Ashes Third Test, Headingley

Australia lead the series 1-0 after winning the first Test at Edgbaston and drawing at Lord's.

The Aussies will be without former captain and the best batsman in the world after Steve Smith was ruled out with concussion following a Jofra Archer bouncer that struck him on the neck in his first innings at Lord's.

Marnus Labuschagne is expected to fill Smith's spot like he did at Lord's when he entered the fray as Test cricket's first ever concussion substitute where he scored an admirable 59 runs, helping to steer Australia to a draw on the final day.

It's expected that Peter Siddle will drop out of the side to allow for the return of James Pattinson who was rested for the second Test. Mitchell Starc seems destined to remain on drinks duty.

England meanwhile are expected to name an unchanged 11 although they may tinker with the make up of the batting order. Joe Root has struggled at first drop, while Jason Roy has failed to make the switch from opening in the ODI team to becoming a Test opener. Root is expected to move down to four with Joe Denly jumping into the number three position.

Many are talking about the effect of Jofra Archer's entry into Test cricket. Interestingly, his debut performance lands him as just the 312th best bowler on debut with overall figures of 5/91. He need only look across at his opponents in Pat Cummins (7/117) and Josh Hazlewood (7/142) who had better debut figures.

The Headingley pitch is rumoured to be a slow deck that will crumble and break up towards the end of the match. An interesting decision by the ground staff there given Australia's Nathan Lyon has been collecting wickets for fun and spun the English into knots in the first Test.

As always the toss will be important and Tim Paine will be hoping his luck continues. This will likely be a bat first pitch because no one will be looking to bat last on a decaying deck.

Play starts at 8pm AEST tonight so get your picture-in-picture going or set up a second screen to make sure you don't miss the first ball while watching the Eels belt the Dogs.

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SuperEel 22 replied to LB's discussion NRL Topic: V'Landys doubles down on rule change
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I've even gone as far to…"
7 minutes ago
SuperEel 22 replied to LB's discussion NRL Topic: V'Landys doubles down on rule change
"The six-again rule, despite PVL continuing to claim it boosted viewership, resulted in some of the most lopsided competitions in NRL history. It has and continue to be bad for the game and negatively impacts the flow of matches.
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9 minutes ago
Poppa replied to Poppa's discussion Poppa's Dilemma, Welcome to my Corner, come in and have a Cuppa with a Silly Old Bastard. I think it's New Year Shortly?
"I'm sure you can report her for that Randolph......?"
57 minutes ago
Poppa replied to Poppa's discussion Poppa's Dilemma, Welcome to my Corner, come in and have a Cuppa with a Silly Old Bastard. I think it's New Year Shortly?
"Mine too, but Randolph has been known to be constipated a lot.....happens when your full of shit!"
1 hour ago
Poppa replied to LB's discussion Max Popo extends til 2028
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ScottX replied to LB's discussion NRL Topic: V'Landys doubles down on rule change
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LB replied to LB's discussion Max Popo extends til 2028
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SuperEel 22 replied to CarloEEL2's discussion Scouting report - today’s Tele
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4 hours ago
SuperEel 22 replied to ScottX's discussion Is Parra entering a good luck cycle?
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4 hours ago
Adam Magrath replied to LB's discussion Max Popo extends til 2028
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7 hours ago
Coryn Hughes replied to ScottX's discussion Is Parra entering a good luck cycle?
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8 hours ago
Joeyboyz replied to LB's discussion Max Popo extends til 2028
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11 hours ago
paul taylor replied to ScottX's discussion Is Parra entering a good luck cycle?
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