A rattled opening batter has been called out over a rare sight at the start of England’s innings with suggestions he is gone in the head.
Welcome to news.com.au’s live coverage of the third day of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.
England is on the ropes after their misery continued on day 3 with Australia reaching 425 in their first innings — a lead of 278.
Australia put on another 78 runs after resuming at 7/347 overnight.
In response, England nervously reached 0/23 at the lunch break before rattled opener Rory Burns failed again in the first over of the second session of play.
The Aussies were led by Travis Head, who went past 150 for just the second time in his test career before he was clean bowled by Mark Wood on 152.
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Earlier it got ugly for the English — especially for maligned spinner Jack Leach, who finished with 1/95 from just 11 overs at the end of the second day.
He finished the innings with 1/102 from 13 overs.
The third day looms as one of the most critical days of the entire series with England needing to show some backbone as their batters arrive at the crease.
Starc gets key breakthrough as second wicket falls
Mitchell Starc has dismissed Haseeb Hameed to leave England 2/61.
Hameed had fought stubbornly to reach 27 from 58 balls before he got tempted to flick at a shortish ball from Starc.
Starc sent the Kookaburra to the leg side in a delivery that crept up towards Hameed’s ribs. The ball collected some glove and bat as it sailed through to keeper Alex Carey.
Burns busted in cowardly Ashes move
Rory Burns was gone in the first over after lunch after coming under fire for a peculiar move at the start of England’s innings.
He was dismissed by Pat Cummins on 13 when he edged through to keeper Alex Carey.
The Aussie attack has been smelling blood in the water around the English opener since Mitchell Starc knocked him over with the first delivery of the series on Wednesday.
There are suggestions the Aussies are living rent free in Burns’ head after he took the rare decision to start the innings at the non-striker’s end.
The sight of Burns walking to the non-striker’s end at the start of England’s innings caused a stir when commentators pointed out that it is just the fourth time in his 264-innings in first-class cricket that he has not taken the first ball when batting at the top of the order.
News.com.au’s Nic Savage also revealed it is just the third time Burns has not faced the first ball of an innings in his test career.
Burns has batted 53 times in test cricket.
Aussie test legend Matthew Hayden said on Channel 7 Burns may have had a word with opening partner Haseeb Hameed, asking him to take the first ball this innings.
Hayden said he would not blame Burns if he was scared about a king pair.
Just three balls into his innings, Burns was given out LBW only for the decision to be overturned on review.
Mitchell Starc’s delivery hit high on Burns’ pad, but umpire Paul Reiffel did not hesitate to raise his finger.
Burns immediately reviewed and the DRS verdict went his way when ball-tracking indicated the ball was going on to sail over the top of the stumps.
Burns was also dropped off the bowling of Pat Cummins when Jhye Richardson dropped a tough chance diving to his right.
Richardson’s reach for the catch with his opposite hand was described as “weird” by Aussie test great Michael Hussey.
Isabelle Westbury, a Former England cricketer turned columnist for London’s The Telegraph, posted on Twitter Burns made the decision knowing Australian players will sledge him.
“I’ve underestimated Rory Burns,” she wrote on Twitter.
“Any man that decides not to face the first ball in the innings after his first-ball debacle, and can withstand the chat he’s gonna get around Australia from hereon in, must have a thicker skin than I had thought.”
Head robbed in cruel end to Aussie innings
Travis Head was dismissed trying to score quick runs after Josh Hazlewood arrived at the crease as the final Aussie batter.
The No. 5 batter’s career-high score of 161 was in reach before his sudden decision to put the foot down on the accelerator again after watching his partners fall around him.
The falling wickets robbed him of a chance to score his highest total.
He scored 161 against Sri Lanka in Hobart in 2019.
He brought up his 150 on Friday from just 143 balls.
Despite his impressive knock, Head said after his innings he was “disappointed” not to have added more runs at the end.
Aussie test great Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket: “That’s a brilliant innings from Travis Head. He’s looking to keep the scoreboard flowing. He’s not worried about getting out. He’s happy with his 150 and why wouldn’t you be.”
Justin Langer’s contemptuous slight
Aussie coach Justin Langer has landed a sly slap on English bowler Jack Leach with the under-fire spinner’s series already at crisis point.
Leach finished the opening day with the most expensive figures in Ashes history going at 8.63 runs per over.
Langer continued to stick the boot in on Friday morning.
He admitted the tactic of being aggressive against Leach was part of a strategy to give England selection headaches.
“One of the things where we have a massive competitive advantage is we have a world class spinner,” he said in an interview on Channel 7.
“Jack Leach and Dom Bess, they’re still quite young spinners. We want to put them under pressure. And then get England thinking about what their selection strategy is going to be. We know how important a spinner is in Australia.”
Code Sport journalist Daniel Cherny described Langer’s quotes as “mental disintegration”.
Ben Stokes condition revealed
English star Ben Stokes’ physical condition has finally been confirmed by the English camp after he was seen struggling to move on the second day of play.
Stokes at different times grabbed at his shoulder and winced in pain several times.
He was also seen running into bowl in discomfort after appearing to injure his left leg while chasing a ball in the out-field.
England confirmed Friday morning Stokes jarred his left knee as he pulled up near the boundary rope.
He was restricted to just nine overs on day 2 and finished with 0/50.
Leach suffers one of the most brutal reviews in Ashes history
Travis Head blasted English spinner Jack Leach into the history books for all the wrong reasons on his way to the third quickest hundred ever scored in Ashes cricket.
Leach finished with 1/95 from just 11 overs — sending stats gurus to reach for the record books.
His figures are the most expensive ever returned in Ashes cricket (with a minimum of five overs), conceding 8.63 runs per over.
His bowling figures are the worst economy rate ever seen at the Gabba, smashing the previous unwanted record held by Eddie Barlow since 1964 with a spell of 1/71 from 12 overs.
It also took Leach’s career record against left-handed batters to 60.9. Australia’s top order includes four left-handers.
It has exposed the truth that England has no spin options to challenge Australia’s batters. Joe Root simply has no slow bowlers up his sleeve and is facing the prospect of selecting four quicks for the second Test, and bowling himself as a part-time tweaker.
The Telegraph’s Tim Wigmore said Leach’s series may be over by the end of the first Test, suggesting Australia had “contempt” for his finger spin.
The Times described it as “a barbaric mauling”.
Code Sport reporter Daniel Cherny described the Aussie attack on Leach as “sheer, unadulterated contempt for Jack Leach” in a post on Twitter.
English cricket scribe Chris Stocks wrote on inews.co.uk Leach’s performance was worse than anything Graeme Swann produced in the infamous 2013-14 Ashes series which saw him retire in the middle of the series.
Stocks says the trust has been broken inside the dressing room.
“Leach is clearly not trusted by captain Joe Root, who opted against picking him for any of last summer’s six home Tests,” he wrote.
“He’s virtually unselectable for the rest of the series.”
The Daily Mail’s Paul Newman wrote: “It was brutal. It was pre-meditated. And it was a calculated attack that looks likely to knock Jack Leach out of this Ashes and quite possibly beyond.”
BBC commentator Jonathan Agnew said: “I feel sorry for him.”
Travis Head caught out by stump mic
Travis Head had more problems with the stump microphones than he did from the English attack on day 2.
He raced to the quickest Ashes hundred scored since Adam Gilchrist’s iconic knock in the 2005-06 series.
When he was on 86, the 73rd ball he faced saw Head’s eyes light up as he lined up a short length ball outside off-stump, only for a big swing and a miss.
“Oh you c***,” came through in the stump mic, and the commentators on Fox Cricket just continued on their way and ignored the gaffe.
WARNING: Explicit language
It didn’t escape the attention of social media as many people has to clear out their ears.
Terrifying moment Australian centurion Travis Head hits the deck
Travis Head’s teammates would have felt just as anxious as when Steve Smith went down in scary fashion in the Ashes two years ago when a wayward beamer knocked over the No. 5 batter.
In the 82nd over of Australia’s first innings at the Gabba, an exhausted Mark Wood delivered a 136km/h chest-high full toss at the unsuspecting left-hander, who had no time to evade the flying Kookaburra.
The ball struck Head on the glove before ricocheting into his chin — he yelped before collapsing onto the Gabba deck.
“Deary me!” former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist cried on Fox Cricket. “I think he’s in real trouble here, Travis Head.”
Former Australian Test captain Allan Border muttered: “That is so nasty.”
Head returned to his feet, red-faced and rubbing his jaw, but saw out the end of the day’s play and was unbeaten.