England opener Zak Crawley became a laughing stock after calling for a DRS review when he was absolutely plumb at the SCG.
Welcome to news.com.au’s live coverage of day five of the New Year’s Ashes Test between Australia and England at the SCG.
The equation is very simple for the Aussies today – take 10 wickets in 98 overs.
However, England face the much more daunting task of trying to survive the entire day and avoid going 4-0 down in the series.
There is unfortunately a lingering threat of rain in Sydney, but hopefully the weather doesn’t interrupt play.
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England star’s ‘wosst DRS review ever’
He hasn’t had the best series with the bat, but Cameron Green’s bowling against England has been outstanding.
The tall all-rounder has removed Zak Crawley for 77, trapping the England opener on the foot with a well-directed yorker.
Crawley called for the review, but replays showed he was dead plumb.
The Age’s Daniel Brettig tweeted: “Good innings by Crawley but reviewing that is a tad entitled.”
Cricket writer Lawrence Booth posted: “Shame. That was the most enjoyable innings by an England batsman all series. Not much competition, I know, but Crawley‘s just done his Test career a power of good.”
7News reporter Taylor Auerbach tweeted: “That was so plum it should be two wickets.”
Three down, seven to go – Ben Stokes is the new man in the middle.
The GOAT strikes
Yuck, that was a sloppy shot from Dawid Malan.
Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has removed the England No. 3 with a flatter, faster delivery that crashed into the left-hander’s off-stump.
It was Lyon’s 15th wicket of the series, and 100th scalp against England in Test cricket.
Two down, eight to go. England captain Joe Root is the new man in the middle.
Fifty for Crawley
England opener Zak Crawley has brought up a half-century at the SCG, his first fifty of the series.
The 23-year-old reached the minor milestone in 69 balls.
“He‘s batting on a different pitch,” former Australian seamer Damien Fleming said on SEN.
“This is brilliant batting.”
Hameed falls cheaply again
Haseeb Hameed was gifted an extra life at the crease, but the England opener couldn’t take advantage.
Aussie cult hero Scott Boland has snared the first wicket of day five, removing Hameed with a delivery that decked away from the right-hander and caught the outside edge.
Thankfully, Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey made no mistake on this occasion. The South Australian’s teammates give him some love in the group huddle.
“That’s a big wicket not only for Australia but Alex Carey, he’s gone low to his right, he’s got two hands to that one,” former Australian gloveman Brad Haddin said on Triple M.
“You see David Warner give him a little bit of an arse slap, he knows how much it means to the Australian team.”
Hameed’s most recent scores in Test cricket are 9, 6, 7, 0, 0 and 6. ABC reporter Sean Wales tweeted: “Hameed averages 31 in FC cricket…what am I missing here? Is he the best opener they‘ve got….”
One down, Nine to go – England No. 3 Dawid Malan is the new man in the middle.
Carey spills early chance
Oh dear, Australia’s day in the field has not started well.
Gloveman Alex Carey has put down a chance to remove England opener Haseeb Hameed for 9 off the bowling of captain Pat Cummins.
Diving low to his right, the South Australian stuck out the right glove, only for the ball to fall onto the turf.
By my count, that’s Carey’s fourth dropped catch of the series.
Ponting’s brutal captaincy call
Former Australian batter Ricky Ponting has called for Joe Root to step down as England captain and hand over the duties to all-rounder Ben Stokes.
After England lost the coveted Ashes urn within 12 days, pundits started questioning whether Root was the right man to lead the Test side.
And during Channel 7’s coverage of day four, Ponting made his thoughts abundantly clear.
“I think it’s time,” he said on Saturday.
“I think four or five years in the job – having been there and done it myself, and with what they‘ve done in the last couple of years – I think it’s time for him to move on and give someone else … and that someone else has to be Ben Stokes.”
Khawaja’s praise for Aussie ‘weapon’
Usman Khawaja has pleaded with Australia’s selectors to show patience with rising all-rounder Cameron Green, predicting he could emulate Steve Waugh as long as he’s given time to develop his immense talent.
Green has had a mixed start to his Test career, averaging 30 with the bat and capturing eight wickets from his eight appearances in the baggy green.
But he is still just 22 and has shown enough signs to suggest that he’s got a bright future ahead of him, with Khawaja convinced he has all the ingredients to become one of the greats.
“He‘s a weapon, he’s a gun batsman,” Khawaja said.
“He‘s played some unbelievable innings against myself and Queensland and I’ve seen the way he is and he can do it at Test level.
“He just needs a bit of time because it’s not easy. Test cricket‘s tough work.
“He hasn’t got as many runs as last year but he’s scored a few hundreds in Shield cricket and he‘s bowling beautifully.
“That’s just a bonus because it’s unbelievable that he bowls 140km/h plus.
‘You don‘t get players like him very often and I think the selectors know that, they see that we need to give this guy the opportunity and time for him to develop.
“If you do that and invest in these players at a young age, something I think we probably haven‘t done as well in the past, chopping and changing a lot, you’ll reap the rewards later down the track, the second time and third time they go away.
“You saw that with Steve Waugh and I think the same can be said about Cam Green.”
Originally published as SCG Ashes Test live: England opener Zak Crawley roasted after ‘worst DRS review ever’
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