It seems that England has found it's own version of Jeff Thomson - Jofra Archer is quick and hostile. Apart from two good efforts by Warner and Labuschagne, the Australian batting fell in a heap against the England pace attack, with Archer getting six wickets. All out for 179; with Warner and Labuschagne totalling 135 runs between them, then addiing 13 extras, we see that nine Australian batsmen contributed just 31 runs between them. Extras was the third highest score.

Although Archer himself says his pace was significantly down for the Headingley wicket.

I'm looking for this morning's headlines about Khawaja being a cheat, but can't seem to find them

Could be England’s day tonight.

Could be England’s day tonight.

Might not be - England all out 67!

Dear, oh Dear.  What a shocker of an innings by the Poms....

Happiness is the Poms bowled out for 67 - their lowest Ashes innings total since 1948 on a damp pitch at The Oval when Ray Lindwall took 6 wickets and the innings total was 52.  This time it was disciplined bowling by Hazelwood, Cummins and Pattinson, aided by some very good catching. Australia is 283 in the lead with four wickets in hand. It would be great if they can get the lead up around the 350 mark.

What a day for Australia yesterday was!! England all out for 67!, the Aussies have one firm grip on the Ashes you would think, Labuschagne has been amazing, a worthy replacement for Steve Smith if ever there was one! if they can scrape to a lead of around 350, (I think the lead we have now is totally beyond the English to tell you the truth!), I think we would have retained the Ashes.

What a day for Australia yesterday was!! England all out for 67!, the Aussies have one firm grip on the Ashes you would think, Labuschagne has been amazing, a worthy replacement for Steve Smith if ever there was one! if they can scrape to a lead of around 350, (I think the lead we have now is totally beyond the English to tell you the truth!), I think we would have retained the Ashes.

Steve Smith will play in the 4th test no doubt, I would be playing Labuschagne and Smith in the same side, so who to drop?

Khawaja.

Paine's form is even worse, but he's been selected for reasons other than cricketing ability and is therefore safe.

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I'm looking for this morning's headlines about Khawaja being a cheat, but can't seem to find them

Stuart Broad should be able to get you a copy of any newspaper that has raised that question.

Congratulations to Tim Paine on his career as an international cricketer and best wishes for the next stage of life.

One catch dropped; one review wasted when a later one would have got the wicket that was needed; one sitter of a run out fumbled - the bottom line is that Australia choked and didn't know how to win in a tight game. Stokes took the chances he was given, and full marks to him.

Well most of Oztralia just woke up in shock at the result overnight...

One catch dropped; one review wasted when a later one would have got the wicket that was needed; one sitter of a run out fumbled - the bottom line is that Australia choked and didn't know how to win in a tight game. Stokes took the chances he was given, and full marks to him.

Agree with the review wasted by christ, Joel Wilson should NOT be umpiring. He is either past it or there is match fixing involved. Numerous decisions this series by him just have your head shaking is disbelief.

Agree with the review wasted by christ, Joel Wilson should NOT be umpiring. He is either past it or there is match fixing involved. Numerous decisions this series by him just have your head shaking is disbelief.

It really was an odd decision made worse by no DRS available as the chances had at that time been exhausted.  There is now a great video online at https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ricky-ponting-nathan-lyon-reaction-missed-run-out-ben-stokes-lbw-england-australia-ashes-leeds/2019-08-26 (second video on the page) which sums up the action.

I have never watched a more exciting innings as I did last night.  When all hope appears gone England snatched the win and keep the series alive.

Agree with the review wasted by christ, Joel Wilson should NOT be umpiring. He is either past it or there is match fixing involved. Numerous decisions this series by him just have your head shaking is disbelief.

It really was an odd decision made worse by no DRS available as the chances had at that time been exhausted.  There is now a great video online at https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ricky-ponting-nathan-lyon-reaction-missed-run-out-ben-stokes-lbw-england-australia-ashes-leeds/2019-08-26 (second video on the page) which sums up the action.

I have never watched a more exciting innings as I did last night.  When all hope appears gone England snatched the win and keep the series alive.

It absolutely amazes me that a banal game like cricket can occupy the minds of so many whilst complete nut jobs like Boris and Donald are doing their absolute best to destroy this planet in so many ways. I have given up on the human race.

t absolutely amazes me that a banal game like cricket can occupy the minds of so many whilst complete nut jobs like Boris and Donald are doing their absolute best to destroy this planet in so many ways. I have given up on the human race.

OK; just to please you I'll stop watching cricket, and start worrying about the Boris and Donald comedy duo. Would you like me to send them a few advisory e mails, or should I just worry on my own. If the latter is your choice, please explain to me in very simple terms just what the hell I'll achieve.

One catch dropped; one review wasted when a later one would have got the wicket that was needed; one sitter of a run out fumbled - the bottom line is that Australia choked and didn't know how to win in a tight game. Stokes took the chances he was given, and full marks to him.

I don't know I agree with that assessment.  Harris' catch was a half chance at best, he was at full stretch with his elbows already on the ground.  Warner missed him at slip earlier, standing fine and not moving to his left.  Lyon's fumbled run out was from a very poor throw.  But the opportunity only came about because of panic from England between the wickets.  

Stoke's innings is perhaps the best I've seen in test cricket.  It have everything, including him running out Jos Butler .  There is a lot of 1981 about that innings, and yes, like @Valvegear I remember it.  The situation was hopeless, the last batsman had a good old slog and rode their luck.  Because Stokes was very very lucky.  The number of top edges that just lobbed over the very short boundaries was just unbelievable.

It would have been so fitting for him to have been given out LBW falling just one run short of a miracle.  As it was, it was a lot like the English World cup win, they got it on a technicality without really deserving it.

As for DRS, I think the umpires are relying on it too much, and get intimidated by it.  Too much is left to the players, and I think the TV producers also have a say in the ultimate decisions.  IMHO the umpires should get hawkeye replays on their iPads, and use that as a second opinion.  I also think there needs to be some rule changes to the LBW law, because as it stands it was designed around the human limitations of on field umpires and wasn't meant to be treated as literally as it is now.

The Ashes is always destined to have low quality umpiring because Australia and England are the only nations which consistently produce high quality umpires.

Now that there is DRS to keep a check on things, the policy of neutral umpiring should be relaxed in cases where both participating nations can produce a suitable umpire who meets the approval of the other nation's board. One on-field umpire from the home team, one from the away team and the ICC to supply a neutral DRS specialist as the backstop, but with the option of reverting to two neutral on-field umpires if there is any disagreement with either of the board appointments.

But the poor performances of Wilson and Gaffaney still don't provide any excuse for Paine. He needs to put his hand up for that result and hold himself accountable, otherwise half the good work of repairing the team culture over the last 18 months will be for nothing.

Poor Australian batting was the main cause. No captain would declare with a 359-run lead and two plus days for the fourth innings.

Poor batting is not being helped by lacking a bowler who can spark the rest of the team. Just like England in their last series here, Australia is guaranteed to lose a session if they don't get at least two wickets inside the first 45 minutes.

My side for the next Test:

Warner
Harris
Labuschagne
Smith
Head (c)
Wade (wk)
Starc
Cummins
Pattinson
Lyon
Hazlewood

Hasn't Hazlewood done that? It needs 6 batsmen. Not the fiddling round that's been done in recent years with the likes of M Marsh batting at No 4.

Poor batting is not being helped by lacking a bowler who can spark the rest of the team. Just like England in their last series here, Australia is guaranteed to lose a session if they don't get at least two wickets inside the first 45 minutes.

My side for the next Test:

Warner
Harris
Labuschagne
Smith
Head (c)
Wade (wk)
Starc
Cummins
Pattinson
Lyon
Hazlewood

I think they will drop Khwaja too.  He gets dropped a lot, because they like dropping him.  Usually to bring back in Sean Marsh.  But IMHO is twice the bat of Head or Wade.  Batting conditions have been extremely challenging, and luck has played as big a role as skill in this series.  The ball has just been moving around so much.  

The Pomms still havn't worked out Smith, and Labuschange has batted perfectly for English conditions.  But he's made runs where the others haven't purely because of luck.  Anyone can nick off in those conditions, and the top order is more vulnerable as reflected in the results: on fifty in three tests from the entire top 3.

Paine has had a poor series with the gloves, and the difficult batting conditions have shown up his poor footwork.  He's made some interesting decisions as captain, but I don't think any of them were as poor as Ponting in 2005.  But Wade will drop a catch a test.

IMHO The Aussies have played the better cricket from much of the series, ironically with the exception of the first test, which they came from behind to win.  I think they should stick with the formula they have been using.  It's taken a ridiculous amount of good fortune, and I dare say a bit of assistance from the TV producers with the DRS, for England just to draw level.

Well most of Oztralia just woke up in shock at the result overnight...

Not sure about most, but I woke up for a loo stop in the middle of the night, saw the ESPN-Cricinfo notification icon on my phone, thought "Oh, Australia have won already", then got a shock when I checked...

Not sure about most, but I woke up for a loo stop in the middle of the night, saw the ESPN-Cricinfo notification icon on my phone, thought "Oh, Australia have won already", then got a shock when I checked...

I also woke, and flicked the TV on just in time to see Tim Paine being interviewed. Turning the sound up, I heard, "We had opportunities to win but didn't use them."  I'm glad my old club armchair was nearby - it gave me something to collapse onto.

Not sure about most, but I woke up for a loo stop in the middle of the night, saw the ESPN-Cricinfo notification icon on my phone, thought "Oh, Australia have won already", then got a shock when I checked...

I also woke, and flicked the TV on just in time to see Tim Paine being interviewed. Turning the sound up, I heard, "We had opportunities to win but didn't use them."  I'm glad my old club armchair was nearby - it gave me something to collapse onto.

You are lucky you didn't watch the whole thing.

I must say, it's left a bitter taste, not unlike the result of the World Cup.  Stokes played one of the best Test innings of all time.  But there is no way in the world England deserved to win.

But when it's all said and done, Stokes never got on top of Nathan Lyon.  He his two or three really good shots, including that incredible reverse switch hit (which he didn't attempt again, which says something about what Stokes though of it), but there were far more edges and top edges and just plain good luck.  And at the very end, when it really mattered, two runs to win, the cream rose to the top and Lyon beat him again to have Stokes plumb LBW.