We are still here. When England were 15 for two in their seventh over with another 344 runs required for victory and 70 overs to be bowled in the day, swift exit possibilities were being explored. Now other possibilities, more unlikely but much more intriguing, have surfaced. In their pursuit of 359 for victory England were 156 for three at the close with Joe Root on home turf attempting to play the innings of his life. At stumps he was unbeaten on 75, which already constitutes his innings of the series.

Nagging away at the back of the mind is the thought, “This is Headingley”. Extraordinary things happen here in the fourth innings, which have involved a wide variety of protagonists: Donald Bradman, Bob Willis, Mark Butcher and Shai Hope spring to mind. On Saturday afternoon England looked to their ordinary Joes to join this list. At least Messrs Root and Denly, to borrow some Strine, have been “pretty bloody ordinary” up until now.

Ashes 2019: England end on 156-3 chasing 359 v Australia, third Test day three – live! Read more

But in sun-kissed Leeds in front of a packed stadium who seemed to enjoy the occasion despite the absence of sixes or fireworks, there was something out of the ordinary as they battled to keep this match alive. After all, they batted together for 53 overs, almost twice as long as the entire team managed in the first innings, grinding out 136 runs in the process. They received a curious standing ovation when they registered a hundred partnership.

The Joes had opted for the hard route out of the rut, the red ball route rather than the white. They grafted; they shunned wide deliveries; they blocked the straight ones and painstakingly gleaned their runs against an unrelenting Australia attack. After 50 overs, when it is customary to make a note, England’s score was 125 for two, an unusual state of affairs in this World Cup summer.

The Joes were separated midway through the final session during another exceptional spell from Josh Hazlewood. Denly had been peppered with short deliveries throughout his innings, especially from Pat Cummins. Sometimes he ducked calmly, at others he fended in some discomfort and, as so often happens now, he was hit on the helmet as well. Throughout he remained resolute, moving into line and deflecting his runs amid the odd wayward drive. He has played many more beautiful innings in county cricket but few gutsier ones and he has never batted in such a tense situation. In the end a bouncer surprised him – partly because Hazlewood does not bowl so many – and he gloved a catch to the keeper.

Root, meanwhile, reminded us why he is a class above the rest of England’s batsmen; he had a fraction more time to decide how to cope with those shorter deliveries. Once he had avoided his pair – with an early cut shot off his recent tormentor, Hazlewood, he settled in to play an innings of old-style discretion. There were no expansive drives but many soft deflections on either side of the wicket. He let the ball come to him and usually he had enough time to deal with it. Like Denly he was prepared to play the long game, to try to wear down his opponents, not that the Australians at any stage suggested that they were running out of fuel.

Their bowlers certainly started at full throttle. Rory Burns soon edged a steep lifter from Hazlewood into the increasingly safe hands of David Warner at slip. Then Jason Roy was bowled by a trimmer from Cummins, which clipped the top of his off-stump.

So a fast game was in prospect. Batting still seemed a trial out there even when the Australians were at the crease. They managed to add another 75 in the morning but with enough uncertainty to suggest that the match might be over by the close.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Marnus Labuschagne of Australia is struck by a delivery from Jofra Archer. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Ben Stokes was selected to accompany Stuart Broad at the start and he would bowl throughout the session, which meant that, apart from a four-ball interruption from Jofra Archer on Friday night, he ran in from the Rugby Stand End for 24 consecutive overs. The impression was that Root may have struggled to remove the ball from his hands even if he had wanted a change from that end.

England looked grumpy out there, not surprisingly given their situation; Marnus Labuschagne, such a familiar figure now, was still calm and measured in between being hit on the head by a cricket ball – he took two more blows in the morning session – and he remained a formidable obstacle. On 60 he gave a tough chance to Jonny Bairstow off Stuart Broad that fell to ground. Broad did not quite succeed in hiding his disappointment as he flicked the ball along the ground to his keeper at the end of the over.

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It looked like another one of those days especially after the donation of four overthrows – fortunately off the bowling of Archer, which meant that there were no volcanic eruptions out there. Then, after starting gingerly, Archer found the edge of James Pattinson’s bat and Root took the catch. Stokes’s sweat was justifiably rewarded with the wicket of Cummins, who was fending off a short delivery.

Soon Labuschagne became the first batsman in the series to be run out. A square drive sped out to Denly on the point boundary. There was a misfield, but only a little one, which encouraged Labuschagne back for a second; Denly gathered the ball and his throw was swift and straight into the gloves of Bairstow who gathered the ball smoothly. To mild surprise Labuschagne was a couple of inches from home when the bails were removed. Soon Nathan Lyon was bowled off the bottom edge by Archer, the 13th wicket of his brief Test career. The target was set. It is a formidable one. But we are still here.