Ashes 2019 | Plenty of cricket left, we’ll concentrate on getting the next five wickets first, says Josh Hazlewood

Two days to go, 98 overs on each day if the weather plays fair – the 2019 Ashes trophy may well come down to that if the Aussie bowlers turn up on Day 4 as they did in the last hour of play yesterday. At one end Pat Cummins beat either edges of the bat for fun, while Hazlewood reaped the rewards of the pressure created with some sharp seam movement he produced in the other end. 

“Obviously, we’re pretty happy with where we’re at. I think the weather is pretty good for the next two days. Two long days of cricket with 98 overs on both days. Plenty of cricket left, but we’ll concentrate on this first innings and getting the next five wickets first of all,” Hazlewood said at the press conference, reported ESPNCricinfo. 

After coming painfully close to retaining ‘the urn’ at Headingley, many predicted that the Aussies will be left too deflated to make a comeback into a series. However, the Aussies put on a mighty show with the bat in the first innings, with Marnus Labuschagne, Tim Paine, and Mitchell Starc scoring half-centuries to go with Steve Smith’s double century. 

With the ball, they removed new opener Joe Denly for four, and nightwatchman Craig Overton early on Day 3. But Rory Burns and Joe Root scored half-centuries and nullified the Aussie threat with some smart batting. Just when it looked like the ghost of Headingley had come back to haunt them, the Aussie pace duo of Cummins and Hazlewood struck back, with the latter claiming three wickets in the final hour of play. Hazlewood had his say on the last passage of play. 

“We had a couple of near misses here and there. Patty, in that spell, created a few genuine chances and half chances in that spell. I think if you can get one and break a partnership, you can get two or three pretty quickly,” he noted.

With just six overs to go before they can claim a new ball, it is obvious that the pace trio will go hard at the hosts, early on Day 4. But Hazlewood is of the opinion that off-spinner Nathan Lyon will become increasingly influential in the last two days of the game.

“I think it was really good the way (Lyon) bowled down that one end and we could sort of come from other, all the quicks. He was fantastic down there, keeping the runs quite dry. Towards the end, as he kept bowling, he looked more in the game. I think over the next two days, it will start spinning a little bit more and he’ll challenge both sides of the bat,” Hazlewood added.