Tale of two captains as series sits on a knife edge

Australia retained their slender advantage in the third Test at Headingley on another day of Ashes cricket in fast-forward. They were not at their clinical best in Leeds against a flagging England side, yet could still clinch the urn this weekend.

This was a day that highlighted the brilliance of the two captains. Pat Cummins, who took two wickets on the first evening, added four more to complete his first five-wicket haul on English soil, finishing with 6 for 91, while Ben Stokes produced his second superhuman innings in six days.

Stokes had resumed after lunch unbeaten on 27 as England struggled to find a middle ground between attack and defence, losing four wickets in the morning - three of them to aggressive shots, despite their slowest-scoring session of the series.

But Stokes and England shifted gears after the break, adding 95 runs in 62 balls for the loss of their final three wickets, in a frenzied hour in the Leeds sunshine. Stokes was the last man out, looking to hit Todd Murphy for his sixth six, but his 80 dragged England to a deficit of only 26.

Stuart Broad struck early for England, removing David Warner for the second time in the match, third time in the series and 17th in Test cricket, before Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne restored some calm, adding 55 for the second wicket.

Then Labuschagne and Steven Smith fell in quick succession to Moeen Ali - Smith was his 200th Test wicket - and when Khawaja edged Chris Woakes behind, England sensed an opening. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh took them through to the close, leading by 142 and with the game just about in their control.

Cummins struck with the second ball of the day, dismissing Joe Root for the 10th time. He found some extra bounce from just short of a good length, with a tight enough line to draw Root into a shot, tentatively steering to Warner at slip.

It was a good ball, yes, but a tame end - one which further vindicated the intent behind the reverse-scoop that he attempted at the start of the fourth morning of the first Test in Birmingham. Jonny Bairstow followed soon after, chasing a wide half-volley from Mitchell Starc and flashing to second slip.

Stokes played within himself, clearly struggling with an apparent hip injury for which he received treatment, but dug deep in defence. Moeen kept him company during a partnership worth 44, but his dismissal - caught in the deep after a second successive top-edged hook - exposed a familiar failing against the short ball.

Woakes fell to the same shot, top-edging a pull through to Alex Carey in the final over before lunch having earlier swiped Cummins over midwicket for six. England scored at 3.19 an over across the morning session, adding 74 runs for the loss of four wickets. Headingley was subdued.

Mark Wood soon woke the crowd up. He swiped the first three balls after lunch for six, four and six off Starc, then swung Cummins for six more. His innings of 24 off 8 was nothing more than a cameo, yet somehow changed the course of the day as Australia persisted with a short-ball ploy.

Stokes continued to battle through, hitting Starc for three consecutive boundaries as he sensed the moment to attack. When Broad heaved Cummins to long leg - where Smith took a brilliant catch, diving to his right - Stokes went even harder, thumping Murphy back over his head for back-to-back sixes.

He repeated the trick an over later, with one straight hit and a slog-sweep over square leg, and eventually fell looking for a third pair of back-to-back sixes, slog-sweeping the first before dragging the second down Smith's throat at long-on.

Broad's dismissal of Warner was trademark: around the wicket, wide on the crease, angling the ball in then nipping it away off the seam to find his outside edge. Zak Crawley held on at second slip, and Labuschagne looked skittish early in his innings at No. 3.

His partnership with the unflustered Khawaja either side of tea presented Australia an opportunity to take control of the game, against an England attack still missing Ollie Robinson due to the back spasm he suffered on the first afternoon; when Labuschagne was dropped down the leg side by Bairstow off Wood, it felt like a significant moment.

But inexplicably, he offered another chance to the very next ball he faced. Getting down to sweep Moeen, Labuschagne top-edged straight to Harry Brook on the square leg boundary; he resembled a child trying to convince a parent for a few more throw-downs as he sullenly dragged himself back to the dressing room.

And Australia's other middle-order banker fell soon after. Smith, playing his 100th Test, charged down the pitch to Moeen, looking to get his innings up and running by swiping him over midwicket but skewed a half-volley straight to Ben Duckett at short midwicket. "See ya, Smudge," Bairstow said with a grin, earning a glare from Smith on his way off.

Wood hit Khawaja with a bouncer shortly before drinks and he fell soon after, edging through to Bairstow as Woakes angled one across him. Head and Marsh reached stumps unscathed and with Australia back ahead of the game, but without any real semblance of dominance heading into the middle day of the series.