Hazlewood: Aussies have scarred England

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The pick of the action from a wicket-laden day two of the third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Headingley

The pick of the action from a wicket-laden day two of the third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Headingley

Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood says England will be “scarred” after being blown away for 67 at Headingley – and that they are “vulnerable” when Joe Root falls early.

Hazlewood picked up five wickets as England were rolled in 27.5 overs on day two of the third Ashes Test, with captain and No 3 batsman Joe Root out to the seamer for a duck, his second in as many innings.

Ashes holders Australia led by 112 on first innings and extended that advantage to 283 by stumps to leave them well placed to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

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“I guess we might be starting a few scars there,” said Hazlewood, after only Joe Denly made double figures for England in Leeds on Friday.

“I don’t think many teams are winning if one of their innings is 60 or 70 runs. It is hard work to come back from during a Test. If we start well they might think ‘here we go again’ so it’s about creating that doubt in the mind.

“I think they love to feel bat on ball, especially through that middle order, so if we can dry up the runs and force a mistake then that’s fantastic.

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England were skittled by Australia in Leeds as their batting malfunctioned, the visitors bowled superbly and David Warner caught like a dream

England were skittled by Australia in Leeds as their batting malfunctioned, the visitors bowled superbly and David Warner caught like a dream

“I certainly like [Root] in there as early as possible. They follow him a little bit, he’s the leader, he’s the captain, he’s got the best average, he’s their best batsman going by numbers.

“So if we can get him I think they can be vulnerable at times. If their best batter’s out you feel a bit more relaxed about your business.”

England batting coach Graham Thorpe says there were “no excuses” for his side’s batting meltdown – but insists they are capable of producing “something special” and denying Australia an Ashes-retaining victory.

“We’re disappointed with the way we batted. It’s tough to take when it happens,” he said. “There were a couple of good balls in our top six but there was also some poor shot selection. There’s no excuses.

I see him with bags of energy. He felt confident but he got a very good ball. The team’s been bowled out for 67 and then he’s got to get back out there and captain. Naturally that is going to take something out of you so it’s up to us to support him.

Graham Thorpe on Joe Root

“Our dressing room won’t make excuses – we simply have to get better, it’s as simple as that. You can’t hide in Test cricket, it is the most mentally challenging thing with which you’ll get presented.

“There’s no point us getting out of bed in the morning if we don’t think we can do something special. The guys we’ve selected, we believe are good enough to do the job. And I still believe they are.

“You only have to look at some of the stats to know they can do better as a group, and that’s a challenge for them. If we can keep [Australia] to 320 or 330, a few of our lads can put their hand up and do something special.

“But we have to try to find a bit more consistency with our play going forward in Test cricket.”

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Jofra Archer was the hero of the Western Terrace when he took a beach ball off a steward and returned it to spectators

Jofra Archer was the hero of the Western Terrace when he took a beach ball off a steward and returned it to spectators

On star seamer Jofra Archer, who took six wickets on day one but limped off with cramp before returning to the field late on day two, Thorpe added: “We’d like to have given him a bit more of a break, 30 overs is not quite enough. He came off [but] he seems alright.”

Watch day three of the third Ashes Test between England and Australia, at Headingley, live on Sky Sports The Ashes from 10am on Saturday.

You can also follow over-by-over commentary and in-play clips on our rolling blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.