Ian Bell returned to form and Joe Root again proved a thorn in Australia’s side as England left their arch-rivals needing to set a new record of 412 to win the first Ashes Test at Sophia Gardens on Friday.
The most either side have made to win in the fourth innings of an Ashes Test was Australia’s 404 for three at Headingley back in 1948 when Arthur Morris scored 182 and Donald Bradman, widely regarded as cricket’s greatest batsman, an unbeaten 173.
If Australia—who have two days to get the runs albeit on a pitch of increasingly variable bounce—succeed it will be the third-highest fourth innings total to win any Test and highest in England.
West Indies made 418 for seven against Australia in St John’s, Antigua in 2002/03 and South Africa scored 414 for four, also against Australia, in Perth in 2008/09.
Bell and first-innings century-maker Root both made valuable scores of 60 off 89 balls apiece.
England had talked about wanting to play “aggressive” cricket in the build-up to this match but many pundits questioned whether their batsmen could do that against Australia’s pace attack.
Yet Friday’s third day saw England maintain a brisk of run-rate of just above four an over.
Bell relief
Bell’s fifty was just what the experienced batsman needed after his previous nine Test innings had yielded just 56 runs in total.
“It’s been a while so it’s nice to get a few,” Bell told Sky Sports.
“I’ve had to work very hard but today it felt just how I wanted it to be,” he added.
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon took four for 75 as England were dismissed for 289 in their second innings having piled up 430 in their first when Root, dropped on nought by wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, made 134.
“We learnt from bowling in the first innings,” said Lyon. “To take 10 wickets in just over two-and-a-half sessions is a pretty good effort.”
England were wobbling at 22 for two when Bell came in on Friday after skipper Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance had fallen either side of lunch.
The 33-year-old Bell, appearing in his 111th Test, had struggled since making 143 against the West Indies in Antigua in April.
But he reeled off four fours in his first 13 balls faced on Friday including a textbook cover-drive boundary off left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc, who appeared to be struggling with an ankle injury.
Adam Lyth, looking to establish himself in the England set-up fell for 37 when, pushing forward to a Lyon delivery that bounced and turned to take his outside edge, he was brilliantly caught one-handed by diving Australia captain Michael Clarke at slip.
His exit brought in Yorkshire team-mate Root, whose opening three scoring shots on Friday all went for four.
Meanwhile Bell, who scored three hundreds during England’s 3-0 home Ashes series win two years ago, looked at his fluent best in compiling a 75-ball fifty featuring 40 runs in boundaries.
He launched Mitchell Johnson over extra-cover but next ball was bowled by a delivery that seamed off the pitch.
Bell’s exit meant Johnson finally had a wicket this Test in the left-arm fast bowler’s 36th over of the match—a far cry from when he was taking 37 wickets during Australia’s 5-0 home Ashes rout of England in 2013/4.
Root’s punched cover-drive for four off Johnson both saw the 24-year-old to a 66-ball fifty and gave England a lead in excess of 300.
His innings ended when a Josh Hazlewood delivery kept low and hit Root’s back pad before deflecting into the middle stump.
Ben Stokes chipped in with 42 before Durham team-mate Mark Wood, belying his position at No 10, went down the pitch to drive Lyon for a huge straight six and next ball reverse-swept him for four to give England a lead of exactly 400.
Ashes debutant Wood finished on a Test-best 32 not out off 18 balls.
Earlier, England dismissed Australia for 308 and a first-innings lead of 122.
Australia, bidding to win their first Ashes series in Britain in 14 years, resumed Friday on 264 for five but lost their last five wickets for 44 runs in the face of disciplined pace bowling led by Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
