Fourth Test, day two, Melbourne
England chase down 175 to beat Australia by four wickets inside two days
Tourists skittle hosts for 132 - Carse 4-34, Stokes 3-24
Crawley & Duckett make fine start to chase, Bethell hits 40 and Brook & Smith finish the job
Hosts have unassailable 3-1 series lead
Fifth and final Test in Sydney starts on 4 January (23:30 GMT 3 January)
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Great viewing and the right approach from England on this occasion, but it's every ball jagging about. It is so hard to bat on a pitch that's not fit for Test match cricket unfortunately.
Geoff, Manchester
Back to the chase then... how are everyone's nerves?
England's best chance to win a Test in Australia for 14 years and the first half hour of this evening session feels enormous...
With Gus Atkinson off with a hamstring issue, Ben Stokes was forced into action early despite not looking fully fit himself.
That didn't stop the England skipper taking three wickets as he bowled Jake Weatherald and had Cameron Green caught in the slips, before removing Jhye Richardson to wrap up the innings...
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Love the comment from Simon Mann at 04:04 that ‘normal cricket is resuming’. Oh, the irony - what is ‘normal’ about this Test match?
Floydie, Kent
Brydon Carse was the pick of the England bowlers in Australia's second innings.
He removed the dangerous Travis Head, the in-form Alex Carey and then got Michael Neser and Mitchell Starc in the same over...
Right, before we get back to the ensuing, almost certainly nerve-shredding chase, a quick look back at England's efforts with the ball.
They needed to bowl Australia out cheaply and they did so...
Thanks, Mike. Where do I even start?
England need 98 to win with eight wickets remaining, they have to be favourites now but if you think anything about the remainder of this chase will be straightforward then you've got another thing coming.
It was a shot a ball from Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley at the start, an approach that - with a bit of luck - brought a fifty partnership.
Things have calmed down ever so slightly since Duckett fell, albeit with Brydon Carse coming in at three, but this whole Test has been mind-boggling.
Which way will it go from here? Your guess is as good as mine...
Mike Peter
BBC Sport journalist
Not a single soul is going to bed now, I take it?
After 18 matches without a win in Australia, England have a superb chance of tasting victory at the MCG.
It's going to be a blockbuster evening session - here's Sam Drury to take you through the start of it.
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special
This Test match is going to be done today. One way or the other.
It has been remarkable.
98 runs needed
Image source, Getty ImagesA quieter Jhye Richardson over - just one leg-bye from it - closes an absolutely ridiculous session.
Six Australia wickets, two England ones, the visitors haring along at comfortably over six an over with Brydon Carse at number three.
We're racing towards a two-day finish for the second time in this series.
Simon Mann
BBC Test Match Special commentator
England have not had a better opportunity than this to win a Test match in Australia since Sydney 2011.
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special
We need tea to bring us a sense of calm to the situation.
I like that from Jacob Bethell. A strong stride forward.
Target 175
Image source, Getty ImagesScott Boland's first delivery to Jacob Bethell absolutely scythes through the England batter - there's no playing that.
The 22-year-old picks up his first four two balls later, driving through long-on, while a further single means England's target is under 100 runs away.
We'll squeeze in one more over before tea.
Eng 71-2
Alex nails it - that struck Zak Crawley outside the line.
Australia lose one of their three reviews, but this is going to be a quick innings either way and they can afford to burn at least one on a punt.
Crawley ran a leg-bye off that, incidentally.
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special
I think this has hit Zak Crawley outside the line.
Image source, Getty ImagesAustralia spin the wheel again.
Scott Boland comes into the attack and might he have a wicket with his second ball?
Zak Crawley is struck on the pad - this looks hopeful...
Well, it's the expected batter on the card, but Jacob Bethell is no shrinking violet.
His first ball from Jhye Richardson is an over-step, and the Ashes debutant edges the follow-up over the cordon for four.
Ten overs down, England are going at sevens.
Simon Mann
BBC Test Match Special commentator
Normal cricket is resuming...
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special
We have commentated on some ridiculous games of cricket in the Bazball era and this is right up there.
Unfortunately, that was only a matter of time. It has provided us with great entertainment.
It has probably not come off how England would have wanted.
Carse c Green b Richardson 6 (Eng 65-2)
The Brydon Carse experiment comes to an end!
The big-hitter bowler goes to wallop Jhye Richardson out to mid-wicket, picking up two runs as Scott Boland cuts the ball off.
He goes again and skews it high into the Melbourne sky, with Cameron Green collecting at third.
Six from eight balls for Carse - it didn't quite come off, but what fun regardless.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,bowled Atkinson Head, bowled Atkinson | 12 | 22 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 54.55 |
Weatherald,caught Smith, bowled Tongue Weatherald, caught Smith, bowled Tongue | 10 | 23 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 43.48 |
Labuschagne,caught Root, bowled Tongue Labuschagne, caught Root, bowled Tongue | 6 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 31.58 |
Smith,bowled Tongue Smith, bowled Tongue | 9 | 31 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 29.03 |
Khawaja,caught Smith, bowled Atkinson Khawaja, caught Smith, bowled Atkinson | 29 | 52 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 55.77 |
Carey,caught Crawley, bowled Stokes Carey, caught Crawley, bowled Stokes | 20 | 35 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 57.14 |
Green,run out Carse Green, run out Carse | 17 | 34 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 50.00 |
Neser,bowled Tongue Neser, bowled Tongue | 35 | 49 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 65 | 71.43 |
Starc,caught Stokes, bowled Carse Starc, caught Stokes, bowled Carse | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16.67 |
Richardson,not out Richardson, not out | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 |
Boland,caught Brook, bowled Tongue Boland, caught Brook, bowled Tongue | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 8, total 13 Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 8, total 13 | |||||||
Total,152 all out 45.2 overs Total,152 all out 45.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atkinson | 14.0 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Carse | 12.0 | 3 | 42 | 1 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3.50 |
Tongue | 11.2 | 2 | 45 | 5 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3.97 |
Stokes | 8.0 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.12 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
27 for 1 (6.1 overs) | Head |
31 for 2 (9.2 overs) | Weatherald |
34 for 3 (11.5 overs) | Labuschagne |
51 for 4 (19.2 overs) | Smith |
89 for 5 (28.5 overs) | Khawaja |
91 for 6 (31.2 overs) | Carey |
143 for 7 (42.1 overs) | Green |
152 for 8 (44.5 overs) | Starc |
152 for 9 (45.1 overs) | Neser |
152 for 10 (45.2 overs) | Boland |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,caught Smith, bowled Starc Crawley, caught Smith, bowled Starc | 5 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 35.71 |
Duckett,caught Neser, bowled Starc Duckett, caught Neser, bowled Starc | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 40.00 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Neser Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Neser | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20.00 |
Root,caught Carey, bowled Neser Root, caught Carey, bowled Neser | 0 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0.00 |
Brook,leg before wicket, bowled Boland Brook, leg before wicket, bowled Boland | 41 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 59 | 120.59 |
Stokes,caught Smith, bowled Neser Stokes, caught Smith, bowled Neser | 16 | 38 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 42.11 |
Smith,bowled Boland Smith, bowled Boland | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 66.67 |
Jacks,caught Carey, bowled Boland Jacks, caught Carey, bowled Boland | 5 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 50.00 |
Atkinson,bowled Green Atkinson, bowled Green | 28 | 35 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 80.00 |
Carse,caught Boland, bowled Neser Carse, caught Boland, bowled Neser | 4 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 33.33 |
Tongue,not out Tongue, not out | 1 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 11.11 |
Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 0, leg byes 4, total 5 Extras, no balls 1, wides 0, byes 0, leg byes 4, total 5 | |||||||
Total,110 all out 29.5 overs Total,110 all out 29.5 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 6.0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.83 |
Neser | 10.0 | 1 | 45 | 4 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4.50 |
Boland | 9.0 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.33 |
Richardson | 4.0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Green | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
7 for 1 (2.3 overs) | Duckett |
8 for 2 (3.4 overs) | Bethell |
8 for 3 (4.2 overs) | Crawley |
16 for 4 (7.6 overs) | Root |
66 for 5 (16.5 overs) | Brook |
68 for 6 (18.2 overs) | Smith |
77 for 7 (20.2 overs) | Jacks |
83 for 8 (21.1 overs) | Stokes |
91 for 9 (23.6 overs) | Carse |
110 for 10 (29.5 overs) | Atkinson |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boland,caught Smith, bowled Atkinson Boland, caught Smith, bowled Atkinson | 6 | 17 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 35.29 |
Head,bowled Carse Head, bowled Carse | 46 | 67 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 68.66 |
Weatherald,bowled Stokes Weatherald, bowled Stokes | 5 | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 33.33 |
Labuschagne,caught Root, bowled Tongue Labuschagne, caught Root, bowled Tongue | 8 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 44.44 |
Smith,not out Smith, not out | 24 | 39 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 89 | 61.54 |
Khawaja,caught substitute, bowled Tongue Khawaja, caught substitute, bowled Tongue | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Carey,caught Brook, bowled Carse Carey, caught Brook, bowled Carse | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 66.67 |
Green,caught Brook, bowled Stokes Green, caught Brook, bowled Stokes | 19 | 29 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 65.52 |
Neser,caught and bowled Carse Neser, caught and bowled Carse | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.00 |
Starc,caught Root, bowled Carse Starc, caught Root, bowled Carse | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Richardson,caught Crawley, bowled Stokes Richardson, caught Crawley, bowled Stokes | 7 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 70.00 |
Extras, no balls 3, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 6, total 13 Extras, no balls 3, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 6, total 13 | |||||||
Total,132 all out 34.3 overs Total,132 all out 34.3 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atkinson | 5.0 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.00 |
Carse | 11.0 | 3 | 34 | 4 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.09 |
Tongue | 11.0 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 |
Stokes | 7.3 | 1 | 24 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.20 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
22 for 1 (6.1 overs) | Boland |
40 for 2 (10.5 overs) | Weatherald |
61 for 3 (17.1 overs) | Labuschagne |
82 for 4 (20.6 overs) | Head |
83 for 5 (21.3 overs) | Khawaja |
88 for 6 (22.5 overs) | Carey |
119 for 7 (30.5 overs) | Green |
120 for 8 (31.5 overs) | Neser |
121 for 9 (31.6 overs) | Starc |
132 for 10 (34.3 overs) | Richardson |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Boland Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Boland | 37 | 48 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 95 | 77.08 |
Duckett,bowled Starc Duckett, bowled Starc | 34 | 26 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 130.77 |
Carse,caught Green, bowled Richardson Carse, caught Green, bowled Richardson | 6 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 75.00 |
Bethell,caught Khawaja, bowled Boland Bethell, caught Khawaja, bowled Boland | 40 | 46 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 75 | 86.96 |
Root,leg before wicket, bowled Richardson Root, leg before wicket, bowled Richardson | 15 | 38 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 39.47 |
Brook,not out Brook, not out | 18 | 22 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 81.82 |
Stokes,caught Carey, bowled Starc Stokes, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 2 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 22.22 |
Smith,not out Smith, not out | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 150.00 |
Extras, no balls 5, wides 0, byes 8, leg byes 10, total 23 Extras, no balls 5, wides 0, byes 8, leg byes 10, total 23 | |||||||
Total,178 for 6 32.2 overs Total,178 for 6 32.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 10.0 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5.50 |
Neser | 8.0 | 1 | 54 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6.75 |
Richardson | 5.2 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.12 |
Boland | 9.0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.22 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
51 for 1 (6.6 overs) | Duckett |
65 for 2 (9.5 overs) | Carse |
112 for 3 (18.4 overs) | Crawley |
137 for 4 (24.3 overs) | Bethell |
158 for 5 (28.4 overs) | Root |
165 for 6 (31.2 overs) | Stokes |