Pat Cummins took two wickets in two balls, including England captain Joe Root for a golden duck, to leave Australia on the brink of retaining the Ashes at Old Trafford on Saturday. England were 18-2 in their second innings at stumps on the fourth day of the fourth Test, still needing a further 365 runs on Sunday's last day to reach a target of 383. By contrast, Australia require eight wickets to seal a win that would see the holders keep the Ashes at 2-1 up with one to play in a five-Test series.
The most England have made in the fourth innings to win a Test the 362/9 they posted in their series-levelling success last time out at Headingley, where Ben Stokes's stunning 135 not out and the resistance of No 11 Jack Leach secured a remarkable one-wicket victory. Earlier, Steve Smith's remorseless run-glut continued as he made 82 - his lowest score this series - in Australia's second innings 186-6 declared.
Australia captain Tim Paine's decision left England with an awkward 30 minutes in which to bat. Rory Burns and Root had shared a partnership of 141 while making 81 and 71 respectively in England's first-innings 301. But on Saturday they were both out for nought in the first over of England's chase.
Left-handed opener Burns, looking to turn Cummins's third ball legside, got a leading edge and was caught at short cover by Travis Head. Next ball a brilliant delivery that nipped away off the seam and clipped the top of off stump saw Root bowled by an elated Cummins for his third nought of the series and second golden duck. Cummins was on a hat-trick, with the struggling Jason Roy next in but the World Cup winner responded to the crisis with a solid forward defensive shot and he got through to stumps on eight not out, with Joe Denly unbeaten on 10.
Earlier, Smith's ninth successive Ashes fifty, extending his own record, followed his superb 211 in the first innings of his comeback Test after he missed the match at Headingley with a concussion suffered when hit by a 92mph Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord's. In what is his first Test series since completing a 12-month ball-tampering ban, former Australia captain Smith has now scored 671 runs, including three hundreds, at an average of 134.2
He was on course to become the first batsman in Ashes history, and only the eighth in any Test, to score a double hundred and hundred in the same match when he lofted left-arm spinner Leach with Stokes, running round from long-off, holding a safe catch to end a 92-ball innings featuring 11 fours. Stuart Broad and Archer had reduced Australia to 44-4 before tea after England narrowly avoided following-on in reply to the tourists' 497-8 declared.
But Smith, fidgeting across the crease in trademark fashion, held firm. While Smith has enjoyed an Ashes run-spree, David Warner - also returning from a 12-month ball-tampering ban - has become something of a 'bunny' for Broad. Saturday saw left-handed opener Warner out for his third straight Test duck when Broad, the successful bowler on each occasion, had him lbw. It was the sixth time Warner, like Smith had fallen to Broad this Ashes and meant he had completed 'a pair' this match after a nought in the first innings.
SCOREBOARD
Australia 1st Innings 497-8 dec (S Smith 211, M Labuschagne 67, T Paine 58, M Starc 54 no; S Broad 3-97)
England 1st Innings (overnight: 200-5)
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R. Burns c Smith b Hazlewood 81
J. Denly c Wade b Cummins 4
C. Overton c Smith b Hazlewood 5
J. Root lbw b Hazlewood 71
J. Roy b Hazlewood 22
B. Stokes c Smith b Starc 26
J. Bairstow b Starc 17
J. Buttler b Cummins 41
J. Archer c Paine b Cummins 1
S. Broad b Starc 5
J. Leach not out 4
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Extras: (b4, lb11, w5, nb4) 24
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Total: (all out, 107 overs, 504 mins) 301
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Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Denly), 2-25 (Overton), 3-166 (Burns), 4-175 (Root), 5-196 (Roy), 6-228 (Bairstow), 7-243 (Stokes), 8-256 (Archer), 9-283 (Broad), 10-301 (Buttler)
Bowling: Starc 22-7-80-3; Hazlewood 25-6-57-4 (1nb); Cummins 24-6-60-3 (3nb, 1w); Lyon 36-4-89-0
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Australia 2nd Innings
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D. Warner lbw b Broad 0
M. Harris lbw b Broad 6
M. Labuschagne lbw b Archer 11
S. Smith c Stokes b Leach 82
T. Head b Archer 12
M. Wade c Bairstow b Archer 34
T. Paine not out 23
M. Starc not out 3
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Extras: (b5, lb2, w7, nb1) 15
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Total: (6 wkts dec, 42.5 overs, 204 mins) 186
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Did not bat: P Cummins, N Lyon, J Hazlewood
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Warner), 2-16 (Harris), 3-24 (Labuschagne), 4-44 (Head), 5-149 (Smith), 6-158 (Wade)
Bowling: Broad 14-4-54-2 (1w); Archer 14-2-45-3 (1nb); Overton 5.5-1-22-0 (2w); Leach 9-0-58-1.
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England 2nd Innings (target: 383)
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R. Burns c Head b Cummins 0
J. Denly not out 10
J. Root b Cummins 0
J. Roy not out 8
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Total: (2 wkts, 7 overs, 32 mins) 18
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To bat: B Stokes, J Bairstow, J Buttler, C Overton, J Archer, S Broad, J Leach
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Burns), 2-0 (Root)
Bowling: Cummins 3-1-8-2; Hazlewood 2-1-2-0; Lyon 1-0-5-0; Starc 1-0-3-0
Match position: England need 365 more runs to win with eight wickets standing Toss: Australia
Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)
TV umpire: Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)
Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND).
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