December 19, 2021 thesundaytimes.co.uk/sport

in a 138-run third-wicket partnership,

the dismissal of Root prompted a

dismal capitulation. The touring side

lost their last eight wickets for 86

runs to be bowled out for 236 in reply

to Australia’s 473 for nine declared.

By the close, Australia had

extended their lead to 282 runs with

nine second-innings wickets in hand

after Steve Smith, Australia’s stand-in

captain, opted against enforcing the

follow-on.

A frustrated Malan said that

England had to find a way to build

bigger partnerships and stop letting

Australia take clusters of wickets. “It

is a bit of a trend, we did it on the last

tour [in 2017-18] and we did this in the

last Test as well,” Malan, who

followed up his 82 in the first Test in

Brisbane with 80 yesterday, said.

“We get a little bit of momentum

and a partnership going and when

the Aussies get one wicket they get

England are facing a heavy defeat in

the second Ashes Test after another

batting collapse led them to concede

a 237-run first-innings deficit as

Australia pressed home their

dominance at the Adelaide Oval.

Although the third day began

brightly when Joe Root and Dawid

Malan batted through the first

session, both making half-centuries

Elizabeth Ammon

Leeds United’s chief executive has

said it is inevitable that players who

refuse to be vaccinated will face

“punitive consequences” as the

Premier League resists pressure from

some clubs to have a break in the

league programme.

Angus Kinnear said 99 per cent of

players and staff at Leeds had been

jabbed, which was critical to their

match against Arsenal going ahead

last night. Premier League clubs have

been told that unvaccinated players

are having a disproportionate effect

on match cancellations as, unlike

those who are double-jabbed, they

must isolate for ten days after being

in contact with a Covid-positive

person.

The clubs are meeting tomorrow

to discuss the crisis, with some

pushing for a break, but the Premier

League will tell them there is little

space in the calendar to reschedule

matches given that the Qatar World

Cup in November has caused a late

finish to this season and an early start

to the next campaign.

In an exclusive column for The

Sunday Times, Kinnear says the

Leeds players’ leadership group

decided that vaccinations were a

civic responsibility as well as an

opportunity to show solidarity with

their team-mates.

He writes: “While everyone I have

encountered in the game believes in

the sanctity of vaccination being a

personal and free choice, it seems

inevitable that players who decline a

vaccine and are unable to ply their

trade effectively will begin to face

broader and more punitive

consequences — as are being felt

across the rest of society.”

Manchester United were one of the

first clubs to have a fixture cancelled

because of a Covid outbreak but they

are confident that they will have

enough players to fulfil their next

fixture, away to Newcastle United a

week on Monday. Most players who

missed the Old Trafford club’s two

postponed games will have

completed their ten-day isolation

period by the time the match takes

place at St James’ Park. Manchester

two or three in clusters and we can go

from 150 for two to 180 for six and we

are chasing the game again.

“After we lost those two wickets

[Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed on

day two] we needed to get a

partnership going, which myself and

Rooty got. We got ourselves into a

half-decent position and again when

the Aussies got that door open they

just jumped straight through it. It is

SPORT

ANGEL

GABRIEL

MARTINELLI SCORES

TWICE AS ARSENAL

MAKE LIGHT WORK OF

DEPLETED LEEDS

PAGES 6-7

Refuse jab

and face

punishment,

players told

Martyn Ziegler, Paul Hirst

An anguished

Root was forced

into bowling

earlier than

expected, after

England’s dismal

first-innings

capitulation

nightmare

Familiar batting collapse

leaves England facing defeat

in second Test in Adelaide

Pages 2-5

recurring

Root’s

WILLIAM WEST

Continued on page 3→ Continued on page 7→