Ashes 2023: England close on 68-3 after five Mark Wood wickets help bowl Australia out for 263 at Headingley

Thirteen wickets fell on a chaotic first day in the third LV= Insurance Men’s Ashes test at Headingley. Early wickets put England in control as Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner and Usman Khawaja all got less than 23 runs. 

This left Australia 85-4 and Stuart Broad, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes were making the ball cause issues. Australia needed a partnership, and they would have one of the best innings the Ashes has seen in recent times. 

Playing his first test match in four years, Mitch Marsh steadied the ship before putting his foot down. With Travis Head, Marsh put on a partnership of 155 and England were flagging out in the field. 

On the stroke of tea, Woakes finally removed Marsh as he edged behind to Zak Crawley. This brought his innings to an end- a superb run-a-ball 118- and he had dug his country out of a hole. At 240-5, Australia would have still fancied themselves to get at least 300- but the English bowlers had other ideas. 

The lower middle order crumbled and Australia slumped from 245-5 to 259-8, with Wood removing Mitchell Starc for 2 and Australian captain Pat Cummins for a second ball duck. Cummins was booed as he made his way out to bat following the controversy with the Jonny Bairstow run-out at Lord’s last week, and he was booed even louder when he trudged back to the dressing room. 

Alex Carey holed out to Wood for his fourth wicket and Australia continued to crumble. Wood's fifth wicket wrapped up the innings for 263. His final 16 balls saw him finish with amazing figures of 4-5.

The reply has not started well, however, and England slipped to 22-2 losing Ben Duckett and then Harry Brook cheaply. Zak Crawley and Joe Root steadied the ship- but Crawley fell before close of play for 33 meaning England closed on 68-3.