The Ashes, third Test: Australian pacers have been bowling hand grenades, really feel sorry for Haseeb Hameed – Allan Border

Former Australia captain Allan Border “rarely” feels sorry for England cricketers however he could not assist however sympathise with opener Haseeb Hameed, who needed to cope with fiery spells from Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland within the last hour of Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on Monday.

England batters needed to survive a troublesome 12 overs within the last hour of play after Australia’s first innings folded for 267 on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Hameed and Zak Crwley opened the second innings for the guests and have been instantly put underneath relentless strain from each ends by Cummins, Starc and Boland.BOXING DAY TEST: Highlights | ReportStarc broke by means of within the fifth with Crawley’s wicket for five earlier than eliminating Dawid Malan off the very subsequent supply however missed out on his hat-trick as England captain Joe Root held on to his wicket.Hameed and Root then batted for 34 deliveries earlier than Boland got here into the assault and struck twice in his firs over. He obtained Hameed caught behind for 15 earlier than hitting the off-stump of nightwatchman Jack Leach (0) to depart England tottering at 22 for 4.Border, who’s Australia’s most-experienced Test captain, reckons there was nothing else that Hameed may have performed to outlive the Aussie pacers’ opening spell earlier than the shut of play.“Rarely, but for one individual, I think Hameed the young opener, I mean he had absolutely no chance of making runs.“You have to play and miss 15, 20 times to make a score on that surface, so I do feel sorry for him under that situation. The crowd baying for blood, the fast bowlers they were bowling hand grenades, every ball was doing something and you expected a wicket just about every ball and he’s fought like anything to get through there and hasn’t quite made it.“I feel sorry, generally not for England, but for that one young opener, he must think Test cricket’s the hardest game in the world.“The atmosphere at the ground was just electric and the last hour of cricket was extraordinary,” Border instructed Fox Cricket.England ultimately managed 31 for 4 by stumps on Day 2, nonetheless 51 runs behind the hosts. Captain Root was 12 not out, with Ben Stokes on two, the pair left to mount an unbelievable rescue mission on the MCG.