52m agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:47pm
Live updates: Ashes third Test, day three
Just nowFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:39am
BOWLED! STARC SNARES STOKES!
5m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:34am
84th over – Archer goes to 50
Australia captain Pat Cummins stands between Jofra Archer and a maiden Test match 50.
Archer is striding down the pitch and defending assuredley into the off-side. No run.
50 for Archer! He drives through point and runs through for a single to notch the first half-century of his Test match career.
What a mature, crucial innings from England’s No. 10.
Big waft from Ben Stokes! The England captain is driving ferociously outside off and then watching on as the ball flies through to Alex Carey.
Stokes lets the next one go.
He squirts the next ball behind point for a single.
Archer is leaving to end the over.
10m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:29am
83rd over – Starc to continue after drinks
G’day everyone. What a start to the day for England.
Things couldn’t have gone much better for the tourists.
Mitchell Starc charges in with the new ball, hoping to make the most of the movement it has brought.
Ben Stokes is backing away and driving into the covers for no run.
Some drop and run business from the England captain into the off-side.
Quite a bit of movement there from Starc. Coming over the wicket to Jofra Archer, the ball is flashing across the tailender, who is swinging and missing.
Beaten again. This one moves away from Archer off the pitch, evading his forward defence.
Fuller from Starc and Archer is pushing to mid-on for a single. He moves to 49 and retains strike for the next over.
15m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:24am
82nd over – Cummins from the River End
Two slips, gully in place.
FOUR! Cummins bowls short and wide and Stokes pulled to midwicket for a very nicely played four. Too short, a real loosener.
FOUR! BUT STOKES KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT! That ball has jagged back an absolute mile and cut Stokes in half. It flies down to fine leg for another boundary.
That’s the 100 partnership
BEATEN! Good ball from Cummins, teasing outside off and Stokes was lucky not to feather that one.
BIG APPEAL! Doesn’t look out to me, doing too much, a bit too high. There was movement back off the seam that did for Stokes and it swung in as well out of the hand.
Stokes clips off his pads as the ball nips in again off the seam.
He takes a single, and will take a drink too, which is what I’m going to do too. Henry Hanson to take you through to lunch.
22m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:17am
81st over – Starc has the second new ball
Outside off, Stokes cuts for a single.
Two slips and a gully. Deep backward square leg goes back to the rope for Archer.
WHAT A BALL! What a delivery from Starc! Inswing, through the gate, missing the off stump by a whisker. My word. That’s unbelievable. What a ball.
Archer has a little wander down the pitch and the ball hits the pad does it? It’s taken brilliantly by Carey on the bounce. Was never LBW despite a small appeal.
Wide outside off, left alone by Archer.
Starc has bowled 144, 141, 141, 141 so far this over.
Inswing, Archer defends.
BEATEN! Outside off, Archer has a nibble as Starc pushes across the face of England’s number 10.
22m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:17am
New ball taken by Australia
26m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:13am
80th over – Lyon comes in again
Likely to be the last for Lyon as well for a while.
The new ball is due next over.
Slip in place, Stokes defends.
Stokes cuts out to cover for a single.
Archer has to contend with a bat pad and a slip.
Lyon turns the ball into Archer who defends down into the pitch – well played.
Nice little push from Archer to cover – no run.
Late cut from Archer to a ball that turned into him, a really lively shot and he’ll get two to third man – a very nicely timed and weighted shot. Deft.
Solid defence to end the over.
30m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:09am
79th over – Cam Green to likely bowl his last
The new ball is imminent, so this might be Cam Green’s last.
A gully in place, no slips, and Stokes takes an easy single to cover.
Solid defence from Archer. Stokes backed up and got back easily, but Inglis attempted the run out and gives away an overthrow. No backing up, which is poor. The throw was poor. Green has a go at Inglis, who has a go back. Bit tetchy out there.
Stokes slashes a cut and gets a single to backward point.
Bouncer, Archer gets under it.
FOUR! Down the leg side from Green, Archer helps it on its way and it’s another boundary for England. Nicely tucked away by Archer to fine leg.
Around the wicket for Green, a yorker, and he defends.
34m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:05am
78th over – Lyon continues
MISSED EVERYTHING! Big turn from Lyon, Archer swung hard, missed it by a mile, and so did Carey and they run three down to fine leg.
Stokes pushes into the on side for a single.
England gets to 250, trailing by 121. For the first time in the series England are showing some application and fight.
Solid defence from Archer there.
And once again, another round of applause.
Archer swings at a cut shot, misses and everyone groans. Archer looks skywards, Carey looks to the ground to look at the feet of Archer as he whips the bails off.
Archer gets a single to end the over.
38m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:01am
77th over – Green carries on
Stokes gets a single straight away.
Solid defence from Archer there.
BEATEN! Archer had a little nibble at that as is passed by outside his off stump – a bit of extra bounce and Archer nearly succumbed.
Archer gets a single off the outside edge.
Stokes defends solidly.
Bouncer from Green, not a particularly good one, and Stokes gets under it.
38m agoFri 19 Dec 2025 at 12:01am
There is life in the Baz
Not sure Bazball is dead just yet. Stokes is obviously trying to get the lead down as far as possible. If we then bat to say tea break tomorrow England need say 450 in say four sessions in a game they must win I think Bazball would be on full display.
– Phillip
I’m inclined to agree.
Bazball is supposed to be situational.
40m agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:59pm
76th over – Lyon has another one
The second new ball is due in five overs.
Stokes defends solidly.
FOUR! Reverse sweep from Ben Stokes! That’s a wonderful shot! Lyon gave him a bit of time, dropped a bit short and Stokes, with no fielders back, made hay with it.
(Getty Images)
Now he punches off the back foot to get a single to deep cover.
Good defensive stroke from Archer outside off, that’s a really good shot from Archer and it’s appreciated by the Barmy Army, not because it was big but because it was the right way to play.
Lyon tosses one up to tempt Archer, who slaps it back to the bowler.
And he’s on the back foot to defend the last.
That’s good batting from Archer, he needs to stay there for as long as he can to stay with Stokes as he ramps up his scoring rate. Nothing silly from Archer.
47m agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:52pm
75th over – Cameron Green comes in the attack
Bouncer barrage incoming, three men out in the deep on the leg side.
It is a bouncer, it is pulled by Archer, and is taken on the bounce on the boundary. Just a single.
Stokes cuts nicely out to deep point for a single.
Archer ducks under a bouncer, not willing to take on the short ball with those three men back.
Archer takes a step to the off side, and defends into the off side.
Bouncer, Archer ducks under it.
Well down the leg side by Green to end the over, good take from Carey.
49m agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:50pm
74th over – Lyon carries on
Bat pad and a slip.
Archer dabs the ball down to long on.
Cameron Green is warming up.
Stokes looks to work the ball to the leg side but there’s no run there to midwicket.
Stokes cuts as he sways back and gets a single out to deep point.
Archer slaps the ball down to long on – it’s one of Lyon’s real weaknesses for me, always having the long on back on the rope – it’s such an easy outlet ball for batters, even when they’re number 10.
Archer moves to 39 which is his highest Test score, by the way. He does have an 89 not out in first class cricket though.
Stokes sees out the over.
54m agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:45pm
73rd over – Boland carries on
Solid defence from Stokes, as Carey camps himself in the shade offered by the stumps.
FOUR! Driven beautifully by Stokes through the covers. He played it late, drives from under his eyes and perfectly bisects the fielders in the covers.
(Getty Images)
Boland is going to come back over the wicket and has Stokes defending to midwicket.
Brilliant fielding from Starc at deep backward point! That’s a lovely piece of work in the deep, on the dive, fielding the ball and whipping it back in. Stokes cut the ball late and felt for all money he’d get four, but it was kept to two by Starc. He did take a big divot out of the ground with his knee though… Careful.
Stokes leaves outside off.
Stokes clips away for a couple more to deep midwicket.
Just a bit wayward from Boland.
57m agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:42pm
72nd over – Lyon continues
Stokes backs away and drives off the back foot to cover. No run.
Solid defence from Stokes.
Again, Stokes leans back and guides the ball to point for a neat single.
Archer with a somewhat tentative stride and defensive stroke.
SIX! BIG SHOT FROM ARCHER! He opens up the shoulders and powers that shot over the wide long on boundary for a solid six. Lovely shot.
(Getty Images)
And now a very good defensive stroke to finish that gets as big a cheer from the England fans as the six did.
1h agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:39pm
71st over – Stokes gets fifty, his slowest ever in Tests
Boland carries on.
A very fine slip in place, as Carey comes into the stance behind the stumps. It’s great stuff from Carey, keeping Stokes in his crease and stopping the freedom he has to take a step and drive through the covers.
Alyssa Healy is making the valid point that Bazball has been negated due to the ability of Carey behind the stumps.
Solid defence from Stokes.
That one popped up a bit and Stokes has to arch back.
Now he pushes for a single that brings up his fifty!
Fifty for Stokes
That’s his slowest Test 50, coming off 159 balls.
(Getty Images)
His next slowest was 152 balls, and was at Headingley.
Archer defends.
Well played by Archer, a ball that kept a little low and darted back, the off cutter from Boland, and he’s bent down to keep it out.
1h agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:37pm
Mixed messages from Stokes
Watching Ben Stokes doing a Boycott is a signal Bazball is dead?
– Paul
(Getty)
As we watch Ben Stokes battle through in a typically obstinate, dead-batting display, Stuart Clark is bemoaning some mixed messaging from the England powerbrokers.
After years of “positive” and attacking cricket, under the pump the skipper has gone away from it and dropped anchor in a number of innings now.
And the former Aussie quick says it’s got to be a confusing time for the younger English bats, who haven’t exactly been encouraged to ‘play the situation’ in a traditional Test sense.
“The top six have been told to play attacking — drive on the up, run down the wicket — without consequence.
“It hasn’t worked and [Stokes has] gone ‘I’m gonna play like we’re supposed to play’.
“To me that is really, really confusing if I was a young player.”
1h agoThu 18 Dec 2025 at 11:35pm
70th over – Nathan Lyon resumes on day three
From the River End, Nathan Lyon is straight into the attack, and straight into his work, getting one to turn in nicely to Archer, who defends.
Slip and bat pad in place for Lyon here, with Archer defending on the back foot, waiting for the ball to turn into him. Watchful.
Archer defends.
Good turn from Lyon, Archer plays off the back foot to midwicket.
Archer pushes to cover.
Off the inside edge as Archer gets a stride in but relatively well played by Archer.
