Chris Wakes took the lead with his great buddy Mark Wood on the other end. Photo: GETTY IMAGES/Stu Forster
Talent, technique and temperament. Cricket has long been celebrated as a test of all three virtues, but there can hardly be a more severe test of temperament in peacetime than the climax of the Trial of Ashes, on which the outcome of the entire series depends.
Such was the predicament of England, when to Harry Brooke was joined by Chris Wakes, and it still required 80 runs to win and save the anti-climax this summer, the referee's signal for any extra action—every goodbye, legal goodbye, and no ball—was a roaring echo of 20 000 spectators in Headingley and many times more than outside.
How many of us can guarantee that they will be exactly at the right level of concert tone when the 141-year-old drama of Ashes reaches its next climax: neither crippled by nerves after so much worries about the result, nor overflowing with adrenaline and incapable of common sense?
Ben Stokes is world famous for his temperament, but even he, by his own admission, failed to watch the last 20 runs England had to score. Yes, the Hercules of English cricket. When he made this confession, Stokes was wearing a blue hat that would fit the head of Bill or Ben, the Flower Pot Men, but his earnestness withstood even attempts by the ECB's marketing department.
The Aussie's apprentice, Todd Murphy, was so nervous that for the first ball of his second over, after a run of just four yards, he stepped over a burst crease. Australia missed Nathan Lyon very much: had he been there to keep England under control from the rugby stands, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Stark would have had shorter, sharper spells.
Wakes showed the perfect temperament. To get back into this series, England needed a partnership, just one partnership, and nothing of note followed. Woakes shared one of 59 with Harry Brook, who shifted dominance from Australia to England, and then another with Mark Wood with 24 runs that took England over the line as Woakes broke the winning margin.
ABSOLUTE SCENES!
Pints fly as England wins 3rd Ashes Test 🍻🍻🍻 pic.twitter.com/19Jyx04qQQ
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 9, 2023 scoring 82 points in one elimination each without playing in between tests this calendar year. If Joe Root had caught Mitchell Marsh when he was only 12 in his first inning close to the Woakes, England would have undoubtedly beat Australia by far fewer than 263 and there would never have been a climax.
It was real maturity on the part of Wouks at the age of 34. In the 10 years since his Test debut in 2013, he has been the understudy for James Anderson and Stuart Broad: a decade of being overlooked or underestimated, he was expected to play rhythm when given it. a place out of the way, but never allowed a long run, and then called upon to perform in the most difficult circumstances. He deserved the first fast pitch of the series.
Copy of boycott briefing, third test day, fourth after the game
Several more high-profile members of the England team threw the bat at their first ball while being so restrained. Wakes did the same on his first ball before setting the correct bet for the situation. He didn't leave Brook with the scoring, but contributed 22 points to their 50 and then made an equally modest voodoo stand-in.
It's no secret that Wookes, like most bowlers, prefers to administer than to receive short balls. After an ineffective 10 in his first innings, Wookes adapted to the dodgeballs of Stark and Cummins for the second time, using his own form of defensive back throw, which involved twisting and intercepting the ball over a short leg. Not stately standing, wearing gloves and a fence, but an active response.
After his winning blow, which brought euphoria to Headingley, Wookes was all smiles. However, as Root lay disconsolately on the ground after dropping Marsh, Woux also hid a sympathetic smile under his arm. He felt almost the same about triumph and disaster.
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