JOS BUTTLER SAVED Englandโs blushes on Thursday, counter-attacking against Australia to lift his side to 271-8 after they collapsed on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test.
World Cup winners England, desperate to level the series at 2-2, have struggled to find consistency all series and contributed to their own downfall at the Oval, slipping from 170-3 to 226-8.
But Buttler, who did not look comfortable early on, dipped into his white-ball playbook, smashing paceman Josh Hazlewood for successive sixes as Jack Leach dug in at the other end.
Buttler ended the day 64 not out, while Leach was unbeaten on 10 but England will need to add runs on Friday on what looks like a good pitch for batting.
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh claimed four wickets on his return to the side. Pat Cummins and Hazlewood were again impressive for the tourists.
Australia are seeking their first Ashes series win in England for 18 years.
Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and put the home side in under grey skies. Joe Root then enjoyed astonishing good fortune as England reached 170-3.
The skipper was dropped three times but failed to make the most of his let offs, comprehensively bowled for 57 by Cummins shortly after tea.
Root has reached fifty 61 times in Tests but has gone on to reach three figures on just 16 occasions.
By contrast, Australiaโs former captain Steve Smith, who has dominated the Ashes with his bat, has reached fifty 52 times and made 26 hundreds โ a far better conversion rate.
Root was dropped on 24 by Peter Siddle on the boundary. Then wicketkeeper Paine failed to cling on to a one-handed chance in front of David Warner at first slip. Both drops were off Cummins.
Shortly after lunch, with the ground now bathed in sunshine, the skipper had yet another reprieve when a diving Smith failed to hold on to a sharp chance at second slip off Siddle.
Root drove Hazlewood square of the wicket to bring up 7,000 Test runs in his 158th innings โ only three England players have reached the mark faster. But he eventually ran out of lives.
Jonny Bairstow followed shortly afterwards, lbw to Mitchell Marsh for 22.
Bairstowโs dismissal brought all-rounder Sam Curran to the wicket and he hooked Cummins for six.
Curran had a let-off when he was given out lbw to Cummins only for a replay to show the Australian had overstepped but he was out shortly afterwards, caught by Smith at second slip off a reckless drive.
Earlier, opener Rory Burns (47) and Ben Stokes (20) were guilty of throwing their wickets away with misjudged shots as Englandโs top order struggled again.
Australia won at Old Trafford last week to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, meaning they will retain the Ashes urn regardless of the result at the Oval.
But Paine said his side were โvery hungryโ to complete the job and win their first Test series in England since 2001.
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Gaa players seem a bit sensitive lol
It is a silly article, these people are given a page on a Sunday paper to write about whatever topic they choose. GAA players are amateurs, there is no comparison to be made. The mind boggles.
I think that gaa players are being told and starting to believe that they could go and play in the premier league or the championship and perform for a 32 game league and cut it when as amateurs they clearly couldnโt.thats what hunt is pointing out really.hes just saying how important rest is in between training and matches
Iโd be much more GAA than soccer but if he said most GAA players wouldnโt have the talent to make it in the premiership Iโd have to agree.
PL clubs have the money to buy the best in the world and it is highly unlike weโd have a load of guys crack it from our tiny country if the GAA lads tried their hand at it. I can accept that no problem.
The problem Iโd have with his comments is that a man who never came across as the sharpest knife in the drawer is trying to make out that GAA lads are not his equal mentally!
Iโd never have thought Hunty was the sharpest tool in the box either, but his Sindo articles reveal the opposite. They are fast becoming my first-read article in the sports pages. His insights into Trapโs attitudes, why the players appreciate Glenn Whelan etc are usually very interesting. I think Hunt was clearly irked by Joe Brolly but was foolish to respond with a sweeping statement about GAA players. However, I did like the comment about role models. Football is so high profile now and over-exposed in the media that some idiot diving will get ten times the publicity of Laurent Koscielny giving 600k to a factory in his home town to save it from closure. A kid who escapes a sink estate and a life in gangs because he worked hard at his talent and became a footballer is every bit as inspiring as a an educated GAA or rugby man being well behaved on the pitch. I also think Hunt was trying to say that despite the headlines of the likes of Ched Evans the vast majority are very professional and look after themselves well, at the expense of a fun lifestyle. I suspect thereโs some truth in that.
The level of ignorance regarding fitness and conditioning of professional players versus amateurs is astounding here. Simply no comparison so stop kidding yourselves with it. Itโs just embarrassing and showing the bias in some GAA parts to anything outside parochial part time amateur games. Heโs right whether ye like it or not. Get informed and speak to a pro if you know anyโฆ..
The way I read it, I thought he was actually complimenting GAA players with a sarcastic jibe about the mundane life of the soccer players. I reckon he knows well the hard commitment of the GAA stars, who possibly donโt do sarcasm too often.
Or maybe Iโm wrong and heโs really just stirring it up.
Of course they are sensitive,they know they are working as hard as any pro footballer,but they are being used and abused for their stupidity and loyalty,who cares anyway,its a mickey mouse game ,,outside of the parish no one knows them or cares about them or their sport !!!!we dont remember the hurling or football finals of 88 90 94 02,but we do remember the irish soccer teams performances on the international stage in those years!!!ps Brolly needs a slap!
That is a daft comment there are loads of people up and down the country who could probably recall every All -Ireland final for the last 20 years. Iโm from Tipp and I remember every hurling final Tipp have played in since I was born, and could probably name you the starting lineup and give you a small bio for each player. I also remember โhaving a macedoniaโ, Euro โ12 and this gem from last weekโฆ.. https://vine.co/v/O1d6DQeDwvq. (actually a soccer fan,but itโs getting harder by the day). I hate to be agreeing with Joe Brolly on his high horse, but in general soccer players are not role models (the Irish players are much better than most) or at least you hope kids are not looking up to the likes Yaya Toure, Ryan Giggs, Mario Ballotelli, Ched Evans, John Terry, Luis Suarezโฆ. even golden boy multi โ millionaire Lionel Messi is dodging his taxesโฆ..
soccer players are good role models for kids tho? you could pick out a handfull of GAA players and put them in the same spot as you just put the soccer players in with a bad reputation.
loads of GAA HEADS
soccer players are more under pressure to get a result every week,essentially the fans paying in are paying your wages, itโs mental pressure on top of soccer players covering a lot more ground on the field as well,gaa players at inter county level play 5 or 6 games to get to an all ireland final and they play maybe another 5 or 6 serious games with their clubs and then you have league games which if you go to they just stroll around the place,hunt is right in what heโs saying,gaa players wouldnโt last a full season playing soccer and if they tried I think would you see a lot of pulled muscles and injuries with the gaa boys,thatโs what he means about rest
Seen one fella saying we would see a lot of pulled muscles etc if GAA players were in the premier league, am i the only person who think a soccer player wouldnt last 5 minutes on a gaelic pitch before needing to be carried off? Wouldnt give them more than 30 seconds on a hurling pitch either
His argument about commitment highlights just how out of touch these millionaire soccer players have gotten, many top level GAA players would probably do a similar level of training before and after work, spend their intercounty โoff season playing for their club/schools/university teamsโ as well as helping out with some coachingโฆ
Ah this is just to funny good man Stephen Hunt all the gaa heads fierce sensitive
Irelands fittest sportmen,
Gaa v Hurling v Soccer v Rugby v Golf!!!
Imagine Padraig Harrington vs Paul OโConnell in a wrestling match!
Well firstly there are exceptions in every code and it really depends on the kind of fitness your talking about. I mean professional rugby players would put most to shame in the gym to be fair, but in terms of endurance you would be hard pushed to see past Gaelic footballers as in itโs current give and go handpassing guise the level of hard running required is pretty extreme. Iโm sure McIlroy is pretty fit, but any sport where John Daly or Miguel Jimenez can succeed can hardly lay any major claims. Hurling still (thankfully) places more emphasis on the technical aspects of the games. Soccer obviously has a high level of cardio fitness but obliviously has a problem with core strength the way they keep falling overโฆ. https://vine.co/v/O1d6DQeDwvq
Or Shane Lowry against Keith earls in a sprint
Now thats a competition I would love to see, get someone like J.P. McManus to put forward a prize fund (100,000 should attract the soccer lads!) and have a competition based on several aspects of fitnessโฆfinish off with the winner having a battle to the death against Hunt!!
Is everyone missing the point here. Soccer players get paid thousands of pounds per week, it is not comparable!!!!
Wasnโt the greatest article but he hardly said anything too bad about GAA players, who have once again proven themselves to be some of the most precious bunch of sweethearts the sporting world has ever seen.
Stephen Hunt is a footballer???
how he made a living out been a footballer is a mystery league 2 was always his level