Stop the fight!

Watching today's play made me think of a few different scenes from famous pop culture examples:

The Simpsons:

Rocky IV:

Then in the Marvel Universe:

England were just too good, and Australia were just so bad. It's a dangerous combination!

Spoke and Ellen continued to pile on the pain as the Green Caps continued to conduct their experiment of short bowling. There were some ex players that were perhaps of a different opinion to those within the Aussie brains trust:

Darren "Chuck" Berry I think summed up the situation quite well. My favourite line from the tweet above is this: "A fast ball at the stumps to the No. 11 gets him out. I'm shocked. What a circus."

He also referred to the following:

Is Cummins going?

The decisions by the Aussie hierarchy: bowling lengths, selections (gee, they could use a spinner today that doesn't get pumped for 2-3 boundaries per over), fielding positions, and the inexplicable decision to continue with the same cameramen who have covered the previous three tests...   

Two fly slips - that's interesting!

have all led to what we're continuing to see here: more English infliction of pain. When Postman finally gets the breakthrough, bowling Bent for a well-played 51, then Hazelnuts claims Ellen's wicket for 61 in what seemed to be the slowest he's accumulated runs this series, the Aussies looked as though they might "only" be 200 in arears. Enter Jonny "Cuddly" Bairstow. Jonny treated the bowling with absolute disdain. Much how he treated the English press at the conclusion of the day's play. His 99 not out (I remember once at the club I was playing for many years ago. A batter from 2nd grade comes into the sport club, very proud of his achievement - he scored 99, but was dismissed. The players from the first grade side asked how he went and he replied with the facts and a smile on his face. Until one of the first graders said, "Nice fifty mate") was extremely entertaining. To put on 66 for the last wicket (in 8 overs) when your batting partner, Old Man Anderson, gets 5 off 18, was devastating.

So the English innings finished on a massive 592 off just 108 overs! Australia started their innings slow and steady - the MO for most of their innings thus far. With a deficit bigger than than the Federal Government's after a pandemic, the main thing was to keep wickets in hand and hopefully let the rain come on Days 4 and possibly 5. Having said that, The Pro got dismissed cheaply again - the first time he's failed in both innings of this series, but on a day where he was really needed - gone for 18. Shortly after a drink, The Pool Cleaner also departed for 28 in the 18th over. Surely Smudge and Marnus could bat out the day. Smudge's love of Manchester proved magnificent just on four years ago, boonting a beautiful double ton. However, when he went for 17 and then Travis got a cracker of a bumper in an absolutely vicious spell of bowling from Fire & Wood, it looked absolutely grim for the visitors. 

With stumps called shortly after, and the Aussies 4 down and what is colloquially known as a "shed load" of runs behind, there is a lot of work to do in the next 2 days. Please rain...

JT