"Shabhash beta"- Top 10 funny memes as England inch closer to a win with a commanding performance on day 3 of 4th Ashes Test
England continued to assert their dominance over Australia in the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester with another strong performance on day 3. They have inched closer to a series-leveling victory by reducing Australia to 113/4 at stumps on the third day, who still trail by 162 runs.
Overnight batters Ben Stokes (51) and Harry Brook (61) went on to complete their half-centuries but failed to convert them into big ones.
Jonny Bairstow (99*) played aggressively in the company of tailenders and pushed, helping England reach a mammoth total of 592. He was left stranded on 99 in the end and missed out on a well-deserved century.
Australia began their second innings with a huge deficit of 275 runs. Usman Khawaja (18) and David Warner (28) played out 10.2 overs and put on 32 runs before Mark Wood dismissed the former batter.
Warner also followed his opening partner soon, failing to convert his start yet again. Marnus Labuschagne (44*) and Steven Smith (17) stitched a mini-partnership, trying to stabilize things after two quick wickets.
Mark Wood then delivered a match-defining blow to Australia by sending their premier batter, Steve Smith, to the pavilion with a well-directed bouncer. Wood further escalated Australia's hardship by dismissing Travis Head (1), putting England in a commanding position.
The cricket action on Day 3 of the fourth Ashes Test entertained the fans. They expressed their reactions by sharing hilarious memes on social media platforms.
Here are some of the best memes:
pic.twitter.com/Q5UXOTx47Z
YOU LITTLE BEAUTY 😍 pic.twitter.com/Q5UXOTx47Z
@mufaddal_vohra Aussies to Mark wood : pic.twitter.com/5MoGPMA1IK
That's now 100 Test wickets for Mark Wood, at an average of 29.50 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/w4Uw4twLLV
"If England wins this Test, then they are going to take the Ashes 3-2": Kumar Sangakkara
Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara opined that England would probably win the Ashes 2023 series if they manage to win the ongoing fourth Test.
He pointed out that Australia looked completely out of sorts on the field while England scored briskly throughout their innings with a run rate consistently over five.
Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket's Ashes Podcast, the Sri Lankan legend said:
"If England wins this Test then they are going to take the Ashes 3-2. With the ball, it's been a long time since I have seen the Australians this perplexed on the field. Not knowing what to do, what fields to set and then bowling completely different from the fields set. It's really affected them.
He added:
"If this goes England's way, three days before the next Test, the memories and scars will stay. England have recognised when they are ahead and they have accelerated and taken the game away."
Do you think Australia can make a comeback on Day 4? Sound off in the comments section.