England 225 & 179 lead Australia 204 & 30-0 by 200 runs (Australia lead Series 3-0)
Australia put themselves back in control of the Fourth Test after bowling England out for 179 in their second innings. The morning session saw Haddin reach his fifty whilst Lyon provided good back up for the tenth wicket. Eventually, Anderson dismissed Haddin for 65 to bowl Australia out for 204, giving England a 21 run lead after both teams finished their first innings. It was a great start to the second innings for England as Cook and Carberry both remained unbeaten going into the lunch break 54-0.
However, the afternoon session belonged to Australia as they took four wickets for 61 runs. Cook and Carberry both fell lbw to Johnson and Siddle respectively before Root was run out Johnson for 15. Things went from bad to worse as Bell was dismissed for a golden duck by Lyon to leave England struggling on 87-4. Pietersen and Stokes restored some stability to take England into Tea at 115-4.
The evening session again belonged to Australia as they took a further six wickets to bowl England out for 179. Stokes fell for 19 early into the evening session before three quick wickets saw Bairstow, Bresnan and Broad all sent back to the pavilion, reducing England to 174-8. Lyon then completed a five wicket haul with the dismissal of Pietersen for 49. It didn't take long to claim the final wicket as Johnson caught Panesar lbw for 0 as England finished their second innings for only 179, leaving Australia to chase down 231 runs to win. Rogers and Warner remained unbeaten for the remainder of the day to take Australia to the close of play at 30-0, trailing by 200 runs.
My Opinion:
From what should have been a winning position, England are worryingly close to losing yet another Test match. It was good to see Australia bowled out for only 204 but Haddin and Lyon were certainly not going down without a fight. Cook and Carberry took England to lunch in a very strong position as things looked to be going really well. However, the rest of the day was disastrous. Australia managed to take 4 wickets in the afternoon session which meant England were reduced from 65-0 to 87-4. Thankfully, Pietersen and Stokes maintained themselves and took England into Tea 115-4. It all got a lot worse for England during the evening session and this is possibly where they could lose control and any hope of winning the Test. A batting collapse occurred as England somehow managed to lose another 6 wickets for only 64 runs. Only Pietersen can be exempt from any criticism with a knock of 49. However, he could have scored more but was forced to hit out after everyone else around him was being dismissed. Panesar lasted eight balls before being dismissed lbw as England crumbled to 179 all out and only 230 runs ahead. Australia compounded England's misery but finishing the day without the loss of a single wicket at 30-0. Thus, they only require a 201 runs to win with 10 wickets in hand. England are going to need to bowl extremely well to avoid defeat and take victory but they way things have gone so far this tour, I fear the worst. Australia will be so confident after putting themselves in control today. It would seem more likely that they will win this Test tomorrow but stranger things have happened.
Match Guide: Key Moments
Morning Session:
2349: 181-9, 50 for Haddin.
0004: 202-9, Haddin 65*, Lyon 18*.
0013: 204 all out, Haddin 65 (68), 7 fours, 1 six, caught Bairstow, Anderson. Lyon 18*(34), 3 fours.
Batsman of the Innings: Haddin 65 (68)
Bowler of the Innings: Anderson 4-67
England Second Innings:
0118: 53-0, 50 partnership between Cook 40* and Carberry 5*.
0130: 54-0, Cook 41*, Carberry 5*. Lunch.
Afternoon Session:
0234: 65-1, Cook 51 (64), 7 fours, lbw Johnson.
0305: 86-2, Carberry 12 (81), 1 four, lbw Siddle.
0312: 86-3, Root 15 (24), 1 four, run out by Johnson.
0315: 87-4, Bell 0 (1), caught Johnson, Lyon.
0335: 100-4, Pietersen 7*, Stokes 7*.
0411: 115-4, Pietersen 14*, Stokes 13*. Tea.
Evening Session:
0445: 131-5, Stokes 19 (55), 1 four, caught Smith, Lyon.
0504: 153-5, Pietersen 39*, Bairstow 6*.
0532: 173-6, Bairstow 21 (28), 2 fours, 2 sixes, caught Haddin, Johnson.
0549: 174-7, Bresnan 0 (8), bowled by Lyon.
0554: 174-8, Broad 0 (3), caught Clarke, Lyon.
0604: 179-9, Pietersen 49 (90), 6 fours, caught Harris, Lyon (5 wicket haul).
0612: 179 all out, Panesar 0 (8), lbw Johnson. Anderson 1*(6). England lead by 230 runs.
Batsman of the Innings: Cook 51 (64)
Bowler of the Innings: Lyon 5-50
Australia Second Innings:
0700: 30-0, Rogers 18*, Warner 12*. Close of Play. Australia need 201 runs to win.
Batsman of the Day: Cook 51 (64)
Bowler of the Day: Lyon 5-50
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