SYDNEY, Jan 7: A timely century by Jonny Bairstow and a half-century for Ben Stokes helped England claw its way back to 258/7 after a terrible start to the third day of the fourth Ashes Test.
Bairstow scored England’s first century in its seventh innings this series against Australia.
It was the headline performance on Friday, when England had slumped to 36/4 by lunch before its middle order counterattacked to get back into the match on another rain-affected day at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In clear pain after being struck on the thumb by a Pat Cummins delivery and with batting partners running out, Bairstow began attacking at nearly every ball and brought up a deserved century moments before stumps by slashing a Cummins delivery for four. His 138-ball hundred contained 12 boundaries and three sixes.
Bairstow celebrated his seventh Test century by running with arms aloft halfway toward the England team’s dressing room, where his teammates had gathered to acknowledge a vital innings in the context of the match which had earlier looked to be slipping away.
England has already lost the five-match series with three straight losses, allowing Australia to retain the Ashes, but are determined to get something positive out of the tour.
At stumps, Bairstow was 103 not out and Jack Leach was on four, with England trailing Australia by 158 runs.
Earlier, Stokes made a typically swashbuckling 66 of 91 balls, including nine fours and a towering six over cover, as part of a 128-run partnership with Bairstow which steadied England’s innings after its early collapse.
Nathan Lyon eventually ended the 128-run partnership by trapping Stokes LBW with a ball that kept low.
Stokes was perhaps fortunate to get that far having, before tea, survived a missed caught-and-bowled chance off Cummins and then successfully reviewing an on-field LBW out decision where the ball had in fact missed the pad and flicked the off stump but not dislodged the bail.
Shortly after raising his half-century off 80 balls, Bairstow was struck by a ball from Cummins that reared up off the pitch and struck the batsman on the thumb.
Bairstow received treatment on the ground before resuming his innings, but was visibly in discomfort holding the bat.
Jos Buttler became the second duck of the innings, chipping to Khawaja at cover off Cummins (2/68) to reduce England to 173/6 and in danger of not avoiding the follow-on target of 218.
But Bairstow and Mark Wood combined for a 72-run partnership to reduce the visitors nerves. Cummins eventually had Wood caught by Lyon for 39 off 41 balls going for one big shot too many.
Before lunch, England’s batting frailties again were exposed by Australia’s pace attack after it resumed at 13 without loss in a rain delayed session. (AP)
