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England captain Ben Stokes has opened up about the decision to send Brydon Carse at the number three position during the second innings of the Boxing Day Test against Australia.
During the run chase of England, the visitors made a shock change in their batting order when Carse, who traditionally bats at No.9 or 10, came out to bat at number three. However, the move didn't work for the Three Lions as Carse made just six runs. The move didn't work, but it allowed Jacob Bethell, who batted at number three in the first innings, scored vital runs (40) in England's memorable four-wicket win in Melbourne. During the post-match conference, Stokes explained that both teams were struggling and they wanted someone who could score quickly 20 or 30 runs. "The top order from both teams were struggling to find a way to consistently score runs or feel any fluency. So, we went with the idea of sending someone who's got talent with the bat and a very good eye for hitting the ball (in)," Stokes said, as quoted by FOX Cricket. "Even if he gets a quick 20 or 30, that's massive in a very small run chase. Unfortunately, it didn't quite come off for us, but even the 15 to 20 minutes that he spent out there made it a little bit easier for 'Beth' (Jacob Bethell) to come in and build the innings that he did," Stokes added. Coming to the match, England won the toss and opted to bowl first. Josh Tongue (5/45) took England's first-ever Boxing Day Test five-wicket haul at the MCG, as Australia were skittled out for 152 runs in 45.2 overs, with Michael Neser (35 in 49 balls, with seven fours) and Usman Khawaja (29 in 52 balls, with two fours) being the top scorers for Australia. However, England were bundled out for 110 in 29.5 overs in their first innings, with Harry Brook (41 in 34 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Gus Atkinson (28 in 35 balls, with three fours and a six). A mix of England's 'Bazball' approach failing yet again and the pitch being absolutely unplayable for batters gave Neser (4/45) and hometown hero Scott Boland (3/30) easy wickets. England trailed by 42 runs. In their second innings, Australia failed to make an impact, once again highlighting the pitch's venomous, treacherous nature. Only Travis Head (46 in 67 balls, with four boundaries) and Steve Smith (24* in 39 balls, with a four) crossed the 20-run mark as England bundled them out for just 132 runs in 34.3 overs. Aussies led by 174 runs, setting an easy 175 to win for England. Brydon Carse (4/34) and skipper Ben Stokes (3/24) were the top bowlers for England. In the run chase, England started well with a half-century stand between Zak Crawley (37 in 48 balls, with three fours and a six) and Ben Duckett (34 in 26 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and a 47-run stand for the third wicket between Crawley and Jacob Bethell (40 in 46 balls, with five fours). Australia did fight back a bit, reducing England from 112/2 to 165/6, but the pair of Harry Brook (18*) and Jamie Smith (3*) guided their team to a memorable win. (ANI)
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