Smith sizzles as Oz sets England a daunting target

With Matthew Wade moving into Smith’s slipstream for 110 of his own, Australia took its overnight 124-3 to 487-7 and declared to set England 398 to win.

Chasing such a total is out of the question, but the host’s survival hopes were boosted by openers Rory Burns and Jason Roy coming through seven overs to close on 13-0.

England will have to bat out the final day if it is to avoid losing an Edgbaston Test for the first time in 11 years. It must do so on a surface that will offer plenty of assistance to off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who opened the bowling and immediately proved a much greater threat than England’s Moeen Ali.

As Moeen was unable to tie up an end and the part-time spinners were expensive, pace bowlers Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes pounded away on a surface giving them little.

They again did so without their leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson because of a calf injury, while Chris Woakes bowled only seven overs, raising fears over his long-standing knee problem.

Brief scores: Australia 284 & 487-7 (Smith 142, Wade 110) vs England 374 (Burns 133) & 13-0