Ashes 2019 | Lord's Day 3 Talking Points - Cameron Bancroft running out of time and no space for spin

Ashes 2019 | Lord's Day 3 Talking Points - Cameron Bancroft running out of time and no space for spin

no photo

The next time someone asks why The Ashes is considered so special, just redirect them to Day 3 of this Lord's Test. A total of just 24.1 overs were bowled on a rain-curtailed day, but it gave us more entertainment, action and points of discussion than a normal Test would do over a course of 5 days.

The standards of umpiring stoop low - yet again

In the first Test at Edgbaston, there were as many as 15 incorrect decisions given by the umpires. On Day 2, there were three reviews in total, and to everyone’s surprise, on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Chris Gaffney had got it spot-on on all three occasions. Amidst all the hatred, criticism, question marks and doubts, the decisions came as a breath of fresh air, reassuring both the players and fans’ trust on the umpires. Such was the standard of umpiring on Day 2 that Joe Root, who, at Edgbaston, didn’t think twice before reviewing (and eventually overturning) his decision, walked away without second thoughts. 

But then again, all good things don’t last forever - including good umpiring, as after an almost-perfect Day 2, it came plunging down yet again. Mid-way into the first session, Stuart Broad pinned Travis Head right in front of the wicket - a decision which to the naked eye looked as plumb as it can get - but was ruled not-out. The English players, almost in disbelief, reviewed the decision immediately, and ball-tracking showed that it would have gone onto the middle of middle stump. Technology showed three reds on the screen, but at that time it felt like Dar’s face trumped the reddishness of the graphic, realizing the absurdity of his decision. 

Just overs later, Gaffney ruled Matthew Wade out LBW to a ball which looked like it pitched miles outside leg, and as soon as the batsman reviewed it, it was another “uh oh” moment for the umpire, as yet again technology highlighted their blunder, while saving the batsman at the same time. 

This all but brings umpiring into the spotlight once again and begs to ask the question - “Should technology completely take over? “. Yes, it is of course human to err every now and then, and you can empathize with the men in the middle, but at what point does one say “enough is enough”, and start taking drastic measures to fix the situation?

Goodbye Cameron?

For someone who toils hard every time he walks in to bat, Cameron Bancroft, despite walking in to bat with will, determination and courage to fight it out, seems to fail almost every single time to kick-on and go big, despite doing the hard yards and seeing off the initial splurge from the new-ball bowlers. For the third time in as many innings, the Western Australian fought his way through the initial few overs, outlived his partner David Warner, only to fall cheaply later on. 

At Edgbaston, he was done by a sharp turner off the bowling of Moeen Ali, and today, after battling for 66 deliveries, he was finally done by a Jofra Archer ball that nipped back in. For the viewers, it’s puzzling and for the Aussies, it’s frustrating as the 26-year-old indeed negated and survived even trickier deliveries, only to fall victim to a straightforward one. But this is not just a one-off, as it dates way back to when Bancroft made his Test debut.    

In 8 of his 17 innings so far in Test Cricket, Bancroft has been dismissed between 10 to 40, and in each of those occasions, he has went on to face more than 40 deliveries, all but proving the point stated above. Of course, the sight of his front leg leaning towards the off-side as he tries to block deliveries ain’t pretty, but the fact that he makes his efforts count just 17% time is a major concern for the Aussies.

With Warner already struggling for form, the Aussies can ill-afford to have both openers out of nick, and with Marcus Harris knocking the door hard, one does get the feel that we might have seen the last of Bancroft, at least in this Ashes. 

England leave heads scratching with spin strategy

When Australia won the toss and elected to field, despite the pitch being under cover for more than a day, sharp turn was seen as early as the 14th over of the day, when Nathan Lyon bowled his first over. As the day progressed, the surface started to offer more bite, turn and bounce, and the Aussie eventually ended up with three wickets, and perhaps could have had a lot more too. 

England took a major decision by leaving out both Moeen Ali and Sam Curran in favor of Jack Leach, and it did seem like a sensible decision, especially with Smith’s speculated “weakness” against slow left-arm bowlers coming into the fray, having previously struggled against the likes of Keshav Maharaj and Rangana Herath. However, 37 overs and 223 balls later, the Aussies are yet to get their first taste of spin in this Test, with skipper Root stubborn on throwing the dice between his pacers over and over again, so much so that both Broad and Archer bowled 13 overs each.

The surface and conditions did offer a lot more to the pacers on Day 3 compared to the second day, but it is kind of baffling to see not even a single over of spin over the course of 37 overs. It is no secret that Usman Khawaja, despite improving a lot over the last 12 months, is uncomfortable against spin, and one can argue an over or two from Leach or perhaps even Root might have been worth a go. 

As soon as Smith walked in to bat, England had their chance to play their own mind games by bringing the left-armer on but they fluffled it, and the Aussie once again stood tall, taming the bowlers from the word go. With rain having already played spoilsport, time is running out for England, and to have the slightest chance to win the game, they’d need to get Smith out early on Day 4, and Leach, not Archer, might just be their go-to man to do just that.

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all