After three days of the Ashes, it has been hard to take the eyes off the captains. Joe Root came up with some extraordinary tactics and Steve Smith with an astonishing innings. For all but 33 balls of the third day, both men were out in the middle, amid the heat, sweat and dust, in a gripping tussle for supremacy. Root’s crack on the head from a 90mph Mitchell Starc bouncer as the shadows lengthened summed up a draining day for England’s leader. After being checked over by the team doctor, he continued his innings ­­­— it would have taken serious concussion to force him off — and managed to battle through to stumps with the impressive Mark Stoneman for company.

Source: The Times November 26, 2017 00:05 UTC