Josh Hazlewood struck twice in the final session to dismiss Cook and Vince to give Australia the upper hand going into the fourth day DAVID GRAYJoe Root’s crack on the head from a 90mph Mitchell Starc bouncer summed up the England captain’s tortuous day. As players and officials gathered round in concern, and Root took his time to consult the team doctor before continuing, he might have reflected that the blow would surely leave him with a serious headache – had he not already been given one by Steve Smith compiling one of the most masterly centuries of modern Anglo-Australian contests. England had promised they would not lack for fight, and fight they did, never more tenaciously than when Root and Mark Stoneman held out through the last 45 minutes of the day after Alastair Cook and James Vince fell to Josh Hazlewood’s opening burst. Cook’s second low score of…

Source: The Times November 25, 2017 08:26 UTC