The Ashes is just sport's greatest rivalry.
Being in Australia,
I think there's more intensity now about the Ashes
than possibly there's ever been.
We love to hate them. They love to hate us.
Once I knew that I wanted to play cricket,
the Ashes was always the pinnacle.
It's the ultimate test as a player.
Hey!
- How are you going, mate? You good? - I'm very good.
- How are you? - Good to meet you, mate.
- Very nice to meet you, mate. - Going alright?
Very good, very good, yes.
Hey, mate. How are you, mate?
How are you? Good to see you. You going well?
Well, thank you.
It's unprecedented period, isn't it?
World Cup, now Ashes.
It's never happened before.
We've gotta lift. We got some new guys come in.
We're having this game here at Hampshire.
It's a very exciting time.
It's great to have everyone here.
It's an exciting time. It's certainly a different time.
It's great to have so many of us in the room.
Welcome, Tugger.
- Thanks. - Great to have you here, mate.
Appreciate it.
I know, with everything that your... have done in Australian cricket...
..we're pumped to have you here.
Your eyes on this group on Australian cricket over the next few weeks
is going to be brilliant, mate.
- Thanks, mate. - So it's great to have you here, mate.
My point of view, it's great to be here.
I think it's a huge opportunity.
It's a privilege to be back in the inner sanctum.
It's been a long time.
I think this Ashes...
To get through to win a series like this, you'll have to be tight as a group.
Crowd's going to pretty vocal in the first Test match.
You got guys coming back from what happened 12 months ago.
There's going to be a lot of talk around that.
So you want to have a really solid, connected, tight group,
tough arses who aren't gonna be fazed by anything
and they can...they can mix it with the best out there, so...
I know we can win the Ashes, but we've got to all believe that,
and...and you've got the pick the right personnel with the right temperament.
Steve Waugh was an unbelievable captain for Australia.
He's been one of my great mentors, great counsel for me
since I've had this job and well before that.
So if Steve Waugh asked me right now to run through that brick wall,
I'd run as hard as I could,
because Steve Waugh, the great leader, wouldn't ask me to go through it
unless he thought I could get through it.
Two, he wouldn't run...ask me to go through it
unless he'd go through it himself.
Yes.
For our boys to have the opportunity to rub shoulders with Steve Waugh
is like reading a hundred self-help books.
And for me personally, to have guys who I know have got my back...
My gosh, it's like gold for me.
How are you going, mate?
Firstly, congratulations, everyone, for being here.
We've got it down to 25 Australian cricketers,
and you're one step closer to being picked in the Ashes squad.
But what's this week all about?
25 best players in Australia are going to play against each other.
If you go really well in this game,
it doesn't guarantee you're going to get selected.
But it's certainly...
It's in your interest to do as well as you can in this game.
It takes courage to be creative.
It's nice to be comfortable.
The philosophy is you gotta be...
..you've got to be pretty tough to play Test cricket.
And the more opportunities we get to expose people to that,
then that's good.
I can't remember ever having a squad together that...that big.
Everyone can talk a good game.
Everyone will tell you what you want to hear.
No doubt.
Let's just see what they do.
The competitiveness, the battle, the challenge
of the best cricketers in Australia playing against each other,
it was a high-quality game of cricket on what was actually a pretty difficult wicket.
No-one was holding back with bat or ball.
At the end of the day, it was pretty cutthroat.
It was like a play-off of all play-offs.
It was the bat-off of all bat-offs.
After the first few hours of play,
everyone sort of knew that it wasn't gonna be a high-scoring game.
It was hard to sort of enjoy that week,
knowing that you could be told that you stay on for an Ashes trip
or you're on a plane.
Thanks for everyone's efforts this last few days.
Tomorrow morning, we'll let you know if you're in or out of the squad, OK?
Our 17 for the Qantas Ashes tour
is Tim Paine, captain,
Cameron Bancroft,
Patrick Cummins,
Marcus Harris,
Josh Hazlewood,
Travis Head,
Usman Khawaja,
Marnus Labuschagne,
Nathan Lyon,
Mitchell Marsh,
Michael Neser,
James Pattinson,
Peter Siddle,
Steven Smith,
Mitchell Starc,
Matthew Wade
and David Warner.
I wasn't expecting to be in. I was...
Already made plans for a holiday.
You know, inside it's like a firecracker's gone off.
You're so excited, you're like, "Wow,"
like, "This is actually happening,"
like, "I'm there,"
but, like, you don't want to be the guy that just got picked in the squad, do ya?
You want to be the guy that wins Australia the Ashes.
That's what you dream of as a kid.
I probably thought my...my international career was slowly slipping away.
An email popped through that said, "Players of interest for the Australia A trip",
and I was on that and I thought, "Well, I'm just gonna say no."
I was due in June.
I didn't want him to have regret.
She was pretty firm on getting me over there,
and to leave them now was difficult.
Matt left when Goldie was four days old.
Seeing him go was a tough one,
but I knew he had to go and I wanted him to go.
They're the sacrifices. Not many people see it.
When it comes to affairs of the heart, it's hard,
and that's one of the sacrifices you make.
The great lesson that I'm learning over the last...
..be ruthless in selection.
We need people who are gonna buy into the team,
which has its challenges,
because they all want to play every game.
The reality is
there's only three of your fast bowlers with Lyno who are gonna play, right?
And there's six of you here.
Every single game...
There's Edgbaston, Lord's, Leeds, Old Trafford, the Oval.
We're going to be really specific how we pick the team
on who we think is gonna win that specific Test match, OK?
Those guys on the bench who aren't playing,
they're going to be so crucial.
The "we not me" is we're going to be working together
when we've got our body language.
Everything we think about is - and it takes pressure off ya -
is if you think about how you can help us win the Ashes.
For us to have a squad mentality, it takes more than just the 11 blokes.
Whilst I knew I wasn't exactly going to be a part of the first few games,
my goal for the tour was to be the best team man that I could possibly be.
Whatever happens, we've gotta make sure
if you're not playing the first Test, or the second Test,
that you stay ready.
You get yourself fit. You get your skills right.
You stay ready and committed to the brotherhood, OK?
I knew we had a very good bowling attack.
I knew we had great depth in our bowling.
I knew that the team that batted best would win the Ashes.
Let's get those feet dancing. Get those feet dancing.
Like a boxer. Like a boxer. Come on.
You might not be dancing down but you're coming and you're going to play.
Feet moving, feet moving.
Hoh!
You're all over. That's why you're so dangerous.
Loose hands, baby.
Feet dancing.
That's the boy.
Yeah, baby!
Hands, mate.
Great watching.
Good shot, buddy.
That's the best I've seen you bat since Brisbane.
Phones off or to silent, please, guys.
Cameras? Are you all rolling?
Tim, when you realised that Edgbaston was the first venue for the first Test match,
did Australia hearts sink a little bit?
Doesn't affect us. We know...
We've got our plans individually, we've got our plans as a team...
..and it's about us going out there on Thursday and executing that skill,
and if we believe if we do that, doesn't matter if we play at Edgbaston, the GABBA or on the moon.
Is there a more intimidating ground in world cricket?
Than this?
I could name you 15.
Are you serious?
Well, we'll find out in the next five days.
- There'll be... - You don't play against the ground, mate.
That's a good point you make.
Gooood morning, Birmingham!
Welcome to Edgbaston. This is day one.
We all know it's going to be a fantastic game
and we all know what brilliant cricket we're in for.
Barmy Army! Barmy Army! Barmy Army! Barmy Army!
Edgbaston, that will be rough.
Barmy Army! Barmy Army!
I think Messrs Smith and Warner and Bancroft
might have to fasten their seatbelts for that one.
Five matches in six and a half weeks will decide the Ashes, 2019.
Wouldn't say that was quite the traditional welcome to a touring team.
And I would hope for more respect over the next few weeks.
It was so loud.
You get to a point I reckon sometimes with volume,
it's like you can actually physically feel it.
It was unbelievable.
# You're the convicts
# You're the convicts over there... #
I think until we got out there, we didn't realise
how vocal that stand would be.
- - You cheating bastard!
Australia winning the toss, batting first.
Dave and I were walking out to bat at Edgbaston,
and you've got 50,000 people booing you at the top of their lungs.
I knew that I'd had millions of people around the world hating me
for my mistake that I made in South Africa.
To walk out and, I mean,
I even underestimated myself how, like, how huge that was.
I don't reckon I did...block it out as well as I could've done.
I remember Jimmy bowling his first ball to me.
Swung and nipped away and I've just gone,
"You cannot hit that."
I was like, "OK, this is it. This is... We're on here.
"I'm fired up.
"I'm going to have to be sharp. I'm going to have to be watchful."
And again. This time gone!
Much closer. In fact, out.
David Warner, first casualty. Gone for 2. Australia 2 for 1.
Practise that every fucking day at training!
Every fucking day!
And Australia just having to get through what is a tricky period for them at the moment.
Carried I think! Root it is at first slip. Broad has got Warner. Now he's got Bancroft.
And England off to a very good start here.
Bancroft's gone for 8 and it's 17 for 2.
I just wanted to do really well.
I wanted the perfect story, the perfect outcome.
I want to walk off with two hundreds next to my name.
Be like, welcome back, you know?
I wanted that.
A similar reception for Steve Smith as for David Warner.
Well, this is a big moment for Australia now. Already two down.
Well, it's two in a row.
And Australia are 35 for 3.
- - Oh, that's a big shout.
- And gone!
England have got their fourth.
This is everything we didn't want. It's Edgbaston.
The media are going to start writing that the pressure's got to us.
And basically, the series hasn't even started yet.
- - Oh, can you believe it?
Tim Paine has hit it straight down his throat.
122 for 8.
Australia get bowled out for 140, 150, they're just...
..and England bat half-decently, it's game over.
Day one, we're in a bit of strife and the crowd was rowdy.
# We are the Army
# The Barmy Army
# Oh, we are bonkers and we are mad... #
The boys were feeling it and I was actually pretty relaxed.
I knew we weren't in a great situation.
And Peter Siddle comes to the crease and he's got some work to do.
122 for 8.
It's no kind of score to start an Ashes series, that's for sure.
Just at the start it was just about building a little partnership,
get something going.
Steve Smith.
Back out in the middle in Test cricket, fighting for his team.
I was in a bit of a bubble, so, you know, guys booing me and stuff,
it didn't really bother me or get to me.
Steve Smith goes on to 50. He's worked hard for that.
If anything, it probably did the opposite.
Made me concentrate that little bit more.
And, you know, if you reach those levels of, sort of, concentration,
then I guess you can sort of achieve anything in a way.
He's not running for that. He knows that's four.
Nicely played. Leg side.
There's two men out, but in the gap.
Well played.
And, you know, Steve Smith,
him not being able to bat for Australia for 12 months,
that would have been like torture.
Shot.
Moves to 75.
- He goes again. Oh, this is excellent stuff.
Swings away into the crowd.
He was copping it from the crowd.
All the eyes were on him.
And he was just as calm as anything the whole time.
Steve Smith at the heart of it all.
He's been faultless in his innings.
When you're hungry for something and you're determined and you're focused
and you're committed to something,
it's hard to surrender, isn't it?
I remember being in the rooms and all JL said to me was, "Get him to 100."
When I was batting, I didn't care what I got.
All I kept thinking about was, "You're staying in there and get him to 100."
- Catch! Yeah! - Ooh, that's beautifully taken.
Peter Siddle gone for 44. A very fine 44 .
It's 210 for 9.
So Smith is on 85. He's down to his final partner, Nathan Lyon.
Tugger said, "Why don't you work in 10s?"
"Like, go... Let's get the 10, let's get the 20, let's get the 30."
And I remember saying to Smudger,
"We get 10 more runs, we get to 250."
And I probably shouldn't say this,
but he goes, "Shut the fuck up. Let me bat. I'll get it up to 300."
I was just like..."OK."
Just over Joe Root. And that's 250 up for Australia.
Smith against Moeen Ali again. Smith on 92.
- Gone up...up and over. - Yeah, Smudge.
Beautifully struck by Steve Smith.
That takes him to 98.
I like it when I get in my bubble
and know that I've got that level of concentration going,
that it's going to take something good to get rid of me.
- - Through the covers.
- Steve Smith is back!
100 number 24.
His first Test back after the ban and it's normal service resumes.
With others falling around him, he has been defiant as ever.
That was like, "You little beauty, mate. Well done."
You talk about spine-tingling moments? There's one right there.
Gets a hundred in probably no more important time for Australian cricket
than that first Test,
because it sets the tone.
I was just like, this is pretty epic.
Australia needed someone to stand up,
and it's that man again, Steve Smith, he's done it.
And you can see there it meant a lot to him.
Out of the game for a period of time.
Back there, first Test match back, makes 100.
An emotional one for him too.
Thoughts of my wife, who'd been through that sort of journey with me,
my family and everyone that had sort of been by my side
and helping me in sort of the difficult times...
..was almost like a feeling of pride,
being able to get back and perform and then score another 100.
It needed to be done.
So I think it gave me confidence for the rest of the series
to know that I was back and able to do my thing.
And that ends a remarkable innings from Steve Smith,
who has taken Australia to 284.
It was us as a team being dragged out of an awful situation,
and the belief started to come back.
As, you know, a teammate and as a friend, you...you just had to be proud of him.
How cool was that? Oh, my God.
He'd been through so much more than people would probably know.
And for him to put that to a side
and just step straight back into it and just get the job done
was...was amazing.
Yeah, we all make mistakes.
And I reckon it was almost like a great metaphor
for the fact that we have a choice,
whether we want to live in the suffering of what that is
or if we want to move past that and be better and be great.
Steve Smith did that,
and I think that was the proudest thing about watching that.
First, can't go past what was unbelievable for us thanks to Smudgy.
Fucking brilliant.
The best thing we can do is get him back into the field as quick as we possibly can.
Because you guys know what it's like.
So the sooner we get him back in the field,
the sooner we'll be on top of this game.
OK? Alright. Good job. Good job.
Let's be ready for tomorrow.
Good stuff. First bus.
Cheat! Cheat! Cheat! Cheat! Cheat! Cheat! Cheat!
There's the booing,
but the worst thing was when we got on the bus at the end of each day's play.
# We saw you cry on the telly
# Cry on the telly... #
Just the abuse.
By the end of it, they decided to laugh in the face of it.
And that takes immense courage.
Oh, I wish they could sing.
Again, that was just all part of trying to...trying to embrace it.
We just sort of...just went with it.
People were everywhere on the street.
That's just how Edgbaston was.
It was really... it was a really aggressive place.
- They are all grown men. - I know. They're such children.
I think everyone handled it pretty well.
And it seemed like the whole way home there was just people just hurling abuse at the bus.
It was actually brilliant, some of the things we were looking at.
It was good to get some comedy like that on the bus.
These blokes too, though. Look at that!
He's still going!
Have a look at him! Starting a fire.
It was vital for England that England had a batsman who was gonna stand up.
Mammoth innings from Rory Burns.
First test hundred, the first Ashes hundred.
Day two belongs to England.
It's been a very good day's test cricket. Australia lead by 34.
Steve Smith once again on 46 not out.
Boys, we said at the start of the day's play we're gonna have to work
so hard to stay in the game tonight, right?
And we are so in this game.
Brilliant effort.
We've set ourselves up to win this test match.
Tomorrow we've got one goal, just bat and bat and bat and bat
and give 'em absolutely nothing, OK?
The lead is 34. Two days left.
Still England's game at this stage, isn't it?
Can England find a way to get Steve Smith out?
# In ancient times
# Walk upon England's pastures. #
I was actually more nervous when he was batting than anyone else.
I love watching him bat but I was nervous
because I knew how important he was for us to win the game.
Come on, boys!
I remember Justin Langer actually said, "Are you on?" I said, "Yep. Good to go."
And when he says that, you go... Yes!
Oh!
Well...
An interesting start.
Tight one, but he comes through.
Smith to 50.
It's been an incredible comeback test for Steve Smith
backing up the century in the first innings with 50 here.
It looks like he's just starting.
It's a little bit more aggressive, I think, in the second innings.
You can get in a rhythm against bowlers sometimes as well.
I've got in a good rhythm against guys like Woakes and Broad.
Oh, just easily run down. That'll be four.
Shot again.
Beaten the field. This will be four more.
Excellent stuff from Steve Smith.
And that lead now is worth 96.
He's a fascinating batsman to watch.
He is unorthodox but he's very effective.
Has his own style, Steve Smith.
I do some weird stuff.
I don't try and do it. It just kind of happens.
He's a real twitcher, isn't he, Steve Smith. He can't stand still.
Number of times he needs to adjust his pads and everything around his body
before he's ready and set to play a delivery.
I think it's...
Left pad, right pad, box, one tap in the middle, two behind my foot, look up, two behind my foot,
look up, one.
Good to go.
Every ball.
Yeah, the leaving is always the fun stuff.
Now he's starting to jump up.
You're gonna see a lot more of it. Every time he does it, he's on.
Gets his wife to feed him balls overnight.
Bowling machine.
He moved closer to the SCG so he could spend days on end training there.
He just loves cricket. Even away from the game he's shadow batting in his bedroom.
Very often there'll be a message in the group WhatsApp just being like,
"Steve, are you batting?"
Because you can hear a tap, tap, tap in the hallway.
He's always batting or shadow batting.
It's unbelievable to be at the other end
because you're thinking, "This bloke is so good, it's ridiculous."
But then 10 seconds later you're on strike and you're thinking, Jesus Christ, this is hard.
Oh, that's a good shot. How do you get Steve Smith out?
Are you listening to us? You've got a brown cap on.
How do you get Steve Smith out?
Good shot.
Australian team will be feeling quite confident here.
Steve Smith hasn't even raised a sweat.
Poms are nervous. I think we've got 'em.
Smith, 94.
95.
Smith moves to 98.
And he'll go to 99.
Steve Smith still in.
Cameras ready.
Broad will have to be spot on with his lens here.
Steve Smith's just looking for one.
Full driven away!
Back-to-back hundreds in the same test match for Steven Smith!
He joins an elite group of Australians who have done that.
Only four others in Ashes tests.
Redemption is well and truly complete.
And now Australia in a very strong position.
Not afraid to be aggressive with that platform set from Steve Smith.
Well, you can't score runs if there is no partnership at the other end
or there is no-one to bat with.
It was great batting with him.
You feel like all the pressure sort of goes off you, you sort of go under the radar
because there's so much spotlight I guess on him.
Shot from Travis Head. That'll be four.
And that's 50 for Travis head. Well played.
Punishing stuff from Australia.
That lead continues to extend.
When I walked out to bat with him in the second he was just in complete control.
Just pat him on the bum and say, "Keep going, mate. I'll roll with you."
Oh, big one from Wade. He's got all of it.
I knew that this was a chance that I had to take.
Was umming and aahing about whether to come over here
with the birth of his daughter, Goldie.
His wife persuaded him to do it.
That's smashed away.
That's the 50 for Matthew Wade.
I thought this could be the last chance I'm ever gonna get to show Julia the appreciation
that I had for the sacrifices that she made.
Yeah, luckily enough I kept going.
There you go, four. Fantastic shot.
And what a way to go to your hundred. First hundred for 6.5 years.
Seems to his Australian teammates, and more importantly what it will mean to him.
It's more of a relief than anything and just a good reward.
It would be nice for me to be home with my family, so if I'm gonna be away
and put Julia through looking after two kids by herself then I want to make every post a winner.
All the way, six!
And off they come. The lead is 397.
The danger of days like today, we start getting too far ahead of ourselves.
Hopefully we bowl them out by lunchtime, right?
But even if they're two down at tea, we're still in the game on this wicket, alright?
So we've just got to hang in all day,
just keep thinking about the processes of every batter we're gonna bowl to,
just how we're gonna get them out, just keep sticking to that and everything will be OK.
Blue skies. Clear blue skies.
Nathan Lyon will have a real job to do for Australia here.
He's played 80 test matches. He is the best offspinner of all time.
Gaz, most nervous bloke I've ever met in my life -
it's like he's playing his debut every single game.
He gets so nervous that, you know, we just try and put our arm around him
and kind of mollycoddle him a little bit.
Now it's the opposite - we find it so funny.
He talks to everyone that's on the field
and they all just say, you know, "Big day for you today, mate."
And it just makes it worse and worse and worse.
He'll be a little bit anxious. He'll be a bit nervous. He'll be a bit excited.
Just gotta not rush, gotta really take his time and be patient.
Obviously, I don't have the pace to bump or intimidate people.
I won't take wickets in my first few overs,
I'll more than likely be able to slowly work guys over and over
and take...hopefully take wickets in overs 17, 18, 19, 20.
Get it up there, Gaz.
Aww. Yeah, Gary.
It's an art. It's a...unique one.
Yeah!
Bowled him now, though.
Good shot. Excellent.
Little bit of patience from Nathan Lyon.
It's taken him a while to strike, but he's got one in the bag now.
I didn't realise how good Nathan Lyon was
until I started being the coach.
Mate, I just love watching him bowl.
Catch!
Now, is there anything on that? Is there anything on that? Yep.
Nice.
- Catch! - Yeah!
Oh, got him. That's gone. That's a good catch.
And it's the England captain.
It's going to take a monumental effort now for England
to survive through the afternoon and evening sessions.
But we'll see what happens, of course, in due course.
Hey, boys, you should be on the beers by now.
Lovely, Gaz.
Love it, Nathan. Love it, Nathan!
I remember a few times,
there were blokes going, "Hey, listen to that. Can you hear that, boys? That's silence."
Day one, two, three and four,
there was a battle to hear Dave and Steve at first and second slip.
And then we got 'em five down on day five
and I could talk to Wadey at mid off and we could hear each other as clear as a bell,
so that was incredibly satisfying.
Catch!
Oh, got him. Terrific stuff from Lyon.
350th test match wicket for Nathan Lyon.
He's the most important bowler in our line-up by a mile.
First Test of the Ashes series, he showed his class.
Oh, in the air. Yep, gone. Lyon wins the battle with Moeen Ali yet again.
I'm not one for personal success, it's more about team success for me.
And that's carried as well. Broad goes first delivery.
Brilliant from Lyon, he has six.
We were in trouble at the start
and then we still fought back and we ended up winning the Test match.
Great feeling.
Oh, in the air. Yep, gone.
Well, Steve Smith at second slip,
and Fortress Edgbaston has been breached by the Australians.
Their first win here since 2001, and what a comeback.
Yes!
My first win here in five tests.
A fortress. They call it a fortress.
Whoo!
How good?
I mean, obviously, been missing for the last 12 months,
but to welcome Steve back,
the way you've gone out there and faced the whole world,
all England against you,
and the way you've turned up and scored back-to-back centuries,
the fourth guy to do it here in England.
Smudger, welcome back, mate.
You've fucking come back in style, mate.
Quick... Quick...
Just...just before we get into the song,
I would like to point out one thing.
Yes, we had an unbelievable win, and I don't want to dampen the moment or anything,
but we're here for one reason - we're here to win the Ashes.
So, yes, enjoy tonight, but realise what we're here for.
Marnus, when you put your cards down, you say, "I have..."
I didn't even look. I was like, "There's a lot of red hearts here.
"That's enough for me."
Marnus is...he's a different character.
A two's got more numeric value than a joker.
- I agree. - Stop, stop, stop.
I just did the same thing as Khawaja.
- What's he got? - He's kept too many cards.
I really enjoy Marnus's company, but he is the whipping boy.
You said your spelling is next level now. I wanna see this next-level spelling.
Just spell 'lawn', then. Like, "I mowed my lawn."
L-A-W-N.
Now spell 'Launceston'.
- Nah.
He's just got this sort of different energy.
It's just...he doesn't stop.
Soon as he's going to cricket, it's like Christmas Day.
Marnus is certainly hanging around Smithy
and we say friendship, um... or bromance may be brewing,
but I'm not sure if it's just Marnus sort of chasing Smithy
and Smithy's just putting up with it.
I've loved watching him play over, you know, the last 10 years.
Smudge, need a wicket up. Square leg back.
I get teased all the time about, you know, being, you know, his little sidekick
or whatever you call it, but I don't care.
Yeah, they're starting to become like B1 and B2 -
like, they're both strange and they both love batting and they both love cricket,
so match made in heaven, I guess.
I'd say Marnus and myself are two that probably just could go on about cricket all day.
And that's what I really enjoyed about Marnus,
is his willingness to want to learn and get better as a player.
I really enjoy learning from him and learning how he goes about the game
and learning what he thinks about the game.
Smithy is notoriously quite messy in the change rooms,
he's got gear sort of everywhere.
So, Smithy promised him if he packed up his kit after every test match,
Smithy gave him the bat.
And again, Marnus just thought it was Christmas Day.
It was one of the best deals of the summer.
- There we go. - Wow. Thanks. Best cricketer in the world.
As a team, we're here trying to make history
to become the first Australian men's team to win a series in this country
for over 18 years.
We've made a great start by winning at Edgbaston last week,
but that's all it is - a start.
Edgbaston was a terrific advertisement for test cricket,
and the way we want to play the game as a team -
tough, but fair, with smiles on our faces, enjoying each other's company
and the fact that we are living the dream of being on an Ashes tour.
You can help me hold it, Captain.
Right, there's our game plan - just to confirm that,
there was a lot of good things that were ticked off during this first Test match.
There's the England squad for this game.
And obviously, we've read a lot about Archer coming back in.
- We all know about that. - I played with him.
I haven't seen him bowl a whole heap in red-ball cricket,
but it suggests to me that he'll hunt for wickets a lot.
His load-up is the same, he can come out 130, he can come out 145.
You just gotta watch the ball and react. You can't pick anything up on that.
If it's swinging, he slows it down a fraction
and tries to swing it in,
and then bowls obviously a quicker bouncer and a quicker yorker.
But if it isn't swinging, then I think he'll try and bowl quite quick
and try and hit the seam as well.
Lord's is the home of cricket.
You can just reach out and you can just touch the history and the tradition of the place.
Whether they're Australians, Indians, Pakistanis or whatever,
they're all brought up dreaming one day, as a kid, of playing at Lord's.
When you go to Lord's,
you're walking along and it's like your grandfather giving you a hug
and saying, "Welcome home, son."
Don't know.
It's not every day you get a snap with the best in the world.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lord's.
We're asking all ticket-holders to have your tickets ready.
Day one of this Lord's test, the second of the series
in this Ashes series between England and Australia.
It is hosing down, so it means another long wait.
Just sitting around, you're lounging around in the change rooms.
No matter how you're feeling, you are buzzing.
You're ready to go. It's a test match. You're at Lord's. It's the Ashes.
But you sort of get a little bit lethargic and you're a bit flat.
Sometimes, it's hard to actually get going.
Don't stop before JL, Mitch. Don't stop before him.
Hey, it's all mental, mate.
You just do whatever you can to get by.
I think because we were one-nil up in the series as well,
you probably take a day like that a little bit differently.
It's a reshuffle.
Rain delays can send you into a state of mind
where you just do random shit.
Mitch is...he's like that every day, to be fair.
I get a buzz out of making people happy.
Well, day four here at Lord's, the good news is the sun is out.
There's a bit of cloud cover, but there's a sense of excitement in the air.
England have got Australia 80 for 4.
Australia are 178 runs behind.
And a lot rests on Steve Smith's shoulders.
Go get 'em, boys. Go get 'em.
St John's Wood Tube station is just up the road from here
and the announcer, the station announcer,
he said, "For everybody getting off here,
"do you know how to get Steve Smith out?"
Shot.
Steve Smith says, "Thank you very much."
And that's his 50.
He just keeps going, doesn't he?
And bowling from Nursery End, Jofra Archer.
England had decided that its answer was Jofra Archer.
When Archer hits Lord's, the whole series changes.
Good execution from Archer.
Tim Paine, he's gone, and Australia are in a bit of trouble at 162 for 6.
It was a hostile spell of bowling,
and the wicket itself was a bit tricky.
It was hard to judge whether to duck
or whether to sway out of the way or whether to take it on.
I didn't feel like necessarily I was going to score too many runs,
but just get through it, survive.
He bowled some quick balls in that spell,
but would Archer's pace sort out Steve Smith?
Well, there's been a lot of talk ahead of this game
about this particular contest.
Australia's best player against the debutant and quickest England bowler, Jofra Archer.
It was quite tough at that point in time,
the wicket had started to play a few more tricks and he was bowling some good pace.
Come on, Smudgy.
When you're playing, you're relying on instinct and just your ability to bat,
but when you're not playing and you're, like, watching
and you're like, "Whoo, this is quick."
And I remember, like, looking at the scoreboard
and it was like 96.2.
I was like, "Whoo, that's quick."
Someone's turned the tap on.
Oh, there you go.
For once... For once, a little bit of a blow and a pain, and he looks uncomfortable.
It just lifted.
You need a doc?
Well, this could be an important moment in the series, this.
A blow from Jofra Archer on the arm.
I was worried, I thought he broke his arm.
What's the story, Bates?
It got him on the bone, but it's higher up.
I think he's just got to survive this moment, he's got a bit of an egg on it,
but I think he'll be OK.
His arm's gone a bit numb, but it should get better in the next over or so.
Thank you.
Yeah, it was a good hit.
I was kind of struggling a bit with that.
I'll tell you one bad thing, Tugger.
There's nothing worse than seeing one of the best batters in the world get hit like that.
Sids and I were batting next, so it wasn't the best feeling.
I also know, with him, he's gotta have exactly the right shoe,
he's gotta have exactly the right gloves.
And I'm thinking, "Wait, if he can't hold the bat, oh, no, that's going to worry him."
You could feel it from a long way away.
The brooding clouds built, the whole atmosphere sort of descended
around the two of them.
I wouldn't say it changed my focus or concentration.
It was more the limited things that I was able to do.
Australia trail by 72, but this is a key moment,
not only in the game, but the series.
Steve Smith, how is he with that arm?
I couldn't get my arm up and straight. It was proving difficult.
So I was kind of trying to find another way to score runs.
Boys!
Boys. We need someone out there.
Need someone out there big time.
Whoa. That's nasty.
I think we were all in shock. I think the worst was when he was laying there.
That was probably the scariest moment for us all.
Still down.
Did he whack it?
Hit him under the ear.
Where he got hit, I just saw the replay, it's exactly where Hughesy got hit.
When I saw him go down, we're all just like,
"Not again, not... Please, it can't happen."
We never thought it would happen. Never thought you could get hit in the head and die from it.
And that never crossed my mind growing up, playing cricket,
until it actually happened to Hughesy.
The point where I got hit was...wasn't too far from where he did
and, yeah, just at that point in time was just the first thing
that came into my mind was just not fair.
Like, I'm OK. Like, it's not fair.
The doc was out there asking me questions, and yeah, he was like,
"You're gonna get taken off." I was like...
I want to keep going. Like, I feel OK.
I didn't want to see what was happening.
So I went to the corner of the room and just started preparing. Like, I was...
I had to go out there and bat. It's pretty daunting, to be fair.
Every run. Every run.
Give him a bit of space here. Give him a bit of space.
JL, what's the rule there?
Because he's been brought off, does that mean he loses a wicket or can he just go back in?
Inside the change rooms with the new concussion rules it's like, who replaces him? It's just...
I don't care what anyone says, it was panic stations there for about five minutes.
I'd sort of spoken to him when he came off and he seemed OK.
I was actually at the time was more worried about his arm.
If he breaks his arm, he's out of the Ashes.
There was a lot of discussion after being hit.
One, the concussion protocols now are so strict.
Two, he was adamant, "No, no, I'm ready to go."
All the protocols were met, but it's a fine line that you want to win the test match
but you've got to look after your boys as well.
Be interesting now. Yeah, it is Steve Smith.
He's gonna come back out. This is very courageous and brave from Steve Smith.
They're still booing him.
Interesting reception, wasn't it?
What's he thinking about, you reckon?
I'm just about to be a national hero.
Wow! What a response that is.
That is an incredible shot, having just come back in.
I came out, slogged my first ball over mid-wicket.
Defending was just the hardest thing to do.
This time through the offside.
Second boundary. Consecutive boundaries for Steve Smith.
Yes, Smudgy, put it in there.
My mind is saying, work hard and defend, but I was kind of like... Couldn't do it.
Close! Surely, yes!
Good stuff, Smudgy boy.
I don't think any of the guys wanted to bombard him.
I think everyone was pretty sensitive of that.
But also I think behind all of that was just this hope that...
..gee, I hope he's alright.
Today was an ugly incident.
Thankfully Steve's come through it OK, and he went through all the concussion protocols.
And he passed all of that.
He'll have another test in the morning so there's no...
..residual concussion.
But he'll have that test and I suspect he'll play the game out now.
Time for the final act of this second test match here at Lord's.
Well, the news is that Australia are going to be lodging an application
for a concussion substitute.
Test cricket, to its credit, the administrators have recognised the uncertainties
surrounding concussion.
So they make a change to the laws of the game to allow a player who is medically concussed
to be substituted like for like.
I actually spoke to JL and I said, "I mean, it's up to you guys
"but personally I'd put in a right-hander."
Through my head I'm rolling around in bed going, "There's a chance.
"There is a chance that I could play."
And then the next morning we had a training session,
so Painey rocked up, yelled over and he's like, "I think you're playing."
And I was sort of like, "Righto."
When we told Marnus, he just got this massive smile on his face.
I said, "You sure?"
He goes, "Ready? Mate, I can't wait to get out there."
206 or 207 runs are what Australia need to win this test.
England were a test down but they grabbed the momentum.
Suddenly Smith was out of the game and England were charging to level up the series.
So for the first time ever in test match cricket, we have a concussion replacement.
And when you're Marnus Labuschagne coming in at this stage of your career
and you're replacing Steve Smith and you've got Archer up against you,
it's an interesting time to bat.
You know, walking through the long room you're like, wow.
Getting clapped. People almost looking at you like, "Who is this guy?"
Can you imagine being Marnus Labuschagne?
He's all of a sudden, you're called in for the last day to face Archer and Broad.
Good luck.
I couldn't tell you the score when I walked out.
Suddenly he finds himself in the firing line,
trying to save a game for Australia.
We were the only team that could lose that test match when it got to the final day
when Marnus went out to bat.
So much pressure.
I think that was the real time that it sort of hit me.
You're playing at Lord's now. This is it. This is game on.
You have to be ready in test cricket.
Oh, no!
My heart was like... Righto. Here we go.
Wow.
That was a nasty, nasty bouncer.
He got straight back up, looked straight at Jofra in the eyes as if to say,
"Come on. I'm up for this."
And I think that was a real statement to not only England but to his own teammates.
Respect.
You know, you're not gonna be the first concussion sub
to get ruled out for concussion.
You know, that's not happening.
That was the moment when I reckon people thought, "This kid's got something about him.
"And we like it."
Lovely shot. That'll do his confidence some good.
That'll be four.
That's another boundary.
He just went about it how he does. He played his game how he wanted to play it.
He played like a kid with freedom.
Some people, it suffocates them and they tighten up. Not for him.
He was actually still looking to score, and the best way to survive is to look to score.
Driven nicely by Labuschagne.
Oh, look at him. He's batting nice, isn't he, boys?
He was in a good place and his game was in a good place and, yeah,
I wasn't surprised to see him score runs.
I think he's doing remarkably well so far, Labuschagne.
He's just got stuck in.
Then it was just about me and Travis putting a partnership together to try and save that game.
Perhaps he's telling his selectors, "Hey, I should be here.
"I am no substitute."
There was probably a shift in thought and realised that he can play.
A lot of us knew that already but then when he went out
and did what he did, I think he earned huge respect within the group.
Not afraid to use his feet, and that brings up his half-century.
The players too up in the balcony,
they know what a crucial innings this has been.
Australia could have been in deep, deep trouble.
Marnus Labuschagne has pulled them to safety.
I felt like I was up to it. You know, I just had that belief, like, "Righto, I can do this."
Out! Catch!
- - Oh, there is the catch!
Just diving forward, enough to get their hands underneath it.
Good work, Marn. Walked straight back out there.
Up there. Bounce.
Yeah, but it's hit the ground.
Let's move on to your best angle for the catch, please.
Can you give me a side angle there?
Look at that. That's 100% bounced.
Have his fingers under the ball and it's bouncing up into his hands.
I have a decision for the big screen.
There we go.
I just don't understand why the umpire...
You can't see that clearly on that screen. Have a look on that.
But I just...
- That it's bounced. - Why is it getting called an out?
Like, on the field, because they don't know. They can't see it.
Because you go off the fielder.
And you know what it's like when you're fielding. You think you've caught that.
Every time.
We knew he could play but there's been a lot of blokes that can play
and haven't quite made it at test level for whatever reason,
and I think when you see someone growing and succeeding in tough conditions,
I think you could see him growing.
Our team then started to have some real confidence in him as well.
After that innings, there was a massive shift, and this happens.
This is like earning your stripes or earning respect.
It was a very important innings.
He got through that little period and he helped us.
Sometimes a draw is as good as a win.
Well played, Marny. Well played.
Despite all the rain over the last few days, it ends up as a draw,
so Australia still have the advantage in the series.
Boys, we fought hard today. Well done to Marnus. Well done to Heady.
That could be a career-defining innings for both of you.
Really good under pressure.
We all had a crack this game, but the reality is, if we're gonna win this Ashes,
we've got a lot of bloody hard work to do.
If we're gonna be the best team in the world,
we've gotta keep looking to get better, OK?
'Cause we're not gonna win this series unless we do.
Next on The Test...
What if I make a quick recovery and I'm OK?
The Ashes on the line, right here and right now.
We are renowned as Australians to keep fighting.
Gone! What a catch! COMMENTATOR 2: Australia are on fire.
They're one wicket away from retaining the Ashes.
The biggest man on the ground is pressure.
Doesn't carry!
What are we witnessing here from Ben Stokes?
They're running on Striker's end! Could be a run out!