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There was an element of fortune to start. Travis Head dragged on to Gus Atkinson and Jake Weatherald was strangled down the leg side by Josh Tongue.<\/p>\n
But then the latter’s skillful knack of snaffling wickets came to the fore as he bagged two of Australia’s dogged top order.<\/p>\n
Marnus Labuschagne received a full delivery from Tongue angled into the stumps and edged to slip, before the same bowler snared Steve Smith with one which nipped to bowl him through the gate. <\/p>\n
Michael Neser and Scott Boland followed to Tongue in consecutive deliveries – bowled by a nip-backer and caught at second slip respectively.<\/p>\n
CricViz’s stats showed Tongue finished with 5-21 off the 24 deliveries that he pitched in the area of the pitch classed as full (3-6m). <\/p>\n
In the ball-tracking era, only one English seamer (before Tongue today) has ever picked up five wickets from a full length in a Test innings.<\/p>\n
That was a memorable effort by Stuart Broad at Trent Bridge in 2015.<\/p>\n
Tongue’s pace dropped from an average of 86.7 mph in Adelaide to 85.3 mph in Melbourne. This looked and felt more like the ‘Redditch Rhythmist’, rather than the ‘Redditch Rocket’.<\/p>\n
“It was a case of pressure really: good constant pressure and Australia couldn’t get away. England bowled how Australia did on that very hot day in Adelaide,” Tufnell added.<\/p>\n
“You could get behind the bowling unit and clap them instead of being carved through gully. We have bowled too short all series until today but that was a good performance.<\/p>\n
“There were a few overheads too, a few clouds, but they put it in good areas. I am delighted for Josh Tongue, he’s been the pick, without doubt. It was excellent bowling.”<\/p>\n
England bowled full, and as their bowlers put their feet up their glasses – whatever the tipple – must have been a little more than half full.<\/p>\n
Even if their respite ends up shorter than they might have liked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n