The Ashes: England suffer late collapse at hands of Nathan Lyon as Australia set tourists Test-record target in Adelaide | Cricket News

England are on the brink of an Ashes series defeat inside 11 days’ play after they stumbled to 207-6 in pursuit of a Test-record 435 to win the third Test in Adelaide.

Ben Stokes’ side actually enjoyed the better of much of day four, only for three wickets to fall in the final hour’s play to see Australia firmly back on top.

Nathan Lyon (3-64) did the damage, bowling Harry Brook (30) and the England captain for five, before Zak Crawley (85), who had played nicely, was stumped – three wickets falling for 17 runs in the space of six overs.

Pat Cummins (3-24) had earlier removed England’s top order, with Ben Duckett (4) edging to slip in the second over, while Marnus Labuschagne claimed a stunning, diving catch low to his left to likely signal the end of Ollie Pope’s England career for the time being, as he fell for 17 shortly after lunch.

Joe Root (39) joined Crawley at the crease, the pair putting on 78 for the third wicket to briefly give hope to a miracle England chase, before Cummins claimed the key wicket of Root in the second over after tea and Lyon took centre stage late in the session.

Australia had started the day on 271-4 in their second innings, and with a lead of 356, but their hopes of batting England into the dirt for a couple of sessions to signal a declaration were scuppered by a spirited bowling performance from the visitors.

Travis Head helped push Australia past 300, progressing his score to 170 after his superb 11th Test ton on day three, before he holed out to deep square-leg off Josh Tongue (4-70).

Stokes (1-26), having not bowled at all during the first 66 overs of Australia’s innings, allayed fears of a possible injury as he tore in for a seven-over spell at the start of the day, claiming the wicket of Alex Carey (72), caught at leg slip.

For once, Australia’s tail offered little resistance thereafter, Tongue adding Josh Inglis (10) to his individual haul and Brydon Carse (3-80) claiming Cummins (6) and Lyon (0) off consecutive deliveries to sit on a hat-trick, before Jofra Archer (1-20) ended the innings with a smart caught and bowled dismissal of Scott Boland (1) – the hosts’ final six wickets falling for 38 runs.

It still left England with a record chase of 435 to keep the Ashes alive, a task made all the more difficult as Duckett’s dire series continued with a poke to slip.

That, though, was mere catching practice for Labuschagne, whereas his screamer to see off Pope was one for the ages, sparking wild scenes of celebration.

Crawley and Root swiftly silenced the Australians with their impressive stand through to tea, before Root tamely nicked off to one dangled outside his off stump by Cummins immediately after the interval.

Crawley continued through to a 21st Test fifty, with Brook helping to build another promising partnership, albeit the latter was typically frenetic at points as has been his way throughout the series.

Ultimately it cost him his wicket as he went to reverse-sweep a delivery from Lyon that was too straight for the shot, the ball knocking back the bewildered Brook’s leg stump.

Stokes swiftly followed, Lyon snuffing out any threat of some Headingley-style heroics from the England skipper with a beauty that pitched on middle and leg, turning to beat the outside edge and hit the top of off.

Crawley was next, his resistance ended when lured into a drive by Lyon, creeping out of his crease and stumped by some more smart work from Carey behind the stumps.

Jamie Smith (2no) and Will Jacks (11no) did little more than survive the final half an hour through to stumps, at least seeing things through to a fifth day, but, with 228 still needed for victory, England’s Ashes hopes are hanging by a thread.

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