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Updates from the third day of play at Old Trafford
England’s inept afternoon conjures dark memories
Any thoughts? Email or tweet @JPHowcroft

10.29am BST
“Much as we might pray for rain today the forecast suggests Saturday and Sunday will be mostly fine – Australia should feel confident they have plenty of time to get 20 wickets especially against this brittle England batting line up,” I agree Paul Frangi. “If I was Tim Paine I’d have declared on 400 yesterday and laid down the gauntlet to England.” I disagree with that Paul. I think batting once was the smart play.
“I’m still confused by the Overton selection – this is not a hard pacy wicket so who exactly has been giving pitch misinformation to the England management team? And don’t the selectors still have some say over what type of pitch is prepared for a Test?” The inquest into that will not reflect well on the England hierarchy should they lose at Old Trafford.
10.27am BST
While we all rack our brains to figure out how to unsettle Steve Smith, the man himself goes about quietly unstitching Englands best laid plans, as Ali Martin reports.
I faced a lot of short-pitched bowling and haven’t had too many issues. The opposition bowling there means they can’t hit my pad or nick me off. It softens up the ball too and that plays into my hands. Continue reading...