Fast bowler Mark Wood took three wickets after Jonny Bairstow pulverised Australia with an exciting 99 not out as England strengthened their grip on a must-win fourth Test at Old Trafford on Friday. Australia have been 113-4 of their second innings at stumps on the third day, nonetheless 162 runs behind England’s enormous first-innings 592. Durham specific fast Wood had stumps figures of 3-17 from simply seven overs, a return that included the a centesimal Test wicket of his injury-blighted profession. England, at 2-1 down with two to play, must win in Manchester if they’re to face an opportunity of regaining the Ashes.
Wicketkeeper Bairstow adopted his blistering 81 ball-assault on Australia’s bowlers, which included 10 fours and 4 sixes, by holding a routine edge off Wood as Australia misplaced Usman Khawaja early of their innings.

David Warner, Australia’s different left-handed opener, survived in opposition to longstanding nemesis Stuart Broad solely to cut on to Chris Woakes for 28 when unsure over whether or not to depart the ball or play a shot.

Wood took his a centesimal Test wicket when star Australia batsman Steve Smith, neither pulling nor paddling a bouncer, was caught down the legside by Bairstow for simply 17.

The 33-year-old Wood, who had shaken up a number of Australia batsmen on his return to England obligation within the hosts’ third Test win at Headingley, then confirmed the worth of sheer velocity with a rising supply, angled in on the physique, that took the shoulder of Travis Head‘s bat earlier than looping gently to Ben Duckett within the gully.

But Marnus Labuschagne (44 not out) was nonetheless there at stumps, with Mitchell Marsh unbeaten on one off 27 balls.

Bairstow blitz

England had already loved a exceptional run-spree, opener Zak Crawley top-scoring with 189, by the point Bairstow got here in at 437-5 on Friday.

Bairstow, one of many stand-out batsmen throughout England’s ‘Bazball’ period of aggressive run-scoring, was solely on 49 not out when joined by final man James Anderson.

He then promptly pulled a six off Mitchell Starc to finish his fifty in model.

Bairstow additionally hoisted Australia captain Pat Cummins for 2 extra hovering sixes off successive balls, though by then all of the fielders — aside from wicketkeeper Alex Carey — have been again on the boundary in a certain signal of how England’s dynamism had rattled their arch-rivals.

And there have been extra cheers from the group when the last-wicket pair ran a bye to Carey, who had controversially stumped Bairstow when standing again in the course of the second Test at Lord’s when the England batsman thought the ball was useless.

But having turned down the possibility to get the 2 he wanted for his hundred by solely operating a single, the 33-year-old Bairstow was left stranded on 99 after Anderson, 41 later this month was lbw to Cameron Green, in what may very well be the England all-time main wicket-taker’s final Test on his Lancashire dwelling floor

All of Australia’s three frontline bowlers, conceded greater than 100 runs every, with Josh Hazlewood taking 5-126 in his 27 overs.

England’s innings featured six scores of at the least fifty by their high seven — the primary time they’d achieved that feat since 1930 in opposition to the West Indies in Jamaica.

They resumed Friday on 384-4, 67 runs forward, with Harry Brook 14 not out and England captain Ben Stokes unbeaten 24 not out.

Both batsmen went on to make fifties though, in an indication of Australia’s rising fallibility, the Test world champions twice missed possibilities to expire Stokes.

Cummins finally bowled Stokes for 61 however the 30-year-old quick bowler’s figures of 1-129 have been the most costly of his 54-Test profession.

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