Mitchell Marsh, Mark Wood headline eventful opening day at Headingley

It was a rollercoaster opening day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley as England and Australia traded blows on a lively pitch. Mitchell Marsh led the visitor’s fightback after four wickets fell in the opening session with a stunning 102-ball century before Mark Wood rattled Pat Cummins’ side, picking up 5-34 to help England take the final six Australian wickets for just 23 runs and dismiss them for 263. The drama continued in the second innings as the hosts lost their top three for 68 runs, trailing by 195 at the close of play.

Having won their third toss of the series, Ben Stokes’ men got off to a great start to this must-win encounter in helpful conditions. Stuart Broad removed David Warner for the 16^th time in Test cricket in the first over of the morning, drawing an outside edge from the left-hander that flew to Zak Crawley at second slip.

Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne were then tested by a fiery spell from Mark Wood on his return to competitive action. The fast-bowler clocked speeds of up to 155kph in his sensational opening burst and beat Usman Khawaja for pace off the final ball before the drinks break, castling the left-hander’s leg-stump on 13.

Labuschagne survived the early examination against the new ball but couldn’t make his start count as he nicked Woakes to first slip before Stuart Broad rounded up England’s excellent morning by dismissing Steve Smith for 22.

The hosts could have added to their advantage but failed to hold onto their catches either side of the Lunch break as Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh were dropped by Bairstow and Root, respectively. Playing in his first Test since 2019, Marsh made England pay for that missed opportunity as he launched a thunderous counter-attack to rescue the visitors from 85 for 4. The all-rounder bludgeoned the English bowlers throughout the afternoon session in a boundary-laden innings.

Marsh got to a 59-ball half-century and smashed 17 fours and 4 sixes to race away to his third Test ton in just 102 balls, putting the hosts on the back foot. However, just as the game began to slip away from England, Chris Woakes returned to break the 155-run stand before Tea, dismissing Marsh for 118 with a delivery that clipped his inside edge and ballooned to the slips off the thigh pad.

Woakes also removed Travis Head just after the interval, the left-hander slashing a wide one to Joe Root at first slip, before Mark Wood wreaked havoc against the lower-order. The speedster dismissed Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins with his extra pace and rounded up the tail with the wickets of Alex Carey and Todd Murphy, registering his first five-wicket haul on home soil to bowl Australia out for 263.

The English openers knocked off 18 runs within the first three overs of their innings, but Australia hit back with the ball as Pat Cummins removed Ben Duckett and Harry Brook off consecutive overs, while Mitchell Marsh nicked off Crawley for 33 to reduce England to 65 for 3.