David Warner yesterday was again dismissed for single figures as England paceman Jofra Archer made early inroads into Australia’s batting lineup in their fifth Ashes Test.
The tourists had reached 55-2 by lunch, with Steve Smith unbeaten on 14 and Marcus Labuschagne not out 32.
Earlier, England added just 23 runs to their overnight score at the Oval in London, dismissed for 294 on a good-looking pitch.
Photo: Reuters
Jos Buttler, who counterattacked impressively on Thursday, was bowled by Pat Cummins for 70 and Jack Leach was the last man out for 21.
Mitchell Marsh’s dismissal of Leach gave him figures of 5-46 on his return to the Test side, while Cummins took 3-84.
Tim Paine’s Australia are to fancy their chances of building a substantial first-innings lead as they seek their first series win in England since 2001, but were dealt a big blow when Warner was out in just the second over, caught by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow off Archer for five.
Warner was initially given not out, but England reviewed.
Slow-motion replays suggested there was a gap between bat and ball, but the technology picked up a snick and the umpire overturned his initial verdict.
It was the eighth time the opener had been dismissed in single figures in the five-Test series.
Archer then struck again with a thunderbolt to reduce Australia to 14-2, when Ben Stokes held onto a sharp chance from Warner’s fellow opener Marcus Harris at second slip.
Harris’ dismissal brought Smith to the crease and he was immediately greeted with a sharp bouncer, much to the delight of the packed crowd.
Smith came into the match with 671 runs under his belt in just five innings at an astonishing average of more than 134.
England, desperate to level the series at 2-2, have struggled to find consistency and contributed to their own downfall in their first innings.
Captain Joe Root scored 57 after he was dropped three times, while opener Rory Burns scored 47.
Australia won at Old Trafford last week to take a 2-1 lead in the series, meaning they will retain the Ashes urn regardless of the result at the Oval.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported £400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported £400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported £900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically