Five things we learned, day three

The Devil helps Australia

When an Australian batsman reaches 87, alarm bells begin to ring.

Recap & highlights: Australia in total control

Beelzebub. Lucifer. Satan. Whatever you want to call him, it’s well known that the Devil owns the number 87 in cricketing folklore ever since the Prince of Darkness confiscated Don Bradman’s wicket when the master batsman was in sublime touch and 13 runs short of a Sheffield Shield century 86 years ago.

Keith Miller and Richie Benaud spread the word of Bradman’s inexplicable dismissal, and now when an Australian batsman reaches the unholy number they have it their best interests to steal a single as soon as possible.

But on day three at Lord’s, the Devil did the visitors a solid when he sucked the life out of a Mitchell Marsh delivery that found the inside edge of Ben Stokes’ bat that in turn crashed into leg-stump to end the dynamic allrounder’s innings on 87.

And it wasn’t the only time Marsh delivered a breakthrough in that manner…

Marsh the chop-on merchant

Image Id: ~/media/4241B65C90394AA2891218BAEDD5ED8B

Mitch Marsh pumped up after taking the skipper's wicket // Getty Images

On a flat pitch with nothing doing off the seam or in the air, Marsh found a way on a docile Lord’s deck to remove England’s two premier batsmen in the first innings.

The ball that dismissed Stokes looked to have kept a touch low (courtesy of Diablo) and broke the three-hour 145-run stand with captain Cook and return the momentum to the tourists.

Cook was a barnacle on the barren pitch, surviving the early onslaught and toughing out the relentless Australian advances on his way to round two with the new Duke ball.

But as the England skipper readied himself for the looming battle against a new rock, Marsh intervened to stop the fight before the main event bell was rung.

Earlier, a loose drive on 96 brought the same result for Stokes, who played onto his stumps to end his stoic vigil and expose the tail prior to the 80th over.

A candid Mitchell Marsh says he was right to be dropped in the World Cup for veteran allrounder Shane Watson, ahead of the Ashes

“It was nice to get those wickets like that,” Marsh said of his two chopped-on wickets.

“It doesn’t matter how you get them.

“Hopefully I’ll take a few more chop-ons if I have to in the second innings.”

A bowled batsman has no option but to walk back to the pavilion, but that wasn’t the case for Jos Buttler who did it anyway…

Walking still exists

Image Id: ~/media/57EC6C591EA74111A56C90D978E30FBB

Jos Buttler walked after this // Getty Images

Buttler feathered a catch to debutant wicketkeeper Peter Nevill off the bowling of off-spinner Nathan Lyon in the 66th over, and before the Aussies could raise their arms and voice in appeal, the batsman had spun around and started his walk back to the home dressing room.

But umpire Kumar Dharmaseena originally gave Buttler not out, only to change his mind mid-head shake and give the departing batsman out.

Hot Spot didn’t reveal a mark on Buttler’s blade, but Real Time Snicko indicated a sound as ball passed bat.

“I think Jos walked because he hit it,” a frank Mitch Marsh said.

“I think with DRS these days it makes it pretty simple.

“If you hit it and the fielding team goes up and they've got reviews left you know they're going to review it. You may as well walk.”

Jos Buttler walked at Lord's on day three // Getty Images

However, in the first Test of 2013, Australia didn’t have a review left when Stuart Broad edged Ashton Agar to first slip and was given not out by umpire Aleem Dar.

Broad’s decision was one of the first controversial DRS moments in Ashes history, and today we witnessed another…

DRS dilemma

Image Id: ~/media/EF0F84A2E0854F9C82B484A081321DF4

The ball-tracking result that fired Shane Warne up

“Well for me, that’s a bad decision live,” Spin King Shane Warne was not happy with umpire Dharmaseena’s not out decision when Moeen Ali was struck in front by Lyon.

“That should have been out. That was going on to hit the stumps and (it was) umpire’s call.”

Ali was given not out, so with a few overs before each team’s referrals were restored at the 80 over mark, Clarke reviewed what looked to be an adjacent lbw appeal.

While the ball was pitching and hitting the batsman in line, the ball tracking system found the delivery clipping leg stump by less than half the ball, leaving the decision to remain with the original verdict.

Upon seeing the on-field decision upheld, Warne erupted in the Wide World of Sports commentary box.

Shane Warne and Mark Taylor have issues with Moeen Ali surviving via the decision review system at Lord's on day three of the second Test

“I’ve said this a few times, we’ve got to take away what the umpire says when we’re talking about these referral decisions.

“If the umpire had have given that out, that’s out.

“You can’t see the see the same dismissal being given out or not out depending on what the umpire says.

“It’s a bad on-field decision and that causes inconsistency with the review process.

“If take away that, and half the ball is hitting the stumps, it’s out irrelevant of what the on-field decision was.”

But as the Australians showed, the spinners might not be a factor in the fourth innings…

New ball or bust

Image Id: ~/media/3C398C259D75438887A97E46B30BAE7B

Mark Wood is castled // Getty Images

With no lateral movement for the fast bowlers and next to no turn for the tweakers, the damage has to be done with the new ball.

England failed in the first innings to take early wickets while the new red Duke was swinging and seaming, and it cost them as Steve Smith and Chris Rogers batted and batted and batted to lead Australia to a monstrous 8(dec)-566.

It was the same story with the second new ball as Smith and Rogers blunted England’s attempts to end the record-breaking partnership which was finally snapped in the 96th over when the left-hander played Broad on.

Australia did not make the same mistake when they got their chance in the field.

Image Id: ~/media/04745D40F0D94C38B603023A1A09FFA1

Mitch Johnson has taken a wicket or two with the new ball // Getty Images

It took only two balls for Mitchell Starc to dislodge Adam Lyth from the top of the order, before Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood blasted out three more wickets to reduce the hosts to 4-30.

From the 11th over to the 80th, Australia managed three more English wickets, and cleaned up the tail in 67 balls to wrap up a 254-run lead.

England made the same error in Australia’s second innings, dropping Warner to once again waste the new ball and see the visitors off to a flyer.

So Clarke will want at least two decent cracks with a new ball when he decides to declare on day four.

Mitch Johnson and Josh Hazlewood each claimed three wickets as Australia dismissed England well short of the follow-on (Australia only)

Click above to learn more about how to stream the Ashes and more cricket