Postpublished at 22:51 GMT 6 January
Jonathan Agnew
BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special
England need to do something miraculous today to take this game into the fifth day. Steve Smith will have his eye on a double century for sure.
Summary
Fifth Test, day four, Sydney
England close on 302-8, leading by 119, thanks to Bethell's majestic 142 not out
Smith, Stokes and Carse dismissals late on damage England chances of remarkable comeback
Stokes hampered by adductor injury picked up when bowling
Bethell hits sublime maiden Test century but Webster removes Brook (42) and Jacks (duck) in three balls; Crawley (one), Duckett (42) and Root (six) fall earlier
Tongue removes Smith (138) and Starc, Jacks dismisses Boland as Aussies all out for 567 - a first-innings lead of 183
Hosts have unassailable 3-1 series lead
Watch highlights on iPlayer from 17:00 GMT
Day five will start at 23:00 GMT (10:00 local time, Thursday)
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Postpublished at 22:51 GMT 6 January
Postpublished at 22:48 GMT 6 January
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Welcome...published at 22:45 GMT 6 January
Image source, Getty ImagesMorning Ritchie, morning Tony, morning everyone.
Here we are then. Day four of the fifth and final Ashes Test. Australia in charge, England with their backs against the wall.
With the urn long since surrendered it feels like there's not much on the line. But at the same time the narrative around 3-1 (or even 3-2) feels very different than 4-1.
There's places, and jobs, under scrutiny. Vultures are circling. The stakes are still high.
Welcome to live text commentary of day four from the SCG.
Australia v England
England 1st Innings
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Neser Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Neser | 16 | 29 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 55.17 |
Duckett,caught Carey, bowled Starc Duckett, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 27 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 112.50 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Boland Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Boland | 10 | 23 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 43.48 |
Root,caught and bowled Neser Root, caught and bowled Neser | 160 | 242 | 144 | 15 | 0 | 398 | 66.12 |
Brook,caught Smith, bowled Boland Brook, caught Smith, bowled Boland | 84 | 97 | 46 | 6 | 1 | 164 | 86.60 |
Stokes,caught Carey, bowled Starc Stokes, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0.00 |
Smith,caught Boland, bowled Labuschagne Smith, caught Boland, bowled Labuschagne | 46 | 76 | 55 | 6 | 1 | 104 | 60.53 |
Jacks,caught Green, bowled Neser Jacks, caught Green, bowled Neser | 27 | 62 | 48 | 2 | 1 | 76 | 43.55 |
Carse,caught Carey, bowled Green Carse, caught Carey, bowled Green | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16.67 |
Potts,not out Potts, not out | 1 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6.25 |
Tongue,bowled Neser Tongue, bowled Neser | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 3, wides 2, byes 1, leg byes 6, total 12 Extras, no balls 3, wides 2, byes 1, leg byes 6, total 12 | |||||||
Total,384 all out 97.3 overs Total,384 all out 97.3 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 23.0 | 2 | 93 | 2 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 4.04 |
Neser | 18.3 | 2 | 60 | 4 | 82 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3.24 |
Boland | 26.0 | 2 | 85 | 2 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3.26 |
Green | 18.0 | 0 | 85 | 1 | 63 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4.72 |
Webster | 5.0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.00 |
Head | 4.0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.00 |
Labuschagne | 3.0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4.66 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
35 for 1 (6.5 overs) | Duckett |
51 for 2 (11.4 overs) | Crawley |
57 for 3 (12.6 overs) | Bethell |
226 for 4 (47.4 overs) | Brook |
229 for 5 (50.5 overs) | Stokes |
323 for 6 (74.4 overs) | Smith |
375 for 7 (91.6 overs) | Jacks |
382 for 8 (94.1 overs) | Carse |
384 for 9 (97.1 overs) | Root |
384 for 10 (97.3 overs) | Tongue |
Australia 1st Innings
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,leg before wicket, bowled Bethell Head, leg before wicket, bowled Bethell | 163 | 166 | 91 | 24 | 1 | 324 | 98.19 |
Weatherald,leg before wicket, bowled Stokes Weatherald, leg before wicket, bowled Stokes | 21 | 36 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 57 | 58.33 |
Labuschagne,caught Bethell, bowled Stokes Labuschagne, caught Bethell, bowled Stokes | 48 | 68 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 91 | 70.59 |
Neser,caught Smith, bowled Carse Neser, caught Smith, bowled Carse | 24 | 90 | 79 | 4 | 0 | 115 | 26.67 |
Smith,caught Smith, bowled Tongue Smith, caught Smith, bowled Tongue | 138 | 220 | 143 | 16 | 1 | 332 | 62.73 |
Khawaja,leg before wicket, bowled Carse Khawaja, leg before wicket, bowled Carse | 17 | 49 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 34.69 |
Carey,caught Bethell, bowled Tongue Carey, caught Bethell, bowled Tongue | 16 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 123.08 |
Green,caught Duckett, bowled Carse Green, caught Duckett, bowled Carse | 37 | 64 | 45 | 3 | 1 | 84 | 57.81 |
Webster,not out Webster, not out | 71 | 87 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 123 | 81.61 |
Starc,bowled Tongue Starc, bowled Tongue | 5 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 35.71 |
Boland,caught Brook, bowled Jacks Boland, caught Brook, bowled Jacks | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 5, wides 4, byes 4, leg byes 14, total 27 Extras, no balls 5, wides 4, byes 4, leg byes 14, total 27 | |||||||
Total,567 all out 133.5 overs Total,567 all out 133.5 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carse | 27.0 | 2 | 130 | 3 | 107 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 4.81 |
Potts | 25.0 | 1 | 141 | 0 | 93 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 5.64 |
Tongue | 30.0 | 0 | 97 | 3 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3.23 |
Stokes | 27.4 | 6 | 95 | 2 | 122 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 3.43 |
Jacks | 8.5 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.84 |
Bethell | 15.2 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3.39 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
57 for 1 (12.2 overs) | Weatherald |
162 for 2 (30.6 overs) | Labuschagne |
234 for 3 (54.4 overs) | Neser |
288 for 4 (67.1 overs) | Head |
339 for 5 (83.4 overs) | Khawaja |
366 for 6 (88.1 overs) | Carey |
437 for 7 (106.3 overs) | Green |
544 for 8 (128.5 overs) | Smith |
564 for 9 (132.6 overs) | Starc |
567 for 10 (133.5 overs) | Boland |
England 2nd Innings
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Starc Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Starc | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50.00 |
Duckett,bowled Neser Duckett, bowled Neser | 42 | 55 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 96 | 76.36 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Starc Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 154 | 265 | 170 | 15 | 0 | 384 | 58.11 |
Root,leg before wicket, bowled Boland Root, leg before wicket, bowled Boland | 6 | 37 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 16.22 |
Brook,leg before wicket, bowled Webster Brook, leg before wicket, bowled Webster | 42 | 48 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 89 | 87.50 |
Jacks,caught Green, bowled Webster Jacks, caught Green, bowled Webster | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Smith,run out Weatherald Smith, run out Weatherald | 26 | 41 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 63.41 |
Stokes,caught Smith, bowled Webster Stokes, caught Smith, bowled Webster | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20.00 |
Carse,caught Smith, bowled Boland Carse, caught Smith, bowled Boland | 16 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 80.00 |
Potts,not out Potts, not out | 18 | 43 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 80 | 41.86 |
Tongue,caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc Tongue, caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc | 6 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 42.86 |
Extras, no balls 2, wides 3, byes 9, leg byes 11, penalties 5, total 30 Extras, no balls 2, wides 3, byes 9, leg byes 11, penalties 5, total 30 | |||||||
Total,342 all out 88.2 overs Total,342 all out 88.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 18.2 | 2 | 72 | 3 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3.92 |
Boland | 25.0 | 6 | 46 | 2 | 119 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1.84 |
Neser | 16.0 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3.43 |
Green | 6.0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6.66 |
Webster | 16.0 | 1 | 64 | 3 | 57 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4.00 |
Head | 4.0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6.25 |
Labuschagne | 3.0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
4 for 1 (0.5 overs) | Crawley |
85 for 2 (19.1 overs) | Duckett |
117 for 3 (31.6 overs) | Root |
219 for 4 (51.1 overs) | Brook |
219 for 5 (51.3 overs) | Jacks |
264 for 6 (64.1 overs) | Smith |
267 for 7 (65.2 overs) | Stokes |
297 for 8 (70.3 overs) | Carse |
328 for 9 (84.2 overs) | Bethell |
342 for 10 (88.2 overs) | Tongue |
Australia 2nd Innings
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,caught Carse, bowled Tongue Head, caught Carse, bowled Tongue | 29 | 35 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 82.86 |
Weatherald,caught Potts, bowled Tongue Weatherald, caught Potts, bowled Tongue | 34 | 40 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 71 | 85.00 |
Labuschagne,run out Potts Labuschagne, run out Potts | 37 | 40 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 60 | 92.50 |
Smith,bowled Jacks Smith, bowled Jacks | 12 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 100.00 |
Khawaja,bowled Tongue Khawaja, bowled Tongue | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 85.71 |
Carey,not out Carey, not out | 16 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 59.26 |
Green,not out Green, not out | 22 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 81.48 |
Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 3, leg byes 1, total 5 Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 3, leg byes 1, total 5 | |||||||
Total,161 for 5 31.2 overs Total,161 for 5 31.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carse | 8.0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6.37 |
Tongue | 11.0 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.81 |
Bethell | 3.0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.33 |
Jacks | 6.2 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6.63 |
Root | 3.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
62 for 1 (10.3 overs) | Head |
71 for 2 (14.4 overs) | Weatherald |
92 for 3 (17.5 overs) | Smith |
119 for 4 (22.1 overs) | Khawaja |
121 for 5 (23.1 overs) | Labuschagne |
Team Lineups
home team, Australia
Starting lineup
- Travis Head
- Jake Weatherald
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith , Captain
- Usman Khawaja
- Alex Carey , Wicket Keeper
- Cameron Green
- Beau Webster
- Michael Neser
- Mitchell Starc
- Scott Boland
away team, England
Starting lineup
- Zak Crawley
- Ben Duckett
- Jacob Bethell
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Ben Stokes , Captain
- Jamie Smith , Wicket Keeper
- Will Jacks
- Brydon Carse
- Josh Tongue
- Matthew Potts
home team, Australia
Starting lineup
- Travis Head
- Jake Weatherald
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith , Captain
- Usman Khawaja
- Alex Carey , Wicket Keeper
- Cameron Green
- Beau Webster
- Michael Neser
- Mitchell Starc
- Scott Boland
away team, England
Starting lineup
- Zak Crawley
- Ben Duckett
- Jacob Bethell
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Ben Stokes , Captain
- Jamie Smith , Wicket Keeper
- Will Jacks
- Brydon Carse
- Josh Tongue
- Matthew Potts
- Start Time:
- 23:30
- Toss:
- England won the toss and decided to bat
- Venue:
- Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
- Officials:
- Ahsan Raza, Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Jeff Crowe, Sam Nogajski