London [UK], July 2 : England skipper Ben Stokes' solo stand against the Australia bowlers ensured that the Three Lions ended the first session on a high note after losing two wickets on the final day of the second Test match of Ashes 2023 series on Sunday.
After Lunch, England managed to put up a score of 243/6 with skipper Stokes and Stuart Broad unbeaten with scores of 108(147)* and 1(10)* respectively.
The dramatic session started with England batters losing their nerves against Australia's bouncer ploy and ended with Stokes receiving thunderous applause from the crowd while climbing the stairs and the crowd booing Australian players as they made their way back to the dressing room.
England started the session on a positive note with Ben Duckett and Stokes keeping the scoreboard ticking and picking up boundaries on possible occasions.
The momentum started to shift in Australia's favour as Starc and Hazlewood started to produce precise bodyline bouncers. Duckett was the first batter who lost his cool and decided to go after the bowler. He tried to play a pull shot off Hazlewood but failed to time his shot. A top edge carried straight into the hands of Alex Carey behind the stumps. Duckett departed for a score of 83(112).
Jonny Barstow stepped on the crease to carry England's hope of clinching victory alive. He was mindful of the short balls, left them on occasion and focused more on strike rotation.
The nerves started to settle down once again as the Three Lions looked to take control of the chase. But once again Australia managed to make a comeback with a touch of cunningness.
In the 52nd over Bairstow ducked following a bouncer from Cameron Green, and the ball went straight into the hands of Carey. Bairstow casually walked off the crease thinking that the ball was dead. Carey saw the opportunity and took it. His direct hit clipped the bails off the stumps and gave Bairstow a moment that he won't forget for the rest of the series. Bairstow departed for a score of 10(22).
Things started to heat up as once again the spirit of cricket was questioned. Stokes saw everything and decided to turn the Test match into a T20I game as he switched through gears with each ball.
The crowd continued to boo Australia bowlers on every bouncer, while Stokes continued to smash the ball for fun. Green became his target as he struck 24 runs in a single over.
Stuart Broad on the other end held on to his wicket and barely took a run. Australia tried to put pressure on Broad with their bouncer plan, and the veteran pacer survived all of them. He even went on to take a dig at Carey by saying 'Is the ball dead?'
Stokes raised his bat in the 56th over by sending the balls flying into the stands. England ended the session with a score of 243/6 in 57 overs and is still in need of 128 runs.
Brief Scores: Australia 416 & 279 (Usman Khawaja 77(187), Steve Smith 110(184) and Stuart Broad 4/65) vs England 325 & 243/6 (Ben Stokes 108(147)*, Ben Duckett 83(112) and Pat Cummins 2/58).
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