England 215 and 326/6 (133.0 overs) lead
Australia 280 by 261 runs with four wickets remaining
Another intriguing day of test cricket however the biggest talking point is the huge umpiring blunder made by Aleem Dar late in the last session. When Stuart Broad was on 37 and the lead stood at 232 he edged a ball off Ashton Agar which deflected off Haddin's gloves and was caught by Michael Clarke at first slip. The Australians obviously celebrated, however Stuart Broad stood his ground and Aleem Dar did not raise his finger. The aussies were fuming, and probably fair enough too as I think everyone in the ground including Broad knew it was out apart from Dar.
The incident occures at 2:51 in the below video
Courtesy of Youtube user "RoostersRepresent"
Now there are a few issues here which I would like to point out. One is the fact that it was an absolute stinker from Dar. Even with the introduction of technology in place, umpires should still be expected to make correct calls most of the time. The fact this edge was obvious; it beggars belief how Dar missed it. Second of all, Australia couldn't challenge this because they had used up all their reviews. One was used earlier in the day when the ball was so far down leg it wouldn't have hit a fourth stump. I think this is a major lesson for Michael Clarke. Peter Siddle said after the day's play that you use the DRS "because you think you're going to get a result early on and you don't. You can't just hold them and put them in the back pocket and say 'I'm going to get one in the afternoon' and save it for that. You use them when you think there's a chance of getting a wicket and that's what they're there for." [Quote from Cricinfo - http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013/content/story/650817.html] I disagree with Siddle here, as DRS is there for the potential howler, and captains need to start realising this. If they decide to use it on a 50-50 decision or even one where the odds are less, then they run the risk of not being able to use it for a howler. Michael Clarke has always been adventurous but will hopefully realise that its not the right approach to use for the DRS.
Anyway back on to the day's play where England wrestled back the momentum from Australia. They scored 246 runs for the loss of just 4 wickets, so it was definitely their day. Pietersen and Cook pushed on to their fifties, however two quick wickets in succession brought Australia right back in the hunt. Bairstow and Prior hung around a bit but were eventually dismissed by Agar and Siddle respectively. Bell played fluently throughout the day and ended up on 95*. Meanwhile Broad despite the controversy made 47*. Starc and Agar have two wickets each, while Pattinson and Siddle have on each. Watson's bowled 15 overs for only 11 runs including a remarkable 11 maidens, dismissing fears of his lower leg injury.
Hero of the Day: Ian Bell
England were tottering at 131/4 but his partnerships in the middle order, especially the unbeaten one with Broad of 108 have put England on the brink of winning the test match
Villain of the Day: Aleem Dar
Yesterday, it was the third umpire Erasmus for the England fans, however today it's Aleem Dar for his horrendous decision to not give Broad out for a regulation edge to slip off Ashton Agar.
Who won the day? England
246 runs for the loss of just four wickets - definitely England's day. They scored slowly but surely, and now have a lead of 261 runs. Anything over 200 would be a tough chase for this Australian batting line-up in the last innings, and if the lead gets up around 320-330, England should be heading to Lord's with a 1-0 lead. I would say England hold the advantage around 70-30.
*By the way I try and post during play on various cricket forums using the user-name 'Cricket Brain'. Refer to the Contact tab for more details
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