England struck early in Australia’s second innings on Day 3 of the third Ashes Test, but Brydon Carse’s breakthrough against Jake Weatherald came with an element of controversy.
Bowling his very first over with the new ball, Carse produced a sharp 137.9 kph delivery that thudded into Weatherald’s pads, prompting a loud and confident appeal. On-field umpire Ahsan Raza raised his finger, and after a brief conversation with Travis Head at the non-striker’s end, Weatherald chose not to review and walked off for 1 off 10 balls.
The dismissal was significant for Carse, who had leaked runs with the new ball in the first innings and was under pressure to deliver. This time, he bowled a short-of-a-good-length ball with the seam angled towards leg slip. Weatherald stayed rooted in his crease, missed his attempted tuck, and was struck on the pad.
However, replays added a layer of intrigue to the decision. Ball-tracking later showed the delivery pitching outside leg stump, which would ordinarily have ruled the batter not out. With Carse bowling from over the wicket, Head at the non-striker’s end could not have been certain about the pitching, and Weatherald’s decision to walk away proved costly.
Despite the questionable nature of the call, England will gladly accept the early breakthrough. Reducing Australia to 8/1 helped keep the visitors in the contest and rewarded their decision to persist with Carse despite his earlier struggles.
The LBW verdict is likely to be debated, but for England, it was the kind of luck they desperately needed as they look to claw their way back into the Test.
