3 things Australia need to do right on Day 3 of 3rd Ashes 2023 Test
Australia are on the verge of making history in Leeds soon. The third day of the ongoing third Ashes 2023 Test match will hapen today at Headingley. Australia, who are 2-0 up in the series, can become the first Aussie team to win an Ashes series on English soil since 2001 if they win one of the remaining three Tests.
Speaking of the ongoing match at Headingley, the Aussies lead by 142 runs in the second innings with six wickets in hand. Only two days of the Test have ended, and it seems like fans may get the result before the fourth day ends.
Pat Cummins' men scored 263 runs in the first innings after being asked to bat first by Ben Stokes. In reply, England were down to 131/6, but captain Stokes' half-century helped them reach 237, curbing Australia's lead down to 26 runs.
The Aussies have lost their four main batters in the second innings already. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh will resume their innings on Day 3 today. Here's a list of three innings which the Australian side needs to do right to gain an advantage in the Headingley Test.
#1 Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head need to build a big partnership for Australia like they did in the first innings
The duo of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head helped the visitors cross the 200-run mark in the first innings. While Marsh smashed a 118-ball 118, Head supported him with a 74-ball 39.
At the end of the second day, Marsh was not out on 17, while his partner Head was on 18. If the two Aussie batters build a partnership of around 125-150 runs from this stage, they can help the visitors extend their lead to 250-275. A target of around 300 would be challenging for the home side in Leeds.
#2 Lower-order will have to tackle Mark Wood's pace better
Ollie Robinson had previously commented that the visitors' lower order features three number 11 batters. While Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon proved him wrong in the first Test, the Australian lower-order surrendered to Mark Wood's express pace in the first innings of the Headingley Test.
Wood bagged the last four wickets in the space of five overs as the visitors collapsed from 249/6 to 263 all out. To ensure that they have extra runs to defend in the fourth innings, Pat Cummins and co. will have to play better against Wood's pace.
#3 Try to take one or two wickets by the end of the day's play
It seems likely that England will bowl the visitors out by the end of Day 3. The Aussies may even get to bowl a few overs before stumps. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland should aim to dismiss a couple of English batters by the end of the day's play.
If the visitors dismiss one or two names from the England top-order, they will have a ton of momentum by their side, heading into Day 4. Perhaps, the Aussies can even hand the ball to Todd Murphy, considering that Moeen Ali has got some help from the surface in Leeds.