England Struggles as Nathan Lyon Shines in Third Ashes Test

England Faces Early Setbacks

On Thursday, during the second day of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, England found themselves in a precarious position after Nathan Lyon's two quick wickets. By the end of the first session, they were reeling at 59/3, with Joe Root (11*) and Harry Brook (6*) remaining at the crease, trailing by 312 runs.

Australia's Innings Concludes at 371

Australia resumed day two at 326/8, with Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc at the crease. Starc began the day strongly, hitting two boundaries off Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, and reached his second fifty of the series in just 73 balls, featuring eight fours. However, his momentum was halted when Archer dismissed Lyon for 9 runs off 35 balls. Australia was ultimately bowled out for 371 in 91.2 overs, with Archer taking 5 wickets for 53 runs, while Brydon Carse and Will Jacks contributed with two wickets each.

England's Troubling Start

England began their innings aggressively, with Duckett hitting four boundaries in the first four overs against Starc and Cummins. However, their early success was short-lived as Zak Crawley fell for 9 runs, caught by Alex Carey off Cummins' bowling, leaving England at 37/1 after 7.4 overs.

Lyon's Impact

In the ninth over, Nathan Lyon made a significant impact by taking two wickets. He dismissed Ollie Pope for just 3 runs and then trapped Duckett lbw for 29 runs off 30 balls, leaving England in a dire situation at 42/3. With this performance, Lyon surpassed Glenn McGrath to become Australia's second-highest Test wicket-taker, trailing only Shane Warne (708). England managed to reach 50 runs in 12.4 overs, with Root and Brook ensuring no further losses for the remainder of the session.

Recap of Day 1

On the first day, Australia concluded their innings at 326/8, with Alex Carey scoring a remarkable 106 runs off 143 balls, including eight fours and a six, marking his first Ashes century after a challenging start at 94/4. Usman Khawaja also made a notable return with a solid 82 runs off 126 balls.

Match Summary

Australia: 371 (Alex Carey 106, Usman Khawaja 82, Jofra Archer: 5/53) vs England: 59/3 (Ben Duckett 29, Joe Root 11*, Nathan Lyon 2/14).