Summary

  • Crawley & Duckett survive tricky 25 minutes to reach 27-0 at close

  • England need 251 to keep Ashes alive

  • Head finally falls for superb 77 as Australia dismissed for 224

  • Tourists lose last six wickets for 108 - Woakes, Wood & Broad take two each

  • Most of day three lost to rain until 17:00 BST

  • Use audio icon at top of page to listen to live TMS commentary

  • Get Involved: #bbccricket, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

Live Reporting

Timothy Abraham and Sam Drury

  1. Daniel Norcross
    BBC Test Match Special

    We are told play will commence at 16:45 BST.

  2. Tom Mallows
    BBC Sport at Headingley

    We have the biggest cheer of the day as the final cover is wheeled off to reveal the pitch and the umpires stride out to take a look.

    HeadingleyBBC Sport

  3. I can confirm the covers on the pitch itself are now coming off. The umpires are out there having a chat with a senior member of the groundstaff.

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    Keep the players off. The real Test match is under block E. 15-year-old from Beeston is 24 not out.

    Robbie, York

    Just seen Jamie Dalrymple in a Headingly pub, he said no chance of any play today. If you can’t trust an ex-cricketer about weather who can you?!

    Nick from Didcot

  5. Matthew Henry
    BBC Sport at Headingley

    The groundstaff are ramping up the crowd like Stuart Broad at the top of his mark.

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    Would not get your hopes up for. I'm in West Leeds and it's just starting to rain again. Should reach you in time for the inspection.

    Jon, Leeds

  7. Tom Mallows
    BBC Sport at Headingley

    Kudos to the ground staff who have been working hard all day to try and get the ground ready, only for the returning rain to keep thwarting them.

    The covers are once again being removed as we edge closer to that 16:15 BST inspection.

    It is probably as bright as it has been all day, though the radar suggests we may not have seen the last of the wet stuff.

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    15.23 Half an hour from Rotherham to Leeds? What type of helicopter have you got?

    Larry

  9. An interesting post-script to that game played under the roof at the Millenium Stadium was the company that pioneered it was wound up after an investigation by the Department of Trade and Industry.

    An Asia v The Rest of the World event was planned for October 2003 at the Amsterdam Arena in Holland by never happened. I'm sure they hoped to stage them in Ogdenville and North Haverbrook as well...

    Millenium Stadium cricket pitchGetty

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    The RoW team for the event at millennium included one Test wonder Amjad Khan who was then playing for Denmark. I believe he made his debut for the Danes in 1998 and played for them as recently as 2022. What’s the longest spanning international career?

    Anon

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    Indoor match at Cardiff. I remember it well. A six hit by Shahid Afridi landed in my lap (after I dropped it).

    Anon

  12. Matthew MaynardGetty Images

    Rest of the World won both the matches (played as two 15-over-innings-a-side games) in the Power Cricket series played with the roof on at the Millennium Stadium.

    I've just looked back at the rules. A shot into the upper third tier of the stadium counted for 10 runs, and the middle tier eight, with 12 on offer for hitting the roof.

    According to a report carried on the BBC Sport website Rest of the World (179-6 & 112-3) beat Britain (133-8 & 155) by seven wickets in the first match.

    Then in the second the margin of victory was much tighter as Rest of the World (142-7 & 141) beat Britain (143-9 & 138-8) by two runs.

    The kits look a bit budget, but the concept was ahead of its time.

  13. Matthew Henry
    BBC Sport at Headingley

    Don’t get too excited but it’s definitely brighter here.

    There’ll be a pitch inspection at 16:15 BST.

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    Went to the indoor match in Cardiff all those years ago… Very bizarre experience. The rules for boundaries were the sort of the thing you made up with your mates playing cricket in your street. I’m pretty sure that for hitting the ball into the top tier in the stadium that day you got 12 runs!! England could do with that in this match.

    Johnson in Cardiff

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    Stephen Bailey: I'm pretty sure it was 12 runs if you hit the roof during the Power Cricket event at the Millenium Stadium back in 2002!

  16. James Foster and Azhar Mahmood - Power Cricket CupGetty Images

    Looking at the two teams for that Britain v Rest of the World, I know which bowling attack I'd rather be facing...

    Britain: Nasser Hussain (Essex), Ali Brown (Surrey), Dominic Cork (Derbyshire), John Crawley (Hampshire), Robert Croft (Glamorgan), Mark Ealham (Kent), Matthew Fleming (Kent), James Foster (Essex), David Fulton (Kent), Adam Hollioake (Surrey), Ronnie Irani (Essex), Simon Jones (Glamorgan), Rob Key (Kent), Matthew Maynard (Glamorgan), Martin Saggers (Kent), Robin Smith (Hampshire).

    Rest of the World: Stephen Fleming (New Zealand), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Mushtaq Ahmed (Pakistan), Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Saeed Anwar (Pakistan), Nathan Astle (New Zealand), Shane Bond (New Zealand), Andy Flower (Zimbabwe), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), Amjad Khan (Denmark), Azhar Mamood (Pakistan), Muttiah Muralitharian (Sri Lanka), Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka), Yuvraj Singh (India), Javagal Srinath (India), Courtney Walsh (West Indies).

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    I'm half an hour down the road in Rotherham and the sun's out now. Can come and play in my garden if you like? Smaller boundaries but I make a good cup of tea.

    Alex

  18. Matthew Henry
    BBC Sport at Headingley

    We've got the big tractor-like super soppers, little rollers and drainpipes - all being used to try and dry up the outfield.

    The thing is I'm pretty sure sure it's still raining.

    We were told a little earlier there would be an inspection at 15:45 BST but that was if there was no more rain.

  19. In fact, Ashley, we've scoured the archives and dug out some images from the indoor match at the Millennium Stadium. It was a two-match series between Britain and Rest of the World.

    I seem to recall Shahid Afridi managed to hit the roof with a six.

    The Brits v Rest of the World, Pertemp Power Cricket Cup match at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales on October 4, 2002Getty Images
    Wasim Akram and Dominic Cork during POwer Cricket Cup match at Millennium StadiumGetty Images

  20. Funnily enough, Ashley. Your message has brought memories flooding back of an exhibition game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff played with the roof closed.