Key occasions
one hundredth over: Australia 388-6 (Carey 9, Starc 0) Blissful to take a single is Carey, turned to midwicket. Starc leaves one, wafts at one other. Umesh bought Starc out in his reversing spell of three for 12 within the first innings at Indore a few months in the past, a efficiency that saved India within the recreation for some time after having been bowled out for 109. Starc survives this time.
99th over: Australia 387-6 (Carey 8, Starc 0) With that wicket below his belt, Shardul Thakur is all of a sudden into his stride. Bowls a great tight line on the physique of the left-handed Starc, a little bit of motion by the air even when the size isn’t full. We’ve seen some high quality spells from him over the previous couple of years. Bowls a straightening line throughout Starc to observe that almost attracts a nick behind.
India have clawed again into the competition on this session, they will’t afford to let the decrease order get Australia up round 450 although.
WICKET! Smith b Thakur 121, Australia 387 for five
That’s the one! The Oval erupts as Smith’s stumps gentle up. Shardul Thakur on for a trundle, and that have to be near essentially the most innocent ball that has ever bought Smith out. A warm-up ball, effectively outdoors the off stump, and for some cause Smith leaves his bat hanging on the market, effectively away from his physique. It takes the within edge, and he doesn’t get the fortunate runs that Carey loved within the earlier over. He simply will get dismissed.

98th over: Australia 387-5 (Smith 121, Carey 8) Streaky from Carey, chops a shot off the within edge previous his stumps for 4. Umesh’s fruitless bowling innings continues.
97th over: Australia 382-5 (Smith 120, Carey 4) Off the mark with a boundary is Carey, opening the face and steering behind level. Shami is bowling across the wicket to him, two slips and a gully in place. Smashes him on the pad final ball of the over, happening the leg aspect I fancy. Management+C, Management+V, one other large attraction from a backward-running Shami, and this time Rohit shapes to request the overview… and doesn’t. Pulls his arms away from the T signal and walks straight to their drinks break huddle.
96th over: Australia 378-5 (Smith 120, Carey 0) Umesh Yadav on to bowl one over earlier than drinks. Higher than his begin yesterday, it solely yields a dashed single for Smith and a leg bye from Carey.
ninety fifth over: Australia 376-5 (Smith 119, Carey 0) Shami to the left-handed Carey, working within the channel outdoors off stump instantly. Smashed on the pad final ball of the over, however excessive, perhaps some bat in there? Arduous to inform, it bounced up in the direction of level a good distance.
WICKET! Inexperienced c Gill b Shami 6, Australia 376 for five
There’s one for India! Inexperienced regarded good for a minute however he goals a hard-handed drive at a ball that’s not full sufficient for it. Seeking to power that greater than drive it, not totally ahead. Shami will get sufficient from the pitch to take the sting and it flies to first slip, practically taking Gill with it to the boundary. He manages to cling on whereas he falls.
94th over: Australia 368-4 (Smith 119, Inexperienced 6) Siraj will probably be annoyed. Attracts an edge from Smith, however it’s thick and low, flying sq. by the finer a part of the gully space for 4. Siraj follows up by revisiting his early sins, full on the pads and Smith clips him for one more boundary.
93rd over: Australia 368-4 (Smith 111, Inexperienced 6) So Travis Head’s profession batting common is as much as 47.62. The partnership was 285, which is twenty ninth on Australia’s all-time partnership checklist.
92nd over: Australia 367-4 (Smith 110, Inexperienced 6) Cameron Inexperienced to the center for his first hit in England, and he smokes his first ball for 4! Width, sufficient to smash a sq. drive behind level. Then takes two extra by sq.. Comfy begin. One other bouncer goes means over the batter’s head, once more waved by by the umpire.
WICKET! Head c Bharat b Siraj 163, Australia 361-4
There it’s! Reduction for India. Head isn’t actually a bunker-down-and-go-again type of participant, so he retains throwing the bat at every little thing. This time it’s a ball down the leg aspect as he’s stepping throughout to off. Middling size, about hip excessive. Will get a glove on it to the keeper.

Cricket – ICC World Take a look at Championship Ultimate – Australia v India – The Oval, London, Britain – June 8, 2023 India’s Mohammed Siraj celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia’s Travis Head Motion Photos through Reuters/Paul Childs {Photograph}: Paul Childs/Motion Photos/Reuters
91st over: Australia 361-3 (Smith 110, Head 163) Shami tries the brief ball from the far finish, and Head whacks that for 4. Then one other pull to high quality leg for a single. Pitches up on the finish of the over and Smith drives that by cowl for 4! Hasn’t performed a lot on the off aspect on this innings however he will get the width there to open his palms.
ninetieth over: Australia 351-3 (Smith 106, Head 158) Abruptly some life from Siraj! Will get his size proper with the brief ball, savagely rising at head who fends it away desperately and will get fortunate because it lands safely behind level. Two balls later, he miscues a pull shot into the leg aspect, touchdown in a spot between a few fielders. The ball in between these two, although, he pulls for 4. Basic Travis Head sequence there.
89th over: Australia 345-3 (Smith 105, Head 153) The primary boundary of the day for Head, leaning again and putting his lower shot behind level from Shami. He offers a modest wave and nothing extra for the applause greeting his 150 – fairly proper, Travis, it’s a nonsense milestone. Get a double ton and salute that. He tries an identical shot subsequent ball and will get another run. Smith glances one other.
88th over: Australia 338-3 (Smith 104, Head 148) Siraj works away, and after that early flurry Smith goes again into his defensive mode from yesterday. The one run is a large from a excessive bouncer. India’s quicks actually haven’t bought the size on this pitch, a lot of the brief balls yesterday went crusing over. And the umpires ignored most of these yesterday, however this one is named at present.
87th over: Australia 338-3 (Smith 104, Head 148) Mohammed Shami on from the Vauxhall Finish, and hitting a good size. Each gamers bat sensibly, with a few singles, till Head swishes on the final ball of the over and misses.
CENTURY! Steve Smith 103 from 229 balls
86th over: Australia 336-3 (Smith 103, Head 147) Effectively that doesn’t take lengthy! Travis Head rides the bounce of the primary ball of the day, dropping it to the leg aspect for a run. Then Siraj bowls two choices on the pads, and Smith flicks them each away by the leg aspect for 4! He goes from 95 to 103 within the blink of an eye fixed, and has no sooner began his day than he’s lifting his arms to the gang in salute, kissing the badge and all that stuff, celebrating Take a look at century #31 in his private assortment. That’s one each 3.12 matches throughout his profession.

The gamers are within the center, we’re able to go.
Pretty day right here at The Oval, the forecast was spot on to this point. Not a cloud seen about quarter of an hour earlier than play. Nice sunshine however not scorching.
If you wish to come down there could be seats out there within the Pavilion. They solely bought round to releasing these publicly a couple of days in the past, given the Surrey members hadn’t proven a lot curiosity. So it was largely empty in that one stand yesterday.
This being the ICC + cricket in England, these tickets are most likely punishingly costly if they’re out there. Let me know when you’ve been scoping it out, enquiring minds need to know.
Need to find out about Travis Head reaching new heights earlier than lots of people have realised that he’s fairly that good? I’ve bought you lined.
Desire a wider lens on the entire shebang, the which means, the spectacle, the aggravated public servants? Andy Bull is your reply.
Need the main points of yesterday? Have Simon Burnton’s match report.
Preamble

Geoff Lemon
Gooood morning/morrow/gloaming/evensong, or no matter temporal variant applies to you. It’s time for the World Take a look at Championship last to enter its second section, on a day that the Australians will probably be wanting ahead to fairly greater than what might be a sore and irritable Indian workforce.
India have been within the recreation yesterday after some fierce bowling at the beginning, however then Travis Head did the Travis Head trick, which is to make 1,000,000 runs at 1,000,000 miles an hour. He’s resuming on 156 not out, Steve Smith on 95 not out, they usually may race up the checklist of Australian partnerships with 251 already between them.
Commentary assertion of the apparent: India want all the wickets in not one of the time, and it’s speculated to be a sunny day in London with temperatures within the low 20s. That’s proper: formally a Batting Day. Put together your self.