Ashes 2017-18: 1st Test, Day 4- Review: Hosts need 56 on the final day after England falters for 195

Australian openers- David Warner and Cameron Bancroft sent out a few balls racing, as they ended on 114/0 at the end of Day 4. After an even-headed contest in the first three days, Australia took the honours at stumps on the penultimate day of the Gabba Test. Warner looked in great touch, as he scored eight boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 60* while debutant Bancroft displayed great character, taking a blow to his helmet first and then a solid 51* not out with the bat.

England’s shoulder dropped each time the two openers found the gap. The hosts never looked back after recovering from 213/7 in their first innings and the visitors have themselves to be blamed. Australia will come out tomorrow in the morning needing just 56 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series, and they have 10 wickets in hand to climb the mini stair.

Visitors lose the plot

The visitors lost their last four wickets for 10 runs earlier in the day. The England middle order tried to give a fight but none could convert the starts. Moeen Ali’s dismissal sparked debates but the loss was England’s. Nathan Lyon once again kept the batsmen at peace and Mitchell Starc did the rest. Apart from Alastair Cook’s needless hook yesterday and Jonny Bairstow’s catching drill gesture to the third man today morning, the hosts have made England give up on the hope of posting a daunting total.

Lyon snapped the first wicket in the morning as he saw the back of Mark Stoneman with a beautiful spinning one. Skipper Joe Root cracked a few boundaries early on and found his edge falling just short of the slips on one instance but Australia wrapped up Dawid Malan’s wicket next, with another beauty from Lyon who kept it straight and spin took the edge of the bat.

Starc and company fires at the Gabba

Root soon reached his fifty with the scorecard reading 113/4. But unlike Steve Smith yesterday and Indian skipper Virat Kohli today, a few miles far, Root once again failed to convert it into a hundred and departed for 51. Moeen’s 40 and Bairstow’s 41 are the next best in the stats as Starc and Hazlewood shared six wickets between them and Lyon ended a memorable outing with four maidens and three wickets.

Brief Scores:

England, 1st innings: 302 (Vince 83, Malan 56; Cummins 3/85)

Australia, 1st innings: 328 (Smith 141*, Marsh 51; Broad 3/49)

England,2nd innings: 195 (Root 51; Hazlewood 3/46)

Australia, 2nd innings: 114/0 ( Warner 60*, Bancroft 51*; Broad 0/14)