A combination of England’s aggression and odd bowling tactics allowed a winning position to slip away at Headingley
It was always going to need a lot of things to go right. Chases of 250 were often seen as mountainous in the early days of Test cricket, and on hazardous pitches they still can be. On a top-class Headingley surface that offered enough to both bat and ball, Australia needed to run the day perfectly in order to hold off an England team that had already bitten off 27 runs from the target the previous evening without losing a wicket.
From 171 for six, when Jonny Bairstow lost his stumps for the umpteenth time in Test cricket, the visitors had every chance. Another 80 runs to get. But Harry Brook was still at the crease, the new Yorkshire sensation coming up to join Bairstow and Joe Root, and there he stayed until 21 runs were needed, top-edging a catch on 75.
