Crazy things do happen at Headingley and sometimes crazy is good

Crazy things do happen at Headingley. But crazy things happened at Edgbaston a few weeks ago, and Lord's a few days ago. Crazy things are pretty much what this England team are about. And sometimes, like today, crazy can be good.

All the cricket has been good. Each of the previous 11 days compelling, giving everyone take-home bags full of incident and narrative, angst and, if you happen to support Australia, two wins in the first two Tests.

From an English perspective, the front-running of Edgbaston, followed by the clumsiness and controversy of Lord's meant it was only a matter of time before minds and bodies gave out. And for the first third of the second day of this third Test, that almost happened.

An England team who thrilled for a year have flunked for a fortnight. And whether you still believe wholeheartedly in Bazball, accept the process still works but malign literal and figurative drops in the fundamentals, or feel compelled to protest it all by running on and scattering the pitch with strike rates of 2.5 an over, there is a familiar exhaustion coursing through all three groups. "Oh England - look at what they make you give?"

And then, they gave. Enough to win the Test? Hard to say. But plenty to get them back into it as a contest. Australia go into the weekend leading by 142 with six second-innings remaining, but England are in a comfortable sweet spot between control and chaos, where the very best of what we saw of them last year happens.

Analytically, viscerally - this felt like the craziest day of the series so far. So maybe it was little surprise the two players who contributed most to England's part in it were those who perennially exist in their own half-spaces.

Ben Stokes took the game back to the absurd realm for the second time this week. A devastating 80 bludgeoned Australia's first-innings lead down to 26, just 10.2 overs after the afternoon session had begun with it reading 121, with England seven down.

Then, much like his presence in this Ashes series altogether, Moeen Ali came from nowhere. Not only did he prise out both Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, he stitched together 17 overs on the bounce for just 34 runs. All the more impressive given he missed Lord's to rest a spinning finger that went from a tear to a wound across that first Test at Edgbaston.

Both individuals encapsulate the allrounder complex, particularly on a day they ticked over significant career milestones. Stokes, the allrounder whose numbers don't reflect his worth, passed 6000 runs, moving to 6008 at a pretty okay average of 36.63. Moeen, the one whose numbers tell the absolute truth, moved to 200 dismissals with an overnight average of 37.13 which currently ranks as the worst average for a bowler to reach that mark.

By all accounts, the first session was the most normal the series, in line with Australia's domination as the mooted fightback led by locals Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow came to nothing. Stokes was in after the second ball when Root was done by Cummins, before Bairstow scuffed an unbalanced drive to second slip.

That brought Moeen and Stokes together, and for 15.1 overs, there was a recalibration to the old days. Rightly so, too: 44 runs and the sting taken out of the situation. Alas, Moeen's hook two balls after getting away with one made that graft seem obsolete. And when Woakes stepped away and feathered a slash over the keeper straight into Alex Carey's gloves, lunch was called with England 142 for 7 and the urn being wrapped up to take back to the other side of the world.

It had the hallmarks of a grim day. One you could point to as the day the series died. The mood at Headingley was flat for the 40-minute break. Just before the ground entertainment tried (and failed) to get the Western Terrace going, Mark Wood walked across to the nets to work on how he would play the bouncer. Something he thought was a good idea before he had it confirmed with Moeen, who had taken more or less the same route moments earlier for Friday prayers.

"He actually said to me, 'do you reckon I should go and do some pull shots in the nets?'" Moeen revealed at the end of play. Why not, thought Moeen. What's the worst that can happen?

What Moeen did not think would happen - nor the rest of us - was Wood stepping away to the leg side and launching Mitchell Starc over midwicket for six. Then a four over backward point and another six over backward square. Then a top edge off Cummins over fine leg before a skied hack to end a brief eight-ball stay for 24. These all were the starter pistols of the madness, partly because it seemed to give Stokes a bit of respite. Not much in terms of time, but it was a period where someone took on the burden and, for a moment, dipped into the spectacular.

The England captain had worn blows to the arm, knee and groin all morning. His left hip began playing up, leading to a break in play where the physio came out and looked like he was trying to force it back into position.

"There's a lot more than he's showing," said Moeen. Even what he was showing was enough for a normal man to take the day off at least. But it wouldn't be Stokes and it would not be here of all places without an innings that grabbed the game, turned it upside down and shook it for change.

Following the Lord's blitz that came to nothing, he spoke of the experience he can fall back on in those do-or-die situations that, as he put it, "I seem to find myself in". Well would you believe it, here he was again in a tough situation, like an out-of-town cowboy walking into a local bar full of familiar enemies. And so, he began shooting everything in sight right between the eyes. As Australia's head coach, Andrew McDonald, said: "When Stokes is there, you are never in total control."

Four consecutive fours spanned the 45th and 46th overs, the first three of those against Starc. When Todd Murphy was brought on, Stokes hit him straight down the ground, over long on, beyond fine leg, again over long on then square leg before he was eventually snared to close the innings. A personal score of 27 off 67 now read 80 off 108. A team circling the drain were now in charge of the taps. And a man who never knows he's beaten now has more wonder knocks in the last week (two) than functioning knees.

Stokes took the field throughout the 47 overs of Australia's second innings so far, even though it looked like he could do with Bairstow treating him like a Just Stop Oil protester and carrying him from one side to the other. He did not try to hide himself in the field, or do anything at less than 100 percent of what his body would allow.

As you looked around, you could see the responsibility he had imbued in others, all boosted by this second chance at a day they had thought was gone. Wood, no more than 24 hours after his break-neck spells of day one, pushed himself to the brink once more. Fielders fought for every inch, and even Ollie Robinson spent as much time as he could out there to ensure he won't have to wait to bowl tomorrow morning once he has banked another night's rest following day one's back spasm.

Without Moeen, however, Australia could well have re-asserted their dominance. The lack of Robinson and Stokes meant overs had to be found from somewhere. The offspinner's 17 overs at an economy rate of two was not as spectacular as Stokes' earlier on. But every double act needs a straight man, and here was, by his own admission, the least reliable control bowler going, keeping it all together.

That Labuschagne (sweeping to the leg-side fielder) and Smith (hacking to midwicket) showed such generosity by removing themselves was appreciated. "Yeah 100%," he answered instantly when asked if he was grateful. "I didn't think I was going to get any wickets on this."

England live to fight another day. The hows and whys are clear for those lucky to witness but hard to articulate to others. The hope is they have a target to chase they are happy with, which could be anywhere between 250 and 450. And as Moeen contemplated a finale with all cards on the table, he made an important point.

"We've got guys who want to stand up and not just rely on Ben to score the runs. We do have the very good players, dangerous players who we just need to come to the party as well as Ben. Ben's playing brilliantly but there are runs out there for other players."

Whatever you think of Bazball, there is no doubt you believe in Stokes just as much as the players do. And while getting the match situation to about evens at this juncture has relied squarely on one man's work with the bat with cameos from those with the ball, the next bit is very simple. Do it for him.