There were extreme ups and downs and a few rough edges displayed during Mason Crane’s first full bowling day in Test cricket but there was enough to provide a glimmer of hope at the end of this sorry Ashes. Glory be, England may just have found a spinner of real promise.
Throughout another long, hard, hot day for England at the end of a long, hard tour Crane bounced in energetically and tested the Australian batsmen in the most demanding environment he can ever have experienced.
He may not have stopped Australia, with a big century from Usman Khawaja and an unbeaten 98 from Shaun Marsh, moving to a position from where they are hot favourites to win yet another Test but he showed that he may just be the spinner England will need if they are to compete here in four years time.
Usman Khawaja celebrates his first Ashes century on the way to recording a score of 171 for Australia on day three in Sydney
Khawaja’s 171 was vital as Australia overtook England’s first innings total and established a lead at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Khawaja begins to celebrate after running through to complete his single during day three of the fifth and final Ashes Test
Mason Crane is delighted after bowling Khawaja to claim his first Test wicket and end the batsman’s lengthy stay
Crane was understandably elated to get off the mark in Test cricket as he celebrates with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow
The wicket of Khawaja was one of only two England took on the third day as Australia batted their way into a lead
Khawaja looks to the sky to celebrate his century as Smith runs over to congratulate him on day three of the fifth Ashes Test
Khawaja raises his bat in acknowledgement of the crowd’s applause after reaching 150 during his impressive innings
Crane looked like he wanted to cry when he was denied his first Test wicket – just like another debutant in Tom Curran in Melbourne – by a totally unsatisfactory, modern way to call a no ball.
But then was pure joy when he finally got his man after Khawaja became the latest Australian to demonstrate the qualities of discipline, application and concentration to make a big, potentially match-winning century.
Crane’s figures as Australia amassed 479 for four and a lead of 133 going into the fourth day were an unremarkable one for 135 off 39 overs but they tell far from the full story.
It should be remembered Crane is just 20 and is trying to master an art of wrist spin that is probably the toughest in cricket and he was very much thrown into the deep end by making his debut here.
But Crane is a feisty character and a real competitor who has been adamant since we all first set foot in Australia in late October that he was ready for the biggest stage in cricket. The early evidence is that he was absolutely right.
Before we get too carried away it should be stressed that Crane is far form the finished article. There were several repeats of the aborted almost yips-like run up that see him refuse to release the ball, as he was advised to do by his Australian mentor Stuart MacGill if he felt something was not right.
Each time he did it he was booed by a packed SCG bathed in pink for Jane McGrath Day but each time he refused to be cowed and would not bowl if he felt something was not right with his grip or run up.
More pertinently, when Crane did bowl there was turn and control on a third day pitch that started signs of the deterioration that can only be exacerbated by Sydney’s baking hot sun on the last two days.
Moeen Ali took a low catch to dismiss Steve Smith for 83 following a lapse in concentration by the Australia captain
Khawaja hits a four in the sweltering heat as he recorded his first Ashes hundred and his sixth Test century in total
Smith trudges off the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground after Ali caught him on the bowler’s first ball of day three
It was the man now back to his favoured role as England’s second spinner who made the first breakthrough of the day when, with his first ball of the day, Moeen Ali claimed the biggest scalp in world cricket.
Nothing looked more certain than Steve Smith not only going on to a hundred but a double century when he moved effortlessly to 83 but he proved he was human after all by hitting a low return catch back to Moeen.
After that the third day became a tale of England manfully trying to hang on in there and restrict the Australian scoring rate as it became worryingly clear that their 346 after winning the toss was way below par.
Crane looked as though his big moment had come just before lunch when he rapped a ball into Khawaja’s pads as he tried to get outside the line only for Kumar Dharmasena to rule not out.
England’s review was then cut short when TV official S Ravi decided that Crane had overstepped by the tiniest of margins and salt was added to England’s wounds by the realisation that Dharmasena’s call would have been overturned.
Mitchell Marsh plays a shot on his way to a half-century on day three at the Sydney Cricket Ground as England toiled
Shaun Marsh takes evasive action as Jonny Bairstow grabs the ball at the stumps during Australia’s innings
England captain Joe Root is on his knees as he watches a shot head towards the boundary on day three
Crane and England could not believe it with their subsequent complaints not only a reflection of the marginal nature of the call but also the apparent failure of Dharmasena to warn Crane that he was getting close to the line.
It is a dereliction of duty for on-field umpires not to call no balls but check for them only after wickets and the sooner the ICC bring in ‘goal-line technology’ that provides a beep in the umpire’s ear whenever there is a no ball the better.
Up in the BT commentary box the world-class spinner England have found it so hard to replace in Graeme Swann, who became emotional when he presented Crane with his cap before the Test, was spitting blood about it all day.
Not a single wicket fell in an attritional middle session that was deflating both for England and the crowd, with Shaun Marsh being reprieved by technology on 22 after Dharmasena had wrongly adjudged an edge off Joe Root.
Mitchell Marsh helped build Australia’s first innings lead with a succession of fine shots in partnership with his brother Shaun
The Sydney Cricket Ground looked a picture as a large crowd watched the third day of the final Ashes Test on Saturday
But Crane’s big moment finally came when he lured Khawaja on 171 down the track, spun the ball back through the left-hander’s legs and saw Jonny Bairstow complete an excellent stumping. How he deserved it.
The Marsh brothers made sure there were to be no more inroads for England – Mitchell survived being given out lbw by Joel Wilson when Ravi inexplicably adjudicated that he had touched the ball but it was missing the stumps anyway – and and with the temperature forecast to top 40 degrees on Sunday there is much work for England still to come. But at least there has been no capitulation yet like that here four years ago when Australia won at the SCG in three days.
Now Crane has to play in all conditions – and that includes in early season championship matches for Hampshire – if he is going to return here in four years time as a proper replacement for Swann.
His emergence has come too late to influence this Ashes but he must have four years of Test experience by the time England come back. Otherwise England will only ever be a team that wins at home and only seldom away.