Bazball or no Bazball? - 3 things England need to do to gain advantage on Day 3 of 5th Ashes 2023 Test
The fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England is tantalisingly placed after a couple of days of play at The Oval. At stumps on Day 2, the visitors were bowled out for 295 runs, with a thin lead of 12 runs, which they will be largely bitter-sweet about.
As things stand, there is no outright favorite to win the contest and the series is down to a straight innings shootout between the two teams since the lead is so marginal. England's final show with the bat could potentially dictate the series as they still aim to draw it 2-2 rather than letting Australia walk away with a 3-1 win.
The third day is generally regarded as the moving day of a Test and this particular contest has progressed at such a rapid rate. England are not expected to put their foot on the brakes and are likely to continue with the same approach. Weather might play a role in proceedings on Day 3 as there is a chance of rain from 11 AM to 4 PM local time.
England do have a lot to consider as to how they tackle and plan the innings. On that note, here are three things England need to do to gain advantage on Day 3 of the fifth Ashes 2023 Test.
1. Forge partnerships
A primary reason behind England's mediocre display in the first innings was the fact that they lost wickets in clusters. They had a strong start by scoring 66 runs for the opening wicket, then found themselves at 73/3. They were once again in a strong position at 184/3, then collapsed to 212/7.
The innings was built on the back of three major partnerships spread across the overs with barely anything reportable in the other phases. England will have to start building partnerships on a regular basis and stop losing wickets in a heap.
The hosts have to avoid a situation where 'one brings two' will hold true yet again, as it may prove to be costly this time around. Their second innings endeavours have relatively improved since their implosion in the series opener at Edgbaston, Birmingham and partnerships will be key to avoid such a debacle.
2. Attack Mitchell Starc and Todd Murphy
Despite what is at stake and the potential persistent overcast conditions, England are unlikely to back out of their aggressive approach. Their 283 runs in the first innings came in just a matter of 54 overs.
Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are hardly the ideal candidates to blatantly attack on a consistent basis. However, Mitchell Starc is susceptible due to his nature to bowl wayward at times in search of swing. While the left-arm seamer has been among the wickets, he has leaked runs at times well, which is what England will be looking to capitalize on.
Todd Murphy claimed two wickets in six overs in the first innings and with Joe Root being among the wickets as well for England, Pat Cummins will be encouraged to use the off-spinner more. While English batters have been kinder on spinners than pacers, they could take a gamble and negate Murphy out of the attack by taking him on.
The prospect of attacking Starc and Murphy is definitely a high-risk high-reward approach. However, it bodes well for the batting side as it is the same brand of cricket that has brought them results, the fourth Test in particular.
3. Build a sizeable lead
The Oval is traditionally a good place for batting, barring some rare instances. As a result, no target will be deemed out of reach for the Men in Yellow in the final innings. It will be important to amass as many runs in the second innings for the bowlers to come into play during the final innings.
More often than not, teams put up a higher score in the second innings at The Oval, which is an encouraging sign for England. The hosts would have preferred sunny conditions, but they can, and have, made an impression in tricky conditions as well.
Ben Stokes and Co.'s final phase to draw the series begins on Day 3, after having done their part with both bat and ball in the first innings.
Will the third Day be the defining one in the final Ashes Test? Let us know what you think.