The Ashes 2017-18: England tear through Australia’s batting line-up to give themselves a sniff of sealing famous victory
James Anderson took his first-ever five-fer Down Under to bowl the hosts out for just 138, as visitors chase monster 354 to win
JOE ROOT set up a thrilling finale to the Second Test as England enjoyed easily their best day of the Ashes series.
The England skipper was unbeaten on 67 as England reached stumps on 176-4 - 178 runs short of what would be their most extraordinary comeback victory in an Ashes Test since Ian Botham’s golden summer of 1981.
The Aussies remain favourites to take a 2-0 lead but England have hope, with their captain leading the run chase in style.
In stark contrast, his rival skipper Steve Smith suffered a nightmare day in the field, wasting his DRS reviews and being mocked mercilessly by the Barmy Army.
Earlier, Jimmy Anderson completed his first five-wicket haul on Aussie soil, with an outstanding display of swing bowling both on the third night and the morning of day four.
Chris Woakes chipped in with 4-36 as Australia were routed for 138 – their lowest score in an Adelaide Test since 1955.
Even then England’s target of 354 looked mountainous, until their top order fired when the heat was on.
The morning session belonged to Anderson and Woakes as the Aussies failed to bat the Poms out of the match.
Anderson had already seen a caught behind decision against Peter Handscomb controversially overturned on review when he had the struggling Aussie No5 caught in the gully.
Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon, who had been clocked on the bonce by a Stuart Broad, soon holed out.
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Then Woakes got in on the act, having Tim Paine caught in the deep by a tumbling Craig Overton.
With the Aussies 90-7 and leading by 305, England were beginning to believe.
First-innings centurion Shaun Marsh was bowled by Woakes, playing wild shot.
Anderson then dropped Mitchell Starc off off his own bowling – crashing into the batsman, the stumps and ripping his trousers in the process.
But it didn’t take long for Starc to sky another one, giving Anderson his five-for and for Overton to account for Josh Hazlewood.
After Smith had failed to review Hazlewood’s lbw shout against Alastair Cook, which would have seen him dismissed for one, England’s openers enjoyed a breezy half-century partnership.
Stoneman clattered three successive fours off Starc but Cook was trapped lbw by Lyon, thanks to a successful review, and Stoneman was feebly caught in the gully after a promising 36.
When James Vince was out playing his customary loose drive to the slips, England were 91-3 and struggling.
But the tone changed when Smith wasted both DRS reviews in successive overs – a caught behind appeal against Root off Cummins and lbw shout from Hazlewood against Malan, both with the score on 108-3.
Root, who’d successfully overturned a leg-before decision granted to Lyon when on 32, began to find his most fluent form of the tour and Malan, after a stodgy start, joined in.
Malan would have been leg-before to Lyon on 27 – with Barmies gleefully informing him by gesture that he ought to have reviewed it.
But Cummins ended their partnership of 78 when he beat Malan for pace and bowled the left-hander, giving the Aussies a breakthrough they had been desperate for.