ADELAIDE: England’s desperate Ashes survival bid was heavily dented Saturday when Nathan Lyon went one, two, three: vice-captain Harry Brook, bowled; captain Ben Stokes, bowled; leading scorer Zak Crawley, stumped.
England was starting to gain confidence chasing what needed to be a world-record 435 to keep the Ashes series alive against Australia, with Crawley (85) and Brook (30) sharing a 68-run stand to lift the visitors from 109-3 to 177.
Then Lyon started a new spell in the evening session, making a vital breakthrough with his second ball and taking three wickets for eight runs in a sequence that ripped through the middle order. England was suddenly 194-6, including its totemic skipper Ben Stokes (5) out trying to defend but missing a turning ball that rattled his off stump.
At stumps on Day 4, England was 207-6 and needing 228 runs for an improbable victory in the third test.
Australia needed four wickets to clinch the five-match series with two tests to spare.
State of the series
After losing the first two tests in Perth and Brisbane England needs a victory to have any hope of reclaiming the Ashes. Australia needs only a draw to retain the Ashes.
“We’ll reflect on today and make plans for tomorrow,” Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey said in a post-match TV interview, trying to play down his team’s strong position.
Cummins comeback
Australia skipper Pat Cummins took care of the top order, dismissing Ben Duckett (4) and Ollie Pope (17), both caught by Marnus Labuschagne, on either side of the lunch interval. Then he returned to have Joe Root, the No. 1-ranked batter in test cricket, caught behind for 39.
It was the 13th time in test cricket that Cummins has dismissed the former England captain. It was an all-too familiar setup, Cummins bowling a consistent length and then getting Root to dabble at a ball that shaped in and then seamed away.
It was an important contribution for the fast bowler who missed the first two tests because of a back problem.
Lyon back in business
Even his Australian teammates were mildly taunting Lyon, who said in a TV interview earlier this month he was “filthy” at being dropped from the lineup for the second test in Brisbane. Chirps of “C’mon Big Fil. C’mon Filthy” echoed from fielders around the stumps in encouragement for the veteran spin bowler after his three-wicket burst.
Lyon hadn’t taken a wicket in 27 overs and had figures of 0-50 from 10.1 overs in the second innings Saturday before he completely swung the momentum in Australia’s favor.
Even part-timer Travis Head had caused trouble for the England batters while Lyon was out of the attack, before Australia’s No. 2 all-time wicket taker seized back control.
Momentum twisting day
For much of Day 4, England was playing the better cricket.
Australia resumed at 271-4 in its second innings, a lead of 356, with Travis Head unbeaten on 142 and Alex Carey on 52.
Head’s dismissal for 170 triggered a lower-order collapse, with the last six wickets falling for 38 in 11 overs. The Australians were all out for 349, a lead of 434.
Head’s 162-run stand with Carey ended when he pulled a short ball from Josh Tongue (4-70) high and deep into the outfield where Crawley took a catch looking into the sun at mid-wicket.
Stokes made a big momentum-swinging breakthrough when he had Carey out for 72, tucking a short ball around the corner and caught at leg slip in a smart piece of field positioning.
Brydon Carse (3-80) dismissed Cummins (6) and Lyon on consecutive balls but Scott Boland left a wide ball to deny England its first Ashes hat-trick since 1999.
The Australian No. 11 was out soon after when Jofra Archer (1-20) took a tough return catch.
The record target
The highest successful fourth-innnings run chase was West Indies’ 418 in a three-wicket win over Australia at Antigua in 2003.
England has successfully chased 370-plus targets twice to win against India in the last three years.