Ashes 4th Test: Mark Wood's spell takes England one step closer towards victory (Day 3, Stumps)
Jul 21, 2023
Manchester [UK], July 22 : England ended Day 3 on a strong note as Mark Wood dominated the entire final session to take the hosts one step closer to levelling the series on Friday at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
At the end of Day 3, Australia registered a score of 113-4 with Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh unbeaten on the crease with a score of 44(88)* and 1(27)* respectively.
Khawaja (18) was the first to depart as he got beaten by the sheer pace of Mark Wood. Warner who looked in good shape soon followed in the footsteps of his partner as Chris Woakes tore through his defence to end his Test for 28.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith tried to pull back Australia by building a partnership but Wood struck once again to dismiss Smith for 17.
Travis Head came to make an impact with his aggressive approach but Wood ensured that his bat remained silent by sending him back to the pavilion for a score of 1.
Marsh and Labuschagne took Australia towards the end of the Day without losing any further wickets.
Earlier in the day, it was Jonny Bairstow's rollicking knock of 99* which allowed England to force a massive lead of 275 runs after they ended their innings for a score of 592.
The wickets kept falling on the other end but runs didn't stop coming out from Bairstow's bat. James Anderson played a crucial role in allowing Bairstow to play his game by holding onto his wicket on the other end.
Anderson lost his wicket following an angled delivery onto his pad from Green which denied Bairstow from achieving his well-deserved ton.
Earlier in Lunch, England skipper Ben Stokes and Harry Brook resumed Day 3 with their usual swagger. They picked up boundaries on a regular basis and extended their lead at a brisk pace.
Stokes completed his half-century with a single but moments later ended up losing his wicket to Australia skipper Pat Cummins.
The Australian dispatched the English skipper with an angled delivery, to breach his defence and clip the bails off the stumps. Stokes walked back to the dugout for a score of 51.
Josh Hazlewood was introduced back into the attack as Bairstow and Brook continued to build on England's lead. The Australian bowler made his mark in the 92nd over by claiming Brook's wicket with the second new ball playing a crucial role in the process. Brook departed for a score of 61(100).
Hazlewood struck again by sending last Test hero Chris Woakes for a golden duck.
England crossed the 500-run mark in the 96th over. Hazlewood made sure that Australia ended the session on a high note by picking up the wicket of Mark Wood on the final ball of the first session.
Brief Score: Australia 317 & 113-4 (Marnus Labuschagne 44*, David Warner 28; Mark Wood 3-17) vs England 592 (Jonny Bairstow 99*, Harry Brook 61; Josh Hazlewood 5-126).