Harry Brook delivers in Headingley Thriller...
Chris Woakes, an unlikely Ashes hero? Absolutely.
After the discombobulation of Lord’s, it reads a decidedly improbable byline, especially given his Ashes record, which is modest at best.
You know what, though? Chris Woakes is a bloody good lad—he’s hard to loathe, just like Alex Carey used to be!
Stuart Broad will have a lot to answer for.
Unlike 2019. This Headingley Test dawned amidst a cacophony of hysteria and hypocrisy—I’m not sure which was more nauseating.
No doubt the 'normal folk' out there were thankful for the claustrophobic back-to-back scheduling and a break from Piers Morgan and the like. The ‘class war’ could be put on ice pending an England victory. Only this would quell the disquiet.
Perversely, unlike Lord's, when this game did end, players and their kin could be seen taking in some Northern sunshine, and lord forbid, sharing the same space—I wonder if ‘Baz’ McCullum was up for a beer this time around and if ‘Ronnie’ McDonald would reciprocate the sentiment—I think not!
The 2023 Ashes are alive and kicking, in the main courtesy of a litany of errors, with both England and Australia working hard to claim ascendency before duly handing their positions back with mistakes.
England made three changes to their Lord’s team: one forced and two strategic. This amid the contrived imbroglio that followed Australia’s win at the once-dubbed 'home of cricket'.
First, Moeen Ali was recalled to the ‘Bazball’ fold after his ‘borrowed’ spinning pinky recovered from too much work at Edgbaston. Tour golfers invariably travel with two drivers: a gamer and a backup in the event of the gamer breaking down. Fingers are not quite the same!
It’s hard not to sense a level of hierarchical command in this England set-up. Moeen appears to be on the inside, a member of England’s inner circle, a lieutenant of sorts, alongside Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root—you could argue Root was the underboss. Nevertheless, Moeen is definitely seated at the top table. Captain Ben Stokes has his back.
Moeen bowled a decisive spell between tea and stumps on day two (Friday). Removing a confused Marnus Labuschagne and a rattled Steve Smith—both outs courtesy of batter error. Still, Moeen stuck to his task, and the wickets indeed appeared in his column. His bosses should be well pleased with his work.
Chris Woakes looks more like a soldier from the outside looking in, happy to take orders and tow the family line. His game was one of understated consistency, not something you associate with Brendan McCullum’s modus operandi. Six wickets for the match, spread evenly across the two innings and containing worthy scalps.
His day three spell, after some timely Yorkshire rain, opened up Australia’s second innings, allowing the hosts to chase a modest fourth innings total.
And then the decisive sixth wicket partnership with Harry Brook. Woakes joined Brook with 80 runs still required; Mitchell Starc was circling, and England’s tail looked vulnerable.
Woakes (32*) remained after Brook kept things interesting, eventually hitting the winning runs alongside another soldier-in-arms, Mark Wood.
Mark Wood might be more of an enforcer than a soldier. Mercenary is an unjust term; it more accurately refers to his sporadic appearances.
However, Wood was unstoppable.
Finally let loose (how the series needed his injection of valour and skill), the standout difference from what went before was ball speed. Consistently north of 90mph and reaching a high of 96mph, Wood troubled Australia’s top and bottom orders alike.
He managed to pilot both England’s bowling innings, securing seven of England’s 20 wickets. Clearly, there’s a physical presence to his craft; equally important, though, is his skill to present a seam that allows the Duke to swing late in its journey. Usman Khawaja will no doubt lay testament to this.
I am an unabashed Harry Brook fan.
Earlier in the series, we posted a column on both sides respective number 5s—Harry Brook and Travis Head. Both batters are influencing the series. Head enjoyed a timely double, and Brook won England the game.
Recently given the keys to Bradford, Brook learned his cricket in Ilkley and is a true Yorkshire local. With that comes Yorkshire expectations.
Entering the fray at 3–93, Brook joined fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root at a critical stage of the innings. When he was eventually out at 7-230, just 21 were needed, and Brook had crafted 75 from 93 balls with nine perfectly hit boundaries. This is a 24-year-old playing in his 10th Test in the most excruciating circumstances. Amazing skill and aptitude.
Brook now has more than 1000 Test runs and has reached the milestone with fewer balls faced than anyone else. Aye, Lad. On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.
There has to be a loser. Looking back, the series score could be 3–0 to either team, indicative of how close it’s been.
Australia persisted. They always do.
Did they miss Nathan Lyon? Maybe, but Todd Murphy will be better for the experience.
Steve Smith will be rueing that his 100th Test might be remembered more for his outfield catching than his batting. Remember, though, he likes batting at Old Trafford.
Alex Carey was obviously affected by the surrounding commentary and the reception he received from the Leeds crowd. He’s a player in form and had no right to look tentative.
I’m not a fan of Sir’s, and even less so now.
Mitch Marsh checked a box that many thought wasn’t possible. Kudos to him and the selectors for having him on hand. His actions will now generate some lively strategic thought from the background staff. Australia is still in control of this Ashes series. Awesome playing the Bison.
Scott Boland will come again when required. There’s a true soldier there.
And Pat Cummins has been outstanding given his lot. I would urge him to head north to the Lake District for a few days. There’s a lovely village called Cartmel; he could do worse than pitch a tent there to regroup.
PS. I had a daily Twitter thread going for the Headingley Test, I’m hoping you can follow from this link. Twitter and Substack are not playing nicely anymore!