England close 30-0 after setting an improbable 388 to win Test four at the Sydney Cricket Ground; Usman Khawaja Scores Game Second Century for Australia; Ollie Pope holds the wicket for England with Jonny Bairstow (thumb) and Jos Buttler (hand) nursing wounds
Australia’s Usman Khawaja scored 101 no out in the second inning after scoring 137 in the first in Sydney
England went 30-0 in their bid to save Ashes’ fourth Test after Usman Khawaja’s second century of play lit up day four at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
England, set an unlikely 388 for victory after Australia declared 265-6 with Khawaja 101 not out of 138 deliveries, lost no ground in the 11 overs before hitting the stumps when Zak Crawley (22nd) and Haseeb Hameed (8th) came out. Unscathed to share their side’s highest opening partnership in the series, topping the 23 achieved in Brisbane.
Tourists must now hit 98 overs on the final day at SCG, or score 358 more runs for an unlikely win, to end Australia’s hopes of a 5-0 series sweep, and they could still be helped by The rain.
England have concerns about the fitness of Ben Stokes (winger), Jonny Bairstow (thumb) and Jos Buttler (hand): Stokes did not bowling at all on day four, while the blows suffered by Bairstow and Buttler meant the substitute outfielder Ollie Pope held the ground in Australia. second entries.
Pope took four sacks during a neat display behind the stumps and left arm spinner Jack Leach pocketed four wickets in a greatly improved outing, but the star of the show was Khawaja, who followed his 137 first inning with another century into his first tryout. . since August 2019.
The 35-year-old was oozing class once again as he drove, cut, pulled and swept his way to the 10th red ball out of a hundred for his country, two days after scoring his ninth, having entered just for the Covid hit. Travis head.
Khawaja and Cameron Green (74 of 122) shared a fifth-field position of 179 of 238 balls after Australia dropped to 86-4 on their second dig (the home team’s lead was just 208 at that stage) an time England had been ruled out for 294 in their first innings.
English speedy Mark Wood fired David Warner (3) cheaply and then knocked out Marnus Labuschagne (29) for the third time in the series, both hitters caught by Pope, while Leach made Warner’s starting teammate Marcus Harris (27), was bagged by Pope and thrown. Steve Smith (23).
Pope’s only notable glove failure was dropping a huge opportunity on Captain Joe Root’s bowling while Khawaja was at 70.
Khawaja made the most of his respite, hitting two tonnes in the Test of 131 deliveries with two cuts from half-time spinner Dawid Malan who sped up in the final session after being 35 of 74 deliveries in the tea.
The southpaw needed just 57 more deliveries to hit triple figures, during which he nailed slow sixes against both Leach and Root, while following fellow countrymen Doug Walters and Ricky Ponting to score two tons in the same test match on the Field. cricket court.
Khawaja has now scored more runs than any other England player in this series, except for Root, who only hit twice.
Green also impressed after an incomplete start to his innings as he racked up his second Test fifty-first since hitting 84 against India at this field last January, but there were boos from the crowd as he held the strike as Khawaja approached his century. .
Australia captain Pat Cummins called to his side after Green and Alex Carey (0) fell on successive Leach deliveries – Green caught Root’s slog before Carey got close to Pope on the sweep and substitute goalkeeper from England was stolen with one hand. throwing himself to his right.
Earlier, England added 36 runs to their overnight total of 258-7 and posted a 122 deficit in the first inning.
Leach (10) was caught dragging his spinner partner Nathan Lyon, before closer Scott Boland (4-36) had top scorer Bairstow (113) and Stuart Broad (15) trailed behind by Carey.
Then England made things interesting with four wickets in 29 overs, but the Khawaja and Green partnership carried the momentum towards Australia and if the weather holds on day five, the Cummins team will have high hopes of taking a 4 lead. -0 in a series they have dominated with England yet to pass 300 at any stage.
England’s assistant coach Graham Thorpe speaking with Sport: “Tomorrow will take a lot of concentration, but I still want to see good intentions. You won’t be able to win the game, but you can tie the game and there are ways you can tie a game.”
“It’s a real opportunity for two guys, or whoever during the day, to spend a lot of time at the wicket and put in a good performance for the team to get us safely, which I think we are capable of.”
