Australia dominated proceedings on Day 4 as England were bowled out and set a target of 388 in the fourth Ashes Test at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. The returning Usman Khawaja produced another fantastic hundred as he and youngster Cameron Green played quick innings to give their side a reasonable chance at victory, furthering hopes of a whitewash in the Ashes, something that the Aussies had achieved back in 2013.
Resuming play on 258/7, England would have wanted centurion Jonny Bairstow to make a few quick runs to inch closer to Australia’s first innings score of 416/8. However, that was not the case as the English tail could not survive for long, with Jack Leach becoming the first victim, as he tried to take on the wily Nathan Lyon, in vain, only managing to chip it to skipper Pat Cummins, who made no mistake.
Jonny Bairstow looked tentative on Day 4, nowhere near the form that he was in when he made the spectacular hundred on Day 3. He was dismissed by Scott Boland, as he was deceived by a good delivery near the fourth stump region. England’s innings did not last much longer, as Stuart Broad’s entertaining cameo came to an end, giving Australia a 122-run lead.
The Aussies walked out to bat with the intention of scoring quick runs in order to set a decent total while also giving their bowlers enough time to bowl out the English as the game headed into the final day.
The dangerous David Warner was sent packing early on as he chased a Mark Wood delivery that he should have shouldered arms to. Marcus Harris and the prolific Marnus Labuschagne stitched together somewhat of a partnership before they were both dismissed in quick succession, as the Aussies were put into a tricky situation at 68/3. Vice-captain Steve Smith and comeback king Usman Khawaja steadied the ship as the lunch break approached.
Steve Smith did not make use of the good start he had as he played a rash shot, attempting a cut shot to a relatively straight ball that became his undoing. Smith’s dismissal brought the promising Cameron Green to the middle. Heavily touted to become the next big thing in Australian cricket, Green had failed to fire so far in the tournament with the bat, but all that was to change as he and Khawaja fulfilled their roles to perfection, scoring runs at a blistering pace.
Both Green and Khawaja looked extremely composed while batting together and scored quickly without taking massive risks. The two built a solid partnership as the Aussie lead soared past 350. Khawaja also joined the elite company as he scored yet another century in the game, following up his magnificent 138 in the first innings.
Green also looked destined for a maiden Test century before he was snared by the persistent Jack Leach. Leach had two in two as wicket-keeper Alex Carey was dismissed first ball, giving Leach an opportunity for a rare Test match hat-trick. However, Cummins had other ideas as he declared the innings, setting the Englishmen a daunting target of 388.
England came out to bat for a second time, with 11 overs to spare. Openers Zak Crawley and Haseeb Hameed did well against the Australian pace battery to finish on 30/0 after 11 overs, making for a gripping watch on the final day at the SCG.
Brief scores
England- 1st innings- 294 all out- (Bairstow 113; Stokes 66; Boland 4/36)
Australia- 2nd innings- 265/6 decl.- (Khawaja 101*; Green 74; Leach4/84)
England- 2nd innings- 30/0 in 11 overs – (Crawley 22*)
England need 358 runs on the final day to win the 4th Ashes Test
