half-century to give Australia some hope and send England in pursuit of 251 to win the third Ashes test on a rainy third day Saturday.
In five overs of its chase to stumps, England made a bright start in evening sunshine to be 27 without loss. Ben Duckett had 18 and Zac Crawley 9. Two overs from Australia captain Pat Cummins conceded 17.
The openers reduced the target to 224 with two days to play and all 10 wickets in hand for an England side which must win to keep the series alive. Australia leads 2-0.
"Were in a really good position,” England allrounder Chris Woakes said. "The opportunity was put in front of us to bowl in decent bowling conditions. We did well to bowl them out.”
Rain at Headingley prevented play from starting for nearly five hours, well after tea, then England used conditions ripe for seam and swing to reduce Australia from 116-4 overnight to 170-8 in 14 overs.
Head, who has shaved off his moustache since the win at Lord's last week, was merely trying to survive while wickets fell around him. But with Australia eight down and leading by only 196 runs, and Todd Murphy walking out to bat in his fifth test, Head, on 34, decided to blast as many runs as possible.
But, first, he had to wait while Murphy hit two boundaries off England's fastest bowler, Mark Wood, with a cover drive and gloved one down the leg side.
Head smoked two boundaries off Woakes in an over and England spread the field, with nobody in the ring against Australia's last recognized batter.
Trying to protect Murphy, Head crashed two more boundaries in an over off Wood and reached his 22nd half-century.
He pulled Woakes for a six over midwicket, then Murphy was out leg before to Stuart Broad with 11 valuable runs in a stand of 41 for the ninth wicket.
Head slammed Wood for consecutive sixes - over deep square and fine leg - and rushed Australia's lead to 250.
And that was it. He was last man out for 77 when he skied one off Broad.
Australia was all out for 224 in its second innings after adding 108 runs in 20.1 overs. Head had 59 of them.
When Australia lost its eighth wicket, Head was on 34 from 82 balls. He added 43 off the next 30 balls. He lashed seven boundaries and three sixes.
"He batted well and you have to doff your cap,” Woakes said.
Profiting from the gloomy conditions, Broad and Woakes finished with three wickets each and Wood got Mitchell Starc and Cummins.
Woakes, who added the wickets of Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey on Saturday, became the 16th bowler to take 100 test wickets in England, and the 15th Englishman. The only one with a better average than Woakes was Shane Warne, who averaged 21.9.
"It's nice to tick that (100) off but the conditions were certainly favourable to myself,” Woakes said. "I felt like I got in a decent rhythm coming up the hill.” - AP
