England are Fighting to avoid the follow on after Mitchell Starc dismissed Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow in Old Trafford about the morning.
SCORECARD | AS IT HAPPENED
The left-arm fast produced a great charm using the second new ball to hammer home Australia’s advantage in the fourth Ashes Test and leave England 278-8 at dinner, trailing by 219 and needing another 20 to be sure they are not requested to return out to bat in the finish of their first innings.
Jos Buttler (26no) remains though and surely retains the key as the hosts attempt to make the first-innings deficit as little as possible and increase their chances of clinging on for a draw to maintain their chances of regaining the urn living.
Stokes and Bairstow made it to the new ball at the start of the afternoon and it had been a thing of a surprise that Starc took it out of Pat Cummins using the old ball.
However, Starc reimbursed his captain’s religion, creating the breakthrough and instantly locating a rhythm than that he managed on day three. The shot against Bairstow was an drive, a poor one, but the shipping out of Starc was a wonder; rapid, complete and moving back in the right-hander to hit middle stump.
Four overs later his watchful knock ended since Starc found the border with Steve Smith available to gobble up the chance at second slip and hit the perfect lineup a fraction outside off stump.
Himself then almost ran out on nought, before realising the fielder had the ball , ambling through for a single and shied in the stumps. His dismissal was helpless – fiddling off and nicking off Cummins – and his reaction suggested it was known by him.
That was the trigger for Buttler to move through the gears, hitting Nathan Lyon for a pair of boundaries in the next over, and after he and Stuart Broad (2no) fought through to the interval, England would be hoping the World Cup winner can drag them around 300 and beyond in the day session.
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