Veteran Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, aided by Marnus Labuschagne’s brilliant fielding, has put his team in a great position by dismissing England’s Harry Brook in the first session of Day 4 of the ongoing Ashes 2023 Test in Edgbaston.
The visitors had strung together a few quiet overs and Brook seemed to be feeling the pressure. In order to break the shackles, he tried to pull Lyon behind square leg. However, the right-hander failed to judge the length of the ball as it was fuller than he expected.
Brook could only hit it towards short mid-wicket, where Marnus Labuschagne completed a brilliant catch by diving to his right. The fielder had anticipated the pull shot and had taken two steps to his right already. That premeditation helped Labuschagne complete a brilliant catch.
Here’s a video of Lyon dismissing Brook:
Nathan Lyon hands Australia the upper hand in gripping first session
Joe Root made his intentions pretty clear as he tried to reverse-scoop the very first delivery of Day 4. The former England captain began to score quickly and it seemed like the hosts had made their minds clear to go after the Australian bowling.
An incredible inswinging yorker helped captain Pat Cummins send back Ollie Pope. But Joe Root then got the support of Harry Brook and runs began to flow from both ends. This is probably why both Root and Brook will be a tad disappointed to be dismissed in their 40s and for not converting their start into a big score.
Lyon once again proved why he is invaluable to this Australian side as his double-strike of Root and Brook has given the visitors arguably the upper hand in the game. Jonny Bairstow and England captain Ben Stokes will not hold back from playing their shots and this makes it an incredibly intriguing post-lunch session.
Edited by Anirudh
Thank You!