Ashes | Lyon and Cummins put on show in comeback Test to take Australia within four scalps of taking urn

‌Resuming on an overnight score of 272/4, Travis Head and Alex Carey picked up exactly where they had left off to add 38 more runs to their century stand and take it to 162 runs before the former succumbed for 170 trying to wallop Josh Tongue. THe other incumbent home hero departed soon after for 72 while fending a sharp bumper from Ben Stokes, before Tongue had Inglis nick behidn the next over to reduce Australia to 335/7. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc threatened to put together another rearend guard but Brydon Carse scalped two in as many balls to cripple them further, followed by Jofra Archer taking a sharp return catch to dispatch Scott Boland and wrap up the Aussie innings for 349 -- the target for England thereby a daunting 345. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett walked out to bat with just 10 minutes remaining until Lunch, but the latter could not survive the new ball and lasted just two deliveries before getting a thick outside edge through to the keeper off Cummins.

After the 40-minute break, Cummins and Mitchell Starc produced riveting spells with unerring consistency to bog down the visitors. Ollie Pope eventually got a thick outside edge off the Australian skipper but it took a one-handed blinder from Marnus Labuschagne at slip to send him packing for 17. The onus fell on Crawley and Joe Root to keep English hopes alive, and the duo got down to business quickly with the latter playing the more proactive role. Both men were prolific with their sweeps once Nathan Lyon came into the attack, not allowing the offie to settle even as he extracted prodigous turn and bounce from the worn down surface.  Their stand had ticked over to 75 and a safe passage to Tea ensued, with the score 106/2 with one session of play remaining.

However, any sparks of hope for the visitors were quickly undone in the final session when Cummins took just six balls after the break to nick behind Root for 39, dismissing him for a record-extending 13th time in Test cricket. Nevertheless, Crawley motored along and brought up an uncharacteristically slow half-century, while Harry Brook at the other end also knuckled down in atypical fashion. Nevertheless, the approach allowed the duo to add 70 runs for the fourth wicket when Brook's attempt at breaking the shackles with a reverse sweep met its match in a sharp turner by Lyon that beat his bat and clipped the leg stump, much to the spinner's jubilation. Lyon continued to trouble batters with the pitch doing all sorts, and before long ended Ben Stokes; stay with an absolute ripper that clanged into the top of off-stump. In his next over, Lyon practically sealed the result for the Kangaroos by beating Crawley with a widish deliveyr before Carey whipped the bails off in a jiffy to strand the opener 15 short of a maiden ton Down Under. Down and out at 194/6, Jamie Smith and Will Jacks somehow managed to stay alive despite looking increasingly uneasy at the creae to close out the day with the hosts needing four wickets and their team needing 228 runs for victory.

Peach delivery!

Good under pressure!

Big wickets!

Winning!

Trauma for fans!

Wow!

Wha a spell!

Pure dominance!

haha!