England chose not to make a bold declaration on Friday, but they were ruthless on their way to a score of 592 and left Australia ragged in the field, with the tourists finishing the day 113 for four in reply at Old Trafford.
Since the start of the Bazball era, England fans have learnt to expect the unexpected. But Jonny Bairstow’s stunning unbeaten 99 helped turn the screws on an increasingly struggling Australia, before Mark Wood claimed three crucial wickets as the tourists finished the day 162 runs behind.
England have not scored more than 592 against Australia since 2011 in Sydney, and it is rare that such a quality seam attack is left looking as tired as they did.
While Zak Crawley and Bairstow will make the headlines for their 189 and 99 respectively, it was a collective effort from England, who played in their typical attacking style, but without the reckless nature that has held them back at times earlier in the Ashes series.
Only Ben Duckett in the top seven did not make a score, with all the others scoring at least a half century, while the Australian bowling figures make for a grim reading for those supporting the team from down under.
Josh Hazlewood took five wickets, but at a cost of 126 runs, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were both hit for more than 120.
England had a lead of 120 when Bairstow strode out to the crease, and he was on 49 when Stuart Broad was out, and number 11 James Anderson walked out. The Old Trafford crowd were entertained by his sixes, especially when all nine fielders were on the boundary rope, in a masterful innings, epitomising a controlled aggression.
Bairstow was left one run short of a deserved century having delighted the crowd with his aggressive batting— (PA)
For arguably the first time in the series, Bairstow looked every bit the player who was heralded as the hero of Bazball and awarded the inaugural Wisden Trophy for an outstanding Test performance of the year in 2022.
When Anderson was out lbw for five and Bairstow stranded on 99, England looked buoyant, they ran off in a rush to start their bowling innings but finished the day with fewer breakthroughs than they would have hoped for.
Mark Wood took the first wicket, with Usman Khawaja edging behind for just 18 runs. He decided to send the decision to the third umpire, but it cost Australia one of their DRS reviews and they were 32 for one.
Mark Wood took three late wickets to help England close in on victory— (Action Images via Reuters)
Chris Woakes, who took five wickets in the first innings, was too good for David Warner, who played onto the stumps for 28, but from then England struggled.
For the first time in the series, it looked like the dangerous duo of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne might cause trouble for the England attack, and they put on 43 runs before Smith was out, with Wood claiming his 100th Test wicket.
It was a slightly bizarre dismissal – he played at a bouncer down leg and just edged it on the way through to Bairstow. He had to leave the field for just 17 as England continued to keep the great batter largely quiet in the series after his destructive form in 2019.
Marnus Labuschagne guided Australia to the close despite the loss of four wickets— (PA)
Wood struck again with Travis Head falling for just one as he tried to fend off a bouncer and it caught the bat and looped straight to Ben Duckett at gully to leave Australia 108 for four.
However, with the series poised and England needing a victory, all eyes will shift to the weekend’s dismal weather forecast, with rain due to seriously affect play across the two days, it remains to be seen just how much cricket will be possible.
