Ashes 2017-18 First Test: Day Three Report
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:14 PM
The third day of an action-packed Test match between Australia and England comes to an end with the Aussies having the upper hand in the game. Skipper Steve Smith lit up the first Ashes Test in favour of the Kangaroos with a fantastic ton while the Englishmen had a tough time on day three at the Gabba.
Aussie batsmen Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh stepped onto the field to mark the start of the day while the scoreboard stood still at 165/4. Shaun Marsh departed cheaply after completing his 50 but the day was all about the number one Test batsman in the world. Smith stayed glued onto the crease and played a knock of extreme maturity and guts to complete his 21st century in the longest format of the game.
With crucial support from Pat Cummins from the other hand, Smith took the Australian score past the 300 run mark and also surpassed the target set by the visitors. The fidgety batsman remained unbeaten till the end with his score of 141, while the Aussie innings stopped at 328 with a 26 run lead. Smith also reached a career-high average of 63.21 in Tests and smashed 14 boundaries in his flamboyant stint.
Stuart Broad was the highlight among the English bowlers as he picked up three scalps to his name. James Anderson and Moeen Ali picked up two wickets each while skipper Joe Root, Jake Ball and Chris Woakes chipped in with solitary wickets.
Coming onto bat in the second innings, the Englishmen landed themselves in huge trouble losing two very early wickets. Alistair Cook departed for single digit score once again in the Test match as he fell victim to the dangerous Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood doubled his success by picking up James Vince to pile upon the misery. The English score stood at 33 at the loss of 2 wickets with Joe Root and Mark Stoneman at the crease when the umpires decided to put the bells off.