Jonny Bairstow at centre of heated Ashes moment with Steve Smith

The third Ashes Test is delicately placed at Headingley - and if the tension between Jonny Bairstow and Steve Smith is anything to go by, the players are all too aware of what is at stake. Bairstow, whose controversial second Test dismissal arguably lead to England facing a 2-0 series deficit, saw fit to give Smith a second innings send-off that was not appreciated by the former skipper.

England resurrected their hopes at Headingly but it wasn't thanks to any of Bairstow's work, having dropped multiple catches in Australia's first innings and continuing the trend in the second. He wasn't the only one keeping up with an alarming trend however, as for the second time at Headingley, Smith was dismissed cheaply, holing out to mid-wicket for just two runs.

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It was at this point that Bairstow, whose contributions to the series have been dubious at best, offered a helpful 'see ya Smudge' to the departing Smith. Suffice to say, Smith did not appreciate this.

"What was that?" Smith turned and asked, calling out again to get Bairstow's attention. "I said 'cheers, see you later'" came the reply from Bairstow.

England had the right to be fired up after reducing their first innings deficit to just 26 runs, however Bairstow's chirpiness could well come back to bite the home side, considering a loss at Headingley would see the Ashes return to Australia once again. Ben Stokes' 80 runs, combined with some big hitting from the England tail, helped haul the home side back into the contest after being in dire straights at 7/142 at one point.

Smith's second innings dismissal capped what has ultimately been a disappointing 100th Test match for the former skipper, having only scored 22 in the first innings. It was an uncharacteristically poor shot from Smith, gifting Moeen Ali his 200th Test wicket in the process.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald said he wasn't overly concerned about it, saying the Ashes is a high-pressure series and mistakes are to be expected from time to time. It could prove to be a costly mistake however, with Travis Head and Mitch Marsh at the crease, Australia at 4/116 with a lead of 142.

“In terms of the shot, it’s been a high pressurised series and there have been errors on both side,” McDonald said. “That’s going to happen, the games have ebbed and flowed.”

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The story could have been so much better for Australia, as they attempted to home in on their first series win in England for 22 years with a Headingley victory, if it hadn't been for Stokes. With Pat Cummins running through England's top order en route to his best Ashes figures of 6-91, England went to lunch at 7-142 and still trailing by 121. But from there, the day went south for Australia.

Stokes did what Stokes does best, producing a counter-attacking 80 and hitting five sixes in a 50-minute period after lunch while battling hip and knee issues. Mark Wood also hit 24 off eight balls, as England's tail wagged and Stokes started to dispatch everything to the boundary.

Stokes' miracle at Headingley in 2019 will forever be his finest hour in Test cricket. But if England pull off an unlikely win here to stay in the series and somehow deny Australia over the next two Tests, this innings could be viewed as almost equally crucial.

As is so often the case when Stokes gets going, Australia also didn't help themselves when they dropped him twice on 45 off Todd Murphy.

"When Ben Stokes is there, you are never in total control," McDonald said. "We have seen that over a period of time. We were able to create a couple of opportunities so it was a bit of dysfunction on our behalf."

With AAP

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