AUS vs ENG Ashes 2nd Test 2021 Day 3 Stat Highlights: Hosts Strengthen Grip on Pink-Ball Test After England’s Collapse
Australia continued their dominance on the third day of the second Test as they dismissed England for 236 runs first and then carried on with the bat, attaining a 282-run lead. With two days left, the hosts are in pole position to clinch the win.
Australia regained control of affairs in an emphatic fashion as they are well on course to put up another dominating performance after a productive third day in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide on Saturday. England had lost two early wickets on the second day but it was the Joe Root-Dawid Malan duo, who once again raised their hands up when England needed them the most. The two in-form batsmen forged a 136-run stand before England were pushed on the back foot once again. Root departed for a well-made 62 and that opened the way for others to follow. Malan departed soon and England from 150/2, were reduced to 202/7 in no time. Joe Root Scores 1600 Test Runs in a Calendar Year, Becomes Fourth Batter in History To Achieve the Feat
The visitors struggled and ended their innings at 236 losing their last eight wickets for just 86 runs, making it one of the most memorable collapses in recent cricket memory. Mitchell Starc was wrecker-in-chief with four wickets for 37 runs. Nathan Lyon was the next best with three scalps while Cameron Green and Michael Nesser snared two and one wicket, respectively. Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith did not enforce the follow-on but chose to bat instead with his side aiming to post a sizeable score and put pressure on England's wobbly batting order. The plan seemed to have paid off for now with them ending the day at 45/1, with a lead of 282 runs. The only casualty in their innings was David Warner, who was run out.
Take a look at some stat highlights of the day:
#Mitchell Starc became the fastest to 50 wickets in Day/Night Tests.
#Joe Root became the first batsman to score more than 1600 Test runs in one year since Graeme Smith in 2008.
#Root surpassed the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar in terms of most Test runs in one year.
#He also had his 17th fifty-plus score in the World Test Championship, the most by a batsman. Root also has the most number of fifty-plus scores as an England captain (37).
#Dawid Malan scored his second consecutive half-century in Test cricket.
#Cam Green dismissed Joe Root for a second consecutive time in Test cricket.
With two more days remaining, England would have to toil hard to avoid a defeat. A loss in Adelaide would mean that Joe Root's men would be left needing to win the last three Tests to win the series, something which looks very improbable at the moment.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2021 06:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).