England vs Australia 4th Test Day 3 Highlights: Australia are in danger of an innings defeat in the fourth Test being played at Old Trafford in Manchester. By the end of the third day’s play, Australia had lost four wickets for just 113 runs in the second innings. The Kangaroo team is still 162 runs behind England. Marnus Labushen 44 and Mitchell Marsh returned unbeaten after scoring one run at stumps.
England dominated the match by taking four wickets of Australia on Friday, the third day of the fourth Test match of the Ashes series. England finished the first innings on 592 runs and took a lead of 275 runs against Australia.
By the end of the third day’s play, Australia had scored 113 runs in the second innings losing four wickets, due to which it is trailing England by 162 runs. Australia’s first innings was reduced to 317 runs.
Mark Wood did not give Australia’s batsmen a chance to recover at his fast pace. He completed a century of wickets in Test cricket by dismissing Usman Khawaja (18), Steve Smith (17) and Travis Head (01). Chris Woakes showed the way to the pavilion to David Warner (28).
Earlier, wicket-keeper batsman Johnny Bairstow (99 not out) missed his century by just one run due to the dismissal of his partner. England started playing ahead of 384 runs for four wickets in the morning, then its lead was 67 runs. The team dominated till the end of the innings, in which Bairstow and James Anderson shared a 66-run partnership for the 10th wicket.
Out of this, Anderson scored only five runs and was lbw out on the ball of Cameron Green (2 wickets for 64 runs). Due to this, Bairstow remained unbeaten on 99 runs (10 fours and four sixes), for which he played 81 balls.
England had taken a lead of 189 runs by scoring 506 runs for eight wickets till lunch. To keep the Ashes series alive for England, it is necessary to win this test.
Australian captain Pat Cummins (1/129) took the first wicket on Friday in the form of his counterpart Ben Stokes (51), helping England reach 437 for five, a 120-run lead.
Stokes, who scored 155 and 80 at Lord’s and Headingley respectively, ended another important innings with an inside edge. Mitchell Starc (2/137) left the field on Thursday after falling awkwardly on his shoulder.
After this, Harry Brook gave his wicket on the ball of Josh Hazlewood. He scored 61 runs. Stark caught his wicket at the boundary. At this time England’s lead was 157 runs. Stark again gave 12 runs in the 93rd over and in the very next over, Hazlewood sent Chris Woakes to the pavilion at zero. Mark Wood (06) became the victim of Hazlewood (five wickets for 126 runs).