Ashes 2021: Jack Leach registers unwanted record on Day 3 of AUS vs ENG, 1st Test

England left-arm spinner Jack Leach found himself in an unwanted list of records on Day 3 of the ongoing first Test match of the Ashes 2021 series between Australia and England at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane. Australia scored a grand total of 425 runs in the second innings of the match with a lead of 278 runs to their credit, as Travis Head top-scored for the Aussies with a knock of 152 runs off just 148 balls. On one hand, while Head made headlines for scoring the century, Leach found himself in the record books of having the worst economy rate in an innings of a Test match.

By returning with the figures of 1/102 from the 13 overs he bowled, Leach gave away runs at an economy rate of 7.84 runs per over, which put him fifth in the list of bowlers with the worst bowling economy. He stands fifth in the list below Pakistan wrist-spinner Yasir Shah, former Bangladesh bowler Shahadat Hossain, former Aussie bowler Bryce McGain and legendary Proteas pacer Allan Donald. While Yasir Shah tops the list with an economy rate of 8.85, Leach follows Donald’s economy of giving away 8.00 runs in a Test match in 1994. At the same time, Leach stands ahead of Proteas spinner Imran Tahir, who stands sixth in the list with an economy rate of 7.82.

Rory Burns becomes the first English wicket to fall in the 3rd innings of the Gabba Test

Meanwhile, following the conclusion of the second innings on Day 3, England started their second batting innings of the match and found themselves at 122/2 at the end of 41 overs of play. England opener Rory Burns who was earlier dismissed in the very first ball of the Test match in the first innings yet again became the first English wicket to fall. Burns returned after scoring 13 runs off 27 balls, while Haseeb Hameed returned after scoring 27 runs off 58 balls. At the time of writing this article, England skipper Joe Root and no. 3 batter  Dawid Malan bat it out at the middle on the individual scores of 35 and 41 runs respectively.

(Image: BCCI)