Two quick wickets shatter the session in Adelaide
The third Test of the 2025 Ashes in Adelaide offered a tense snapshot for Australia as England made a decisive early move in one key session. Within six balls, England saw two breakthroughs that jolted the home side and briefly tilted the momentum. Jake Weatherald’s edge to the keeper off Brydon Carse started the wobble, followed by a stunning piece of fielding from Zak Crawley that sent Travis Head back to the pavilion on the very first ball of the next over.
Weatherald falls to a classic edge off Carse
Weatherald had looked to start one of those counter-attacking innings that can shift the tone of a day. But the English pace spearhead, Brydon Carse, found the edge with a ball that angled away and kept a touch of movement. The dismissal, coming as the session began to offer more pace and bounce, reminded observers that Adelaide can be as much about precision as it is about pace and aggression. Weatherald’s exit removed a key element of Australia’s middle order plans, and it briefly opened a door for England to apply pressure across the top and middle of the order.
Travis Head’s unfortunate first-ball dismissal
Head’s wicket on the first delivery of the over was a cruel banner for Australia’s sometimes-unstable middle order. Zak Crawley, stationed in the field with the kind of athleticism that has become a talking point in this series, swooped on a sharp chance and completed a tidy take, leaving Head stunned and the dressing room weighing the consequences of another sudden shift in mood. Such moments often ripple through a team’s confidence for the next few overs, and England’s fielding shape looked to be thriving on it. Head’s exit also forced Australia to scramble for plan B in the middle order as they attempted to re-anchor the innings after the early loss.
Impact on the match and narrative for Adelaide
Adelaide’s pitch has historically rewarded players who can mix discipline with a dash of invention. The clock is ticking on Australia’s innings, and England’s two wickets in quick succession tapped into the broader narrative of the match: can England maintain pressure and extract further resistance from a home side that has shown both resolve and vulnerability in this series? The early blows underline a recurring theme of the Ashes 2025: the ability of a quick to convert control into a sudden swing in the scoreboard. If England can sustain the pressure, they might force Australia into a prolonged consolidation phase, where each defensive milestone becomes more valuable than the last.
What to watch for in the remainder of the day
Key questions for the next sessions include how Australia reshapes their middle order after Head’s dismissal, whether they can rebuild partnerships with the tail, and how the quicks manage to keep the ball in challenging zones. For England, the task is to translate that early momentum into a meaningful advantage—ideally by maintaining tight lines, exploiting any seam movement, and keeping the fielding intensity high. The crowd in Adelaide will be listening for the next lift in the commentary and the next scoreboard shuffles, with both sides aware that a single session in a Test can define several days of cricket.
Final thoughts
Two wickets, a handful of nerves, and a reminder that the Ashes is as much about pressure handling as it is about skill with the bat and ball. As Adelaide provides its own balance of bounce and carry, this session could become a turning point—one that will be remembered for the quick-fire nature of the dismissals and the potential for a lingering shift in momentum as the day unfolds.
