Ashish Ranjan
The third Test of the Ashes 2023 has been a riveting contest due to the rapid advancement of the game. On Day 2, England’s captain Ben Stokes played a magnificent counter-attacking innings of 80 (108 runs) to help his team score crucial runs batting with the tail. The English captain punished off-spinner Todd Murphy by hitting him with five sixes.
However, the off-spinner made a remarkable rescue by catching him at long-on, allowing Australia to gain a 26-run advantage in the first innings. Murphy disclosed that his commander, Pat Cummins, encouraged him to believe in himself throughout his battle with Stokes, as he discussed the conflict.
“It was simply a matter of being courageous, and Patty (Cummins) was simply reiterating, ‘Keep believing in yourself, friend; you’ll create an opportunity for us.’ Murphy was quoted by cricket.com.au as saying, “I probably cost myself a little bit with that dropped catch, but it’s always enjoyable to compete with a player of Stokes’ caliber.”
Notably, Stokes was given two lives during his innings after Mitchell Starc dropped the ball at deep mid-wicket. Murphy then missed a caught and bowled opportunity on the subsequent delivery.Murphy added that anything above 250 would be sufficient to strike England out and take a 3-0 lead for Australia in the fourth innings.
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Todd Murphy is confident Australia will win 3-0
“As many as possible would be ideal. I believe that it is currently well-balanced. If we can amass a lead of 250 runs or more, I believe we will have an opportunity to take 10 wickets and, hopefully, go up 3-0,” he added.
