Lyon puts Australia on brink of Ashes win

Adelaide Oval, day four of the fifth Ashes Test.

Australia 371: Carey 106, Archer 5-53 &amp, 349: Head 170, Tongue 4-70

England 286: Stokes 83, Boland 3-45 &amp, 207-6: Crawley 85, Cummins 3-24

Australia must take four wickets to keep the Ashes.

After Australia’s Nathan Lyon broke their resistance late in the fourth day of the third Test in Adelaide, England are on the verge of losing the series to the Ashes.

In order to move the home side within touching distance of the urn, off-spinner Lyon removed a Harry Brook that had reversed, bowled Ben Stokes, and, crucially, had Zak Crawley bowled.

Crawley put together an impressive 85, but England were 194-6 in search of a 435-point target when he was seduced by a delirious Lyon.

After three Tests, Australia will need four more wickets to win the Ashes, retain the Ashes, and defeat England for the fourth time in a row on Sunday.

England lost three wickets for 17 runs in six overs as a result of Lyon’s intervention after the visitors finally showed a willingness to change their Bazball tactics.

It was a recognition of the situation and the realization that some players, including those in Crawley, are battling for both their reputations and futures.

The tourists took the final six wickets of Australia for 38 runs in their second innings after Stokes’ return with seven overs from the start of play.

Alex Carey scored 72 and Travis Head scored 170. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue both had 4-70 and 3-80 apiece.

When Ben Duckett was absent in England’s first over, a four-day victory appeared likely, and Ollie Pope, who fell for 17 against, is in serious danger of being dropped for the fourth Test.

Is England’s behavior on this fourth day in Adelaide a positive sign that their previous overaggression was intentional, or a disconcerting admission that they were always capable of doing so?

And they eventually succumbed to the relentless Australians, even when England were using a traditional method of Test batting.

The opener has a 29th series highest score, which is alarming given Duckett’s collapse in form.

The Pope may not have had the benefit of Marnus Labuschagne’s breathtaking one-handed catch on second slip, but this was yet another Australia lull.

Pope has pitched 16 innings in the Ashes and is an average of 17.62. Only Dennis Amiss, a fellow English player since 1900, has recorded as many Ashes knocks in the top six and had a lower average.

Before Brook was bowled, Crawley, Joe Root, and Brook had all been successful using the reverse-sweep against Lyon. Despite the stroke’s logic, the result looked ugly and the consequences were worse.

Showman Lyon had the eager crowd in his palm as the total number of spectators for the Test exceeded 200 000, which was a record for the Adelaide Oval.

Numerous England players are vying to win the series, let alone play a part in the rebuilding after the Olympics. Crawley has engaged himself in conversation about the future of England, a subject that is frequently the subject of scrutiny at the top of the list.

The smart money was on a capitulation for England, but Crawley delivered the grittiest knock of his 62-Test career at 31-2.

The Kent man increased the number to 78 with Brook and then 68 with Root. He effectively defended and left. His Test century was his second-slowest, with 102 balls he took to pass 50.

No other bowler has ever dismissed a Yorkshireman as frequently as Pat Cummins, who had Root caught behind for a crucial spell after tea. Root was then caught behind for the 13th time the Australia captain had done so in Test cricket. As he flew for 39, Root screamed in disbelief.

Brook backed up his watchful 45 with a careful 30 from 56 balls in the first innings, barring a scoop attempt at Scott Boland. Despite the validity of the shot, the dismissal is sure to stifle criticism until Brook’s gift.

England could have faced two sessions on the field as Australia resumed with a score of 271-4 while the home side would have piled on runs at will. Instead, the tourists’ early Saturday fight was commendable.

When Stokes failed to bowl on the third day, the captain took the ball right away on the fourth morning, there were health concerns.

Stokes was fast, but Carse gave up 26 runs from three overs and gave way to Tongue, who drew Head to a miscue from Crawley at a deep square leg.

England won the second new ball after Stokes let Carey slip into a cunning leg-slip trap and Tongue tapped Josh Inglis for the edge.