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Mark Wood, Jack Leach & sub keeper Ollie Pope starred on Day 4 of the 4th Test for England but Usman Khawaja & Cameron Green extended Australia’s lead tally that sets them 388 runs to win

by Sports Benches

An Unbelievable fightback from Australia on Day 4 when they lost their opening and top-order early before Usman Khawaja turned around with another Test Match 100, Australia declared 265-6 that includes a 387 run lead as England are on 30-0 right now going into Day 5 with 358 more runs to meet the 388 run target & win the 4th Test.

There’s one word to describe Usman Khawaja’s batting spell at the Sydney Cricket Ground and that is outstanding to see with both hundreds made in an Ashes Test, he’s a proper red-ball batsman who knows how to get off the mark alongside a mix of strikes downtown & safe to say that Usman learned a lot while being away from the Australian Test team by returning there as a better player. And hats off to Cameron Green on his 2nd Test 50 (74) since India last year at the same venue, not only he did well to back Usman up but he played some nice shots along the way when he came on at six which shows he’s more than capable of being a long-term all-rounder option alongside some backup as a fast bowler for Australia at Test level.

Meanwhile at the England camp, credit to Mark Wood who not only came off from a brilliant quickfire 39 yesterday in the tail end at 8 but he did a great job removing David Warner & Marnus Labuschagne early with the ball. We also want to give a shoutout to spinner Jack Leach who got out Marcus Harris & clean bowled Steve Smith through the gate at the same time, and hats off to sub keeper Ollie Pope with four catches during Australia’s 2nd innings run.

Although England have let themselves down on occasions while Khawaja & Green extended Australia’s lead run tally, but they’ve got three sessions left to meet the 388 run target with patience, communication and reading to make up the maximum runs is key towards winning. Australia on the other hand only needs 10 wickets to win to finish up the job ASAP tomorrow & go 4-0 up with one Test match left in Hobart beginning on Friday.

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Test Cricket News, Ben Stokes & Jonny Bairstow’s stole the show for England on Day 3 but Australia still ahead in the 4th Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground

by Sports Benches

It’s been a competitive Day 3 of the 4th Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground where England fought back as of late thanks to Ben Stokes who scored 66 while they got a finally century for the first time so far this tour from Jonny Bairstow on 103*, but England are still behind by 158 runs on 258-7 after they lost a couple of wickets earlier in the day to Australia.

It’s a shame that England’s top-order pair of Joe Root & Dawid Malan didn’t stay that long but the opening slot looks way worse as it still needs to be resolved urgently after Haseeb Hameed got exposed by Mitchell Starc yet again for another low-figure score on 6 while Zak Crawley haven’t found a decent score since his recall last week, there are some upsides though in the middle-order with Bairstow and Stokes batting dynamically in the middle with much-needed runs on the board. We also want to credit Mark Wood down in the tail end at 8 who did a great job backing Bairstow up, he also executed some nice shots downtown like a smashing T20 player & although we would love to see Wood get his quickfire 50 but just unlucky not to continue on 39.

And great to see Australia still holding on top spot with Scott Boland always up and running having taken two wickets after a unreal Test debut last week in Melbourne, Skipper Pat Cummins also picked up the same amount of wickets as Boland when Australia had to make up lost time on the field while Bairstow & Stokes were there which is disappointing but they’re in a good position now to finish the job ASAP tomorrow.

As just said right now, Australia needs to finish up England’s 1st innings batting spell quickly before they bat again since there’s no longer a follow-on option and increase the lead to another 200-250, then declare going into the 5th & final Day on Sunday & win 4-0.

And England needs Bairstow badly to stay as well as some backup from the other end if they can, otherwise it’ll take a miracle to make up a huge Australian batting collapse with the ball or it’s one step closer towards a 5-0 whitewash the wrong way by Hobart next weekend.

#Ashes #Cricket #Australia #England #BenStokes #JonnyBairstow #MarkWood #ScottBoland #PatCummins #AUSvENG

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Test Cricket News, Usman Khawaja’s return to Test Cricket with a huge ton has helped Australia on Day 2 of the 4th 2021-22 Test in Sydney

by Sports Benches

What a day for the Aussies on Day 2 of the 4th Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground thanks to the returning Usman Khawaja as they scored 416/8 before the declaration while England are on 13/0 with a trail of 403 runs, Khawaja scored a whopping 133 before he was bowled out by Stuart Broad who just got his 5fer but his sensational knock of 137 today outsmarted the whole England side where he came in at five in place for Travis Head after he was tested positive to COVID rather than the usual opening/top-order role.

Usman is just a proper test player having scored countless of runs before in red ball cricket especially via the domestic format both in Australia & England, yes it’s true that he was not a regular in the Australian Test team whether it’s through injuries or loss of form but at age 35 he still has the ability and determination to play Test for another few years before retiring.

Without Usman it wouldn’t be possible for Australia to reach 400 with Steve Smith also piling the runs on 67 as well as a brilliant quickfire spell from Mitchell Starc at the tail end on 34, regardless of the weather conditions tomorrow they need their bowlers to get the job done ASAP then think about following on or bat a bit more.

Meanwhile, it’s great to see Stuart Broad secure his 5fer for England which is incredible especially when he dismissed plenty of key opposition players with the ball, but unfortunately the rest have let him down while Smith & Khawaja prolonged Australia’s 1st innings batting spell past 400 that left England a very difficult task to catch up tomorrow before their opening pair (Haseeb Hameed & Zak Crawley) gets exposed cheaply yet again.

Leaving Broad out at the start of the Ashes in Brisbane even though he still has the pace to burn at 35 like a fine wine alongside another experienced ageless star in Jimmy Anderson (age 39) is a huge mistake, yes England’s bowling has been okay so far after three tests but not on par as Australia’s if you leave out Broad and Anderson.

#AUSvENG #Ashes #Cricket #Australia #England #UsmanKhawaja #StuartBroad #SteveSmith #SydneyCricketGround #MitchellStarc

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Test Cricket News, Rain halted most of play during Day 1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground but England ahead with three wickets as Australia 126-3

by Sports Benches

Mother Nature may have interrupted for most of today but at least we’ve seen some of the action at the Sydney Cricket Ground where Australia won the toss and elected to bat first, they are on 126-3 right now at stumps after Day 1 but it’s England who took up the early wickets especially at the expense of both of Australia’s openers (David Warner & Marcus Harris) plus Marnus Labuschagne.

Australia did fire off for a start having formed two 50-run partnerships but just pressed the panic button when they were caught behind the keepers’ gloves or the slips & couldn’t have the opportunity to make up big numbers of their own. There’s still time to turn it around though with Steve Smith in there on 6* as well as the returning Usman Khawaja at 5 in place of Travis Head on 4*.

And England credits the wet weather to their strong start with the ball, they read the off-stump well alongside a full length that saw the opposition edged straight into their hands & now they want to get Smith & Khawaja out early + the remaining tail tomorrow then they hope to produce a big total in return if England want to be closer to the box seat which hasn’t happened so far in this Ashes tour even though they already lost another series here 3-0.

#Ashes #Cricket #SydneyCricketGround #Australia #England #MarkWood #StuartBroad #JamesAnderson #DavidWarner #MarcusHarris #MarnusLabuschagne #SteveSmith #UsmanKhawaja #TestCricket

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Rugby

Rugby Union News , 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman RD1: Waratahs v Hurricanes Game Report

by Sports Benches

It was a high scoring affair between the Canes & Tahs at SCG. Both teams were able to get the ball rolling with a few touch scores. But it is the away side who lead NSW Waratahs ahead of half-time. It does not mean that the Tahs are out of the race just yet. As they are split with a 11 point buffer at 22-33 going into the final 40.

Tahs tried to hold back Hurricanes with more touchdowns submitted. Especially with tighthead prop Harry Johnson-Holmes at No 3. Where he picked up two good big scores. But cannot underestimate an attacking minded away team. They too extended their lead past them by 15-16 points with 20 minutes left.

Before the Canes topped up a couple more late tries towards the end. Which was enough to hold off Waratahs for the win. Despite the two late five pointers earned from the home side. Plus some improvement as of late. Thanks to skipper Jake Gordon. Just not enough time to catch up. With the ill-discipline/lost penalties. And the advantage against them reflected another loss. The final score at the SCG is a 16 point gap, 48-64.

Hurricanes will head south to Melbourne next Friday v Rebels. While the Tahs enters the NZ borders. When they will meet the Blues in Auckland next Saturday.

For now we look forward to another Trans-Tasman affair here. That is Rebels v Blues tonight at AAMI Park in Melbourne. Make sure you tune in at 7.30pm live on 9Gem via Free to Air. And Stan Sport (paywall).

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Rugby

Australian Rugby News, 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman: Top 3 players from the Waratahs v Hurricanes

by Sports Benches

Jordie Barrett was outstanding at full-back for the Canes. He just knows how to execute a well balanced attack. Especially through the wide areas through the channels. That is how his side were able to stack up the big touch scores last night.

He has so much hand eye coordination with the ball on hand. That is good for Jordie to look at the Tahs weaknesses. In which he was able to flick through to his man. It is not far away from him to keep that communication ticking. Before the Hurricanes were able to reduce his workload. And get past the opposition that is hard for the Waratahs to nail down.

We also know that Jordie is great with the kicking too. In which he demonstrated so much attacking flexibility. Such as the quick balls, cross kicks & physicality. It makes him a complete player that any opponent hates to hear. Because if they cannot add defensive pressure. After the mistakes going forward. Then the team Jordie is playing will punish ultimately them. The Canes may not done well in Super Rugby Aotearoa. But a win v Tahs in Sydney could see the Canes thrive against the Aussie teams. Watch this space over the next few weeks from Jordie Barrett.

Julian Savea

Another player who was great for the Canes is Julian Savea. He plays at right winger. So part of the backline three with Jordie Barrett at full-back. And Salesi Rayasi on his opposite flank via the left.

He is blessed with his side attacking setup going forward. Especially with the patience Jordie Barrett kept a great read on the Tahs. They were able to keep that passage of play flowing. Before the ball came to Julian at the right time. Then he controlled the game with the blistering finish. Pace, power and precision. That is three words where he touch scored twice.

He is age 30 right now with a tall near two meter build. It is like how his attacking shape kept the ball in play. Then go out wide that advised Julian to get ready. And once he has the ball. He was always involved in a sprint race down to the touch line. If you remove the ball & put him in a 100m sprint at the Olympics. He may have a decent chance to close out with the gold medal. For now the Canes has to take one step per week. His side may not be outstanding in Super Rugby Aotearoa. But can emerge out of nowhere v AUS teams.

Jake Gordon

He continued to be a great influence in the Waratahs final third. When Jake was injured in the early weeks during Super Rugby AU. It was not the same without him at scrum-half. That ultimately led to the firing of Rob Penney as Coach. Which is 24 hours after I attended in person v Reds in Homebush. Just in time before he came back & improved this Tahs team.

Jake did make up some lost time. He called in for some decoy runners to help him look at the Canes. It is important to look around their weaknesses. Before the communication was there via the short pass. Then got around with some space that saw the Tahs top up a few tries. They never gave up for the whole time. While still in contention towards a win at home.

Unfortunately they were still left with a loss against them. Even though it was a high scoring game. It was good to see the Tahs score plenty of points. If Jake was there for the 10 weeks v Australian teams alone. Then at least they would make it to the Qualifying Final. But sadly it did not go their way at the wrong time. When you look at the five powerful New Zealand teams. That puts them with even more pressure. Now it is just a fresh start for NSW after one game. They just need to keep that attacking awareness as shown last night. And show what they are made of against the Blues (away) next Saturday.

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Rugby

Rugby News Australia, 2021 Super Rugby AU Week 7 Preview: Waratahs v Brumbies

by Sports Benches

The Waratahs remain winless after five meetings so far. Especially when they were hit so easily last week v Queensland Reds at home. Despite a little boost only in the 2nd half. At the same time they also sacked Rob Penney from the coach role.

With Jason Gilmore and Chris Whitaker taking the reigns for now. Their first assignment will be a tough one at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Where the Tahs will face current champs ACT Brumbies.

Brumbies have won both games against them in 2020. The same goes two years ago. While the Waratahs have last won during Round 7 on March 31 2018 in Canberra. And their last home win v Brumbies was Week 6 on 22 March 2015.

Waratahs

Angus Bell moves back to loosehead after coming off the bench last week. Where he recovered on the sidelines from Round 2 to 5 due to injury. So Harry Johnson-Holmes pushed to tighthead. With Dave Porecki still holding on at hooker. There is a new face on the block such as Max Douglas. He will join Jeremy Williams.

And the back row trio will remain ahead of tomorrow night. Hugh Sinclair, Carlo Tizzano & Will Harris. Jake Gordon now returns from injury at half-back. As well as the captaincy. Will Harrison remains at fly-half. So does James Ramm & Alex Newsome on each wing. Izaia Perese & Lalakai Foketi swap each other in the midfield. And Jack Maddocks at No.15.

Subs

Tom Horton still behind Dave Porecki at hooker. Tetere Faulkner & Darcy Breen in the props. Michael Wood in the second row. As well as Charlie Gamble at loose forward. Jack Grant demoted to the reserve half-back. Tane Edmed behind Will Harrison. And Mark Nawaqanitawase completes the Tahs matchday 23. Where he looks to gain some time at utility back.

Brumbies

Harry Lloyd & James Slipper in the prop positions. With Folau Faingaa at hooker in the No.2 shirt. Darcy Swain out for Nick Frost alongside Caderyn Neville. Rob Valetini is joined by the returning Tom Cusack at flanker. And Pete Samu at 8.

Nic White & Noah Lolesio remains at 9 & 10. Andy Muirhead shifted from right to left wing. Where Tom Wright returns from a long-term knee injury. Irae Simone & Len Ikitau stays in this midfield. As Tom Banks completes the Brumbies XV v Waratahs.

Subs

Lachlan Longeran at hooker. Fred Kaihea & Richie Kautai in the props. James Tucker at lock. Rory Scott as reserve back rower. Ryan Longeran behind White. While Bayley Kuenzle back as the 2nd choice fly-half. And Mack Hansen at utility back.

Final Thoughts

Waratahs would have to be on their very best. Since there is little pathway to get themselves in Playoff contention. One thing for sure is that they know how to fire off. Thanks to their defense reading/help that helped them win penalties. But unable to get the ball rolling with a lack of patience. And it will interesting if the Tahs can marry up the consistency. Especially with Jake Gordon back from injury. And take the skipper band again at half-back

Brumbies on the other hand wants to keep on winning. And it would be a better time when they have a couple returned from injury. In which will no doubt boost their chances. So the Grand Final berth is still there either way. And chase that 2nd consecutive title. They are well balanced when their run was all-round from start to finish. Too easy to close cap it off last Friday v Western Force. They hope to do the same thing again v the Waratahs.

The end result for me would be the Brumbies to win by 25 points.

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