Day 1 of the third test was a rain affected day, with the weather assisting the English bowlers and adding to the challenges faced by the Aussies. Warner and Labuschagne had survived and guided Australia to 2 for 136, before Archer took 5 wickets in the final session to knock the Aussies over for 179.
It was nice to see Warner survive, and gather a reasonable score of 61. In the early sessions I got to watch, he played and missed both Archer and Broad on countless occasions, but survived to contribute to the teams score. Labuschagne similarly showed some fight, and looks like he should retain a spot in the batting lineup when Smith returns.
Ultimately, the day belonged to Archer, collecting his first five wicket haul in tests and ending with the excellent figures of 6 for 45.
Day 2 will be interesting, with the English batsmen needing to step up and take control of this test. The match can be taken away in this innings by England, if they can build a big first innings lead. If Australia's attack can keep the score close, even a 100 run deficit isn't the end of the world with the prospect of England chasing a total batting last. Alot depends on the weather and how the pitch changes over the next few days.
All in all, a good day 1, with signs of life from Warner, and Archer living up to the hype, setting up the rest of this test to be potentially and epic battle.
Cheers,
John.
