England vs Australia, 4th Test, The Ashes 2019 - CommentaryENG vs AUS, 4th Test, The Ashes 2019 - Commentary

Shivansh: We all are talking about Jack Leach's resistance but we cant ignore the struggle by Overton. He alone has faced almost 14 overs. Quite a performance!!!!

Akshay: Einstien's relativity at work. For England, every minute would feel like an hour and an hour like a minute for the Aussies!

Niall: Australia just need to target the off stump here. Wickets will come automatically against tailenders if you keep bowling there.

Sanjeev: Only if half the application and determination of lower order were showed by the top-order batsmen, England would have been in a better position.

vijay: Dismissing Steve Smith is the hardest job. Next hardest is dismissing Jack Leach!

Sandeep: Leach got dismissed just once in this series so far --- He's solid, isn't he? But it's also one of the perks of being No.11

Trevor: Leach will probably be knighted if he manages to take England home here.

Sohail: Time to bring on Starc. Bang! Bang! Bang! --- Two 'bangs' should do it

Tim: Leach certainly deserves a promotion in the batting order. He has been one of the top 3 England batsmen over the last two months! --- He's climbed one spot for a start

Katie: Hazlewood has bowled today with full potential but no luck!!

Bessy: As an Ashes and a test cricket fan, i desperately want England to draw this.

Nitin Prakash: @CB--Why they have not taken TEA?? is this an extended session -- Yes, it is extended by 30 minutes. Tea will be taken at 16:10 local time, 20:40 IST.

Thyagi: Life of Third umpire is difficult as well!!!!!!!

Aditya Himani: @ CB, Can you tell me about the rule of extension of play if 90 overs is completed and time still remains? -- 98 overs had to be bowled today and Australia can bowl more if they have reached that mark before 7PM.

Karan Agrawal: It was 98 overs today! How much it can be extended more if there is a possibility of the outcome of a match? -- No extensions today. Play can go on till 7PM local time, 11:30PM IST and not beyond that.

Alu: When the shape of ball changes during the innings, does the bowler get a new shining ball or a previously used one? -- Used one.

Tejas Hajare: That's why Starc is precious. He creates some magic when other bowlers are not able to get wickets.

Akshay: Smith should bowl some overs.. -- He might be next in line as Paine has tried Labuschagne and Head now.

GK: If England somehow manages to draw this game, then the last will be very very interesting as it will be a decider for the Ashes

Rafi: This pitch is made for Nathan Lyon. But he is not bowling good enough to take wickets. Australia is missing the confident Lyon right now.

Devaki Nandan: Expecting an epic innings from Jos Buttler as a birthday treat for England fans!!!

Rohit Sinha: Maybe Aussies should have declared 10-15 overs earlier than what they did. It would have enticed the English to chase the target and in the process perish. Not everytime there will be genius shows of Stokes --- Thought that was a positive declaration from Paine, nothing wrong with the timing

Rupam: I think it is time they give cummins a break and try Starc once again

AD: It would be criminal if Aussies don't retain the Urn. They have been by far the better team this Ashes.

Harsha Bhogle: It should have happened earlier but, unless England can conjure up some rain in this divine summer of cricket they have had so far, the Ashes are staying Down Under.

Mohit Mankani: Will it be Butler's day today. It will be difficult with the pitch having variable bounce. But Ashes is not lost until he is dismissed.

Vaibhav Tripathi: Ashes are gone. So is my data watching cummins bowling such beautiful peaches..

Vladimir Damodar Bolsonaro: Don't you dare say the Ashes is over as long as Denly is there. He will save us.

Shubham: Australia should not allow Stokes to settle in. No way. Just no

maddy: Will England try to chase this target if this session goes well? --- One ball at a time Maddy, one ball at a time

Harsha Bhogle: England surviving, but just about. Could be a wicket anytime.

Akshay: I think Roy is crouching a bit in his stance. May be bowl a couple of bouncers at him, may not be in great shape to put it away

SJ: Win or lose Roy needs to get a 80 or a 100 to save his Test career. Today will test both his skill and resolve as a batsman.

Srikar K: Will it be a miracle if Stokes "does it again" ? --- Great question. I'm not quite sure Stokes understands the concept of miracles.

Scott: I think Steve Smith is very lucky to have Hazlewood on his side because he is the kind of bowler that can get him out!! Impeccable lines and lengths with no freebies!! --- You might be right, but no, you're not. Looking at it completely the opposite way. He's Steve Smith, remember?

Arun kesav: I think Tim Paine won't repeat his mistakes today by taking unnecessary review --- He's off to a good start in that regard

V C Malarmannan: Nathan Lyon should be introduced before these batsmen get settled

Ashwani: A crucial thing to watch out will be how Australia use their reviews today.

Sanil: Waiting for another classy innings from Stokes

Prasad: How is the weather forecast today for the whole day? --- Looks like the best day of them all

Shreyas: It's almost like Roy's opening the innings for England all over again but with a mountain of pressure and expectations!

OAJ: @Cricbuzz How's the light at the ground. Are we going to have remaining 20 overs. "Light permitting, England will bat for 30 minutes which makes it around 7 overs at the maximum"

Harsha Bhogle: Steve Smith was just playing out a dream and letting us be part of it....

Auneell: Warner is having a nightmare and Smith is having a fairy-tale. Different end of spectrum after scandal

Alok: Smith 2.0 seems to be even better than Smith 1.0

Aniketh: Wonder if its the right move by Root to bring back Broad this soon. He's bowled 9 overs on the trot not long ago. There's still another Test match in this series and with Anderson ruled out, the last thing England would want is their lead bowler in this series to miss out.

Shreiyas: Wade's got a wonderful opportunity to prove his prowess. He should do what Paine did in first innings-play the second fiddle.

Naimul Islam: I think Australia should accelerate the run rate and bat for next 20 overs. They should set the target of 360/370. Then let England bat for rest of the day and pick 2/3 quick wickets.

HARRY: Brilliant opportunity for wade to cement his place and also to become an Ashes hero!

GK: If Australia somehow manage to get lead to pass 350, then Eng will be completely out of the game considering the way ball is doing for Broad and 5th day yet to come. 'The pitch is playing a lot of tricks now'

Sonath: Once again the onus is on the two best batsmen of this series to decide the fate of the series..

Sampath V: Everyone was awaiting the battle between Smith and Archer, which has been seemingly less appealing so far, but the one between Broad and Warner came as a surprise. Take a bow Broad, you are killing it.

OAJ: Why England Fans are so so cheerful for avoiding follow on. Anyway, Australia wouldn't have enforced follow-on in any condition. It's the game of lead now not a game of follow on.

Mukund Chippalkatti: If at all England fails to avoid follow on, Australia would love to bat again instead of enforcing it on England.

Prakash: Please anyone update runs to avoid follow-on. 'England need to make 298 to avoid follow-on, but that looks academic. Back-to-back Tests will mean Australia wouldn't want to tire out their bowlers'

Priyanshu: @Ramchandra It was a brilliant decision of Aussie management not to play him in first three tests after a hectic World Cup. The decision was meant to keep him fresh so that he can cause havoc in decisive part of the series later.

Ramchandra: And this is why you have Starc in your team, folks. I really don't know why he wasn't played in the first three Tests, especially coming off good World Cup

Pri: @SJ No I don't think so. Aussies should bat again and get quick 180 runs or so and then leave the rest on Lyon and pacers.

SJ: Aussies should enforce follow on, if it becomes available to them, even if it means extra load on their pacers. Only way to ensure they have enough time to bowl a defensive Eng out. They always have enough batting to chase down any small target.

Ankur: I have noticed that Tim Paine always let's a ball go before taking the new ball.. -- Good observation

Puneet Kapil: Starc didn't look much effective yesterday. Expecting him to give his best today with the new ball.

Sachin Shandilya: Ben stokes at one end. England would be hoping for another gem of a knock from him.

Shantanu Hedaoo: Utter waste of Denly's wicket by sending him as an opener. He would had the confidence from the gritty half century from previous Test and might even have played a pendulum swinging knock here, had he been sent at his normal slot.

Vedant: It's a pity where England stand at the moment. They could have taken toll of the fact that Starc wasn't at his best and that Lyon wasn't 100 Percent. It won't matter much in the second innings, they would be simply too far behind. Take a bow, Hazlewood and Cummins they persisted and toiled away.

krishna bhargava: England should understand that Jason Roy can't play like how V Sehwag used to bat for India in tests. Let Jason Roy play only white-ball cricket.

Akshay: Disappointing not to see a century from either batsmen. -- Yes, but they were undone by some high quality bowling from Cummins and Hazlewood.

Vedant: With a lot to prove, Jason Roy is out in the middle. With his back against the wall and the best wicket he will get to bat probably throughout the ashes, he should play in the only way he knows how to. See Ball, Hit Ball. -- The conditions might not allow him to do that.

mayank: Joe Root and his half centuries - never ending story

Michael: One more, and Australia will boss the game..

Keshore: Lyon has been too short today especially to Burns. Whenever the ball has been tossed up full, there has been some indecision from both batsmen. But Lyon hasn't been able to get the ball fuller enough consistently. Not quite like himself.

sanket: The session which England wanted desperately to keep Ashes alive.

Vaibhav: Having only 4 bowlers is going to take all the heat out of them. England need to bat for few more overs and then take on a tired Australian attack.

Keshore: Always felt Australia needed a cover for Starc just to give themselves another pace option. When the surface is not doing anything and the opposition batsmen are looking comfortable, you can't just ask him to bowl line and length. It's just not his cup of tea. Marsh or Neser would've been an option.

Prasad: Paine should give the ball to either Smith or Marnus Labuschagne, leg spin can be effective if they bowl on those footmarks generated. Can't use Lyon to full extent, his fingers needs some rest.

Manin Divanji: England supporters cheering every time Lyon catches the ball! :D Making sure he doesn't forget his fumble in the last Test which saved Leach's wicket and helped England win the match. Hilarious, and at the same time this is what makes Ashes special!

Mayank: Root is most vulnerable once he reaches 50. He must play a captain's knock here to bail his team out.

Seka: This Starc's spell is the clear indication of his lack of match practice.

Will Terry: Root looks like he fancies this.... which is scary, dangerous and exciting at the same time.

Saratchandra: Mitchell Starc should support the bowlers from the other end, he is neither creating pressure nor picking up wickets. In fact giving freebies which is unacceptable.

Deepak: These two are doing the same thing for England what Smith and Labuschnge did for Australia.

Adarsh Shetty: When was the last time Root scored century in Ashes? I can't remember. -- In 2015 at Trent Bridge.

Keshore: Root is playing Lyon really well off the back foot. Just feel that Lyon has to be a touch more fuller, get Root driving. And with that amount of turn that is available he can afford to toss the ball a bit wider as well and find that bat/pad gap.

Rithik: Difference between Australian and English bowling attack in this match has been the discipline with which the Australians are bowling. England leaked too many unnecessary runs and let them settle, unlike Aussies.

Ayush: Rory burns seem to give off that Alastair Cook vibes... He seems to be natural as a opener

Athar: The Fab 4 bats at 4 except Root, though he is batting at 4 today, hope he scores big and realises his best position. -- Williamson bats at 3.

Ashvarya: Not just the stats but the confidence shown by Burns shows that he belongs to this level. A better prospect than Jennings, Stoneman and Co.

Arpan: It isn't for no reason that Josh Hazlewood is compared to the great Glen McGrath. He definitely falls in the same category.

Harsha: Root at 2 down and Roy in at 5 where he bats for his county side can the wheels turn around for them.

Shantanu Hedaoo: The onus is on Root and Burns now to make sure Eng are still in the game. Even if one more wicket is lost anytime soon, England will be totally demoralised. They cannot rely on Stokes constantly to bail them out.

Zeeshan: England will have to come up with better plans to avoid top order failures than changing the order. -- Absolutely.

Abhijit Vij: This pace attack of Australia is the most balanced pace attack comprising Starc, Josh and Cummins.

Karthik S: It was going to be too much for Overton... Came in as a replacement, bowled his heart out... sent in to protect Root and Burns

Rahul Sargam: How can Josh Hazlewood can be so accurate with this line and length man? such a genius he is. Credit goes to him for that yesterday's wicket, he was the one who kept pressure on Denly and Cummins got him eventually.

prashant: Whats the forecast for the rest of the day?? Will we get any play at all? -- It looks good. Hopefully, we'll see some cricket

Shantanu: English fans and players wont mind these delays at all. The more the time gets wasted, the better for them.

Dinesh: @gokulnath I accept your point, but let us give both the guys sometime in new positions...for say the remaining 3 innings and see how it goes. We can probably make an even stronger point...

Ash: @gokulnath it is sooooo damn true. Big big onus on Roy not only to justify his place but also to contribute in a match what could be series defining & urn-retaining.

Gokulnath: Denly was looking good in the middle-order, while he nowhere seems to be comfortable as an opening batsman. It is so harsh on Denly to sacrifice his position in the middle order, just for Jason Roy to hold his place in the team.

dinesh adhikari: 144.142.92.211 is that IP address that Archer tried to trace but Australia put Marnus security system.. -- Haha, nice one!

Micky: @Ajay @Cricbuzz: yes indeed 144.142.92.211 is an IP Address which England's Firewall is unable to Block!!....

AJAY: @Cricbuzz, 144.142.92.211.. It's an IP Address where you can find Steve Smith.

Sachin: Seeing Starc-Hazel-Cummins bowl in tandem is a delight to watch for any cricket fan, the best in the world!!!

Kaustav: Denly gave everything for England in the other match neutralising a hostile Australian attack that paved the way for Stokes' heroics and as a reward he has been made the sacrificial lamb to serve Roy better. 'It's also an opportunity to nail a place in the fragile top-order'

Adish Aggarwal: A great opportunity for Denly as England are still looking for the right opening pair. Also very important for their future championship matches.

Rajanand Mudaliar: Please declare, Australia. Eager to see the pace battery steam in and have a crack at the England openers -- Your wish has been fulfilled.

Shahriar: Smith entertained with a great Test knock and now Starc is entertaining with his hard hitting. These varieties makes you love Test cricket.

Vishwas Acharya: I remember Ian Chappell once said that a McGlee bowler is required to get Rahul Dravid out. This was back in 2003-04 when Dravid was in roaring form. The same can now be said of Smith. A fast bowler who can bowl full, at 4th -5th stump consistently for twenty overs!

Utsav Amitendu Agarwal: Looks like Smith is making the England players and crowd pay for each of their boos. Most runs this year in Test match cricket and he's playing his 3rd one at the moment. Ranked 1 for a reason.

VijayK: Any Indications of declaration? -- Expecting soon post Smith's double ton

Vineet Bansal: Australia's no. 8,9,10, and 11 batsmen average 19.03,21.86,11.89 and 12.77 respectively. That is combined 65.55 runs per innings! Can't think of any current Test team to have these kind of lower order batsmen..

Shady: Has this pitch been playing too good , or Smith and Paine are batting well? Or poor bowling from English? 'Mix of all three, England didn't take their chances'

Bhargav: Smith is undoubtedly the best Test batsman among his contemporary players. Unconventional batting style, monk-like patience and focus and the hunger to get better with each passing innings! A treat to watch.

Rupam: @CB What's happened to Stokes?? Him no playing will be a major blow for England. 'He seemed to have pulled a hamstring, England will hope it's nothing serious'

Sandesh: Now Mitchell Starc needs to create some nice foot marks for Nathan Lyon and Australia are set for the win.

RAMA GUNTUPALLI: @Adarsh ..Smith average was 56 before captaincy and 71 when he was captain.

Adarsh Shetty: Not that Smith was batting poor under his captaincy, but this Smith has no pressure whatsoever and is batting freely. Hope England might reconsider their captaincy after Ashes and we can see that old Root back.

Sooryanarayanan: Just 4 innings and Steve Smith is already the leading run-scorer in Tests for this calendar year. Talk about taking Test cricket like fish to water.

GD: It seems whole world is lost in Smith's brilliance, Paine has played himself in so well unnoticed and unscathed!

Venkat Harish: Destiny wants Smith's batting more than Australia needs him!

Vignesh Sundaram: England will be suffering a lot of mental agony from this no ball... Poor ENGLAND

Utkarsh: The only option against Smith as of now is Leach. He is dealing with the faster bowlers with some contempt, unless they start reversing the ball in or there is good enough seam movement to hurry him into the pads. His leg-side play has always been prodigious, in this series, it has been even better.

Ankit: I don't know why but I get a feeling that Bumrah might just be the biggest challenge for Smith. Shuffling against Bumrah might not work -- You never know, but it should be a fascinating contest.

harish: I think we need a bowler from another planet to get Steve Smith OUT. What a batsman. What a player! Fabulous

Harsha Bhogle: He's quirky but which genius isn't. And he is possessed of a very strong temperament. What a player, Steve Smith is. Absolute champion.

Raunak: It is high time for Tim Paine to step up and score some runs.

Arun Dayalan: @CricBuzz Team - Regarding concussion substitute, can a batsman be replaced by Allrounder or Bowler? In case when a team is batting in 3rd innings and playing for declaration, that time they would like to replace a bowler for batsman -- nope, it should be a like-like replacement and also needs match referee's approval.

Harsha: @Srihari - By that logic even Bumrah shouldn't be included. He played less than a third of what Rabada had played -- Okay, enough of the fab 4 debates. Time to focus on the Ashes

Srihari: @Jay - Too early for Archer to be included in same bracket with Rabada and Bumrah, considering he's still new and hasn't played in all conditions.

Brandon: Come on @CB, Boult has been equally good. Let's just make it Fab Five.

jay: Like fab four batsmen, who should be in fab four bowlers!!?? -- Cummins, Rabada, Bumrah and Archer.

Rishabh Rai: Would a 300 in the first inning for Australia give them a upper hand considering that England has to bat last. -- Not the upper hand as it looks like a good batting surface, but certainly gives them a good total.

Saf: Who is the leading wicket taker for two teams in this series? -- Cummins and Broad with 17 wickets each.

Karthik S: I remember when Smith was early in his career there were many who criticised his stance and frequent shuffling at the crease... its that very shuffling that is helping him succeed in Test cricket.

dixit: @nishanth this match to determine who will be out Head or Wade

Nishanth: Travis Head or Matthew Wade should make way for Mitchell Marsh next match.

Jay: Today Jofra is in different mood. 1st maiden for him in this Test. What's the average speed CB? -- It is in the higher 80mph (85-90).

Dheeraj: Broad has proved once again he is very good against left handers. Warner, Harris and now Head.

Swapnasarit: Does unusual standing of Smith allow him more movement of legs? -- The stance is very similar to most batsmen. But it is the shuffle across that gives him the balance to play the ball anywhere he likes.

Rupam: Will be interesting to see how England make proper use of Jofra Archer today! Smith vs Jofra. 'Jofra just dropped a hard return catch'

Madhu: People like watching orthodox classic batting, proper foot work, copy book styles but tbh I like watching Smith play. The way this guy faces the challenge is really inspiring.

Adarsh Shetty: During World Cup, we had problems with bails not coming off and today we have problem with bails coming on.

Sanjeet: Now perhaps a super-human spell by Stokes can only break this partnership!

Ram Shukla: @Anirudh Chaitanya--And Labuschagne tag says that "I will not go till S Smith goes"

Danny: England definitely missed a trick by not playing Curran. Windy conditions with the left arm angle against the right handers would have been handy. On a side note the discipline isn't good enough from England's so called strike bowlers. These 2 batters already taking the game away from England on a rain affected day 1.

Anirudh Chaitaya: I am sure one wicket here will open the door for many. But the only difficulty for England is that both these batsmen have big price tags on their wicket. Steve Smith's tag says "I won't go till I'm tired".

Keshore: The English seamers have bowled remarkably well to the left-handers this series. But what's interesting is they haven't quite been that much effective against the right-handers. Sure, Smith and Labuschagne have batted really well, but still the bowling strike-rates will be significantly different.

Siddhant: Ridiculous how they couldn't take the tea break now. Cricket's rigid rules ruining cricket itself.

Reuben: Whats the update now?? -- Nothing yet. Seems like it's raining still at Old Trafford.

Mustafa Moudi: Actually, that blow to Smith at Lord's has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Australia. If Smith would not have been replaced, Australia would never had given a chance to Labuschagne. As if he wasn't enough, England now has got into another trouble called Laboosh!!

Shaurav: Rain and cricket in England are so synonymous that I get confused when there is no rain in the middle of any cricket match in England. Pissed off.

EMON: Perhaps England lost the plot after the drinks. They should've persisted with Archer for some more time. Now that, these two are settled, it's going to be trouble for the hosts.

Keshore: Joe Root during the toss said the surface here is as close as it can get to an Australian surface. But hasn't really looked like a pact wicket so far. There has been some zip off the surface when the ball is landing on the seam. But it's more likely to get slower as the game progresses.

Nitin Ahuja Jaithari: Steve Smith reminds me of that Math student in school, who uses the wrong formulae but still somehow gets the correct result.

Anurag: @CB How do you pronounce "Labuschagne"? -- It's pronounced as "Laboo-skakh-nee".

Soham Bhowal: It's a bit surprising that Australia didn't even consider Joe Burns as a back-up opener in the squad. He scored a magnificent century in Canberra earlier this year against Sri Lanka. With Warner, Harris and Bancroft failing, wonder if he gets a last-moment call up for the Test at the Oval

Imran: England should not allow this pair to settle down, the world knows what will happen if they get in.

Abhishek: The issue with England is that though they are taking wickets, they are also leaking a lot of runs. Aussie bowlers have been very disciplined in this series and have hardly given anything away. This has been a huge difference.

Yash Chhillar: Cricbuzz team - Why Chris Woakes is not playing today? Any injury? -- No injury. Craig Overton preferred due to the surface which might produce more bounce.

Osaid Ahmad tweet: CB can we say that Archer's bouncer to Smith was blessing in disguise for Australia otherwise may be Labuschagne would still warming the bench. #CBHaveYourSay

Rabbani: How was Smith greeted by the English fans when he came out to bat? -- A mix of boos and loud cheers.

Shahanad: This is the pair everybody in world cricket wanted to see bat together.. Smith and Labuschagne.. Can they make the wait worth is the question now..

Nichols: It's weird Steve Smith is wearing a Cardigan.. Never seen him to do that in the last 2 years. Must be very chilly out there.

Kevin: @Ali & @Praveen - Jofra Archer is bowling against the wind and on the other end Stuart Broad is bowling with the wind and so his speeds read a touch higher than his usual.

radhakrishnan: Surely Starc will add the much needed variety to Aussie pace attack which had three right-arm seamers all along and were found wanting against Stokes

Praveen Shet: What are the speeds of Archer today? -- Early 80s to max 85mph.

Kapil Sondhi: Crossing my fingers for better umpiring in this Test match!

Andrew Wood tweet: Have either side has an opening partnership of any note in this series? #CBHaveYourSay -- The highest stand for both teams so far has been 22 - Roy and Burns at Edgbaston.

Ali: Why Jofra's pace has dipped since last test? He is bowling in early 80s now -- He's just warming up or waiting for Steve Smith.

venkatesh biradar tweet: I think Australia are over rotating their fast bowlers. A player should at least play 2 consecutive matches. #CBHaveYourSay

Anurag Trivedi: Any technical issue in Warner's batting? -- Round the wicket angle is causing problems. He's not sure which way the ball will move as he been dismissed with the one seaming in and the one seaming away.

Gopi: What about pitch condition and any rain today? -- David Lloyd reckons that this will be the hardest (bouncier) surface of the series. The forecast does say there will be some rain around but not for now.

Commentary not available for this match