England will attempt to negate a turning pitch and a buoyant Australian side as they look to mount a 90-over rearguard on the final day of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
There has not been a drawn Test on these shores for over three years and the last time England batted out a full day to save the game was a decade ago when last-wicket pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar survived in another Ashes opener at Cardiff.
The tourists held all the cards on day four, piling up a 397-run lead as Steve Smith followed his first-innings 144 with another brilliant 142 – the fifth Australian to make twin tons against the old enemy – and Matthew Wade made 110.
A slightly belated declaration left England facing just seven overs before stumps and, although spinner Nathan Lyon extracted plenty of spin in that time, Rory Burns and Jason Roy saw things through.
Burns will have batted on all five days of the match when he crosses the boundary on Monday and the Surrey man does so having repelled Australia for over seven hours in his previous knock of 133.
Tweet of the day
I love The Ashes.The pulse, the swings of dominance, the pressed whites, the intensity amongst the players,the red ball, English crowds at home or away. This is the pinnacle. Merely a sport… no… The Gentleman’s War.#Australia #Ashes19
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 4, 2019
Key Quote
England’s batting coach ponders a reprise a decade on from James Anderson’s stoic performance at Sophia Gardens.
Snap shot
Weather watch
England’s attempts to escape with a draw are unlikely to be aided by the weather. According to the Met Office, any early morning showers should clear up before the start of the first session while there is only a 10 per cent chance of rain during the hours of play. Those in attendance for day five will bask in afternoon sunshine with temperatures set to peak at 21 degrees.
Stat attack
Smith may have seemed ubiquitous during both of Australia’s innings but Rory Burns has the distinction of batting on all five days in Birmingham. Only three other Englishmen have done it before: Geoffrey Boycott, against Australia in 1977, Allan Lamb, against the West Indies in 1984, and Andrew Flintoff, against India in 2006.
Smith joins exclusive club
Ball in a pint pot
England’s latest attempt to get the ball changed as Australia piled on the runs was accepted in bizarre circumstances after James Pattinson bludgeoned Stuart Broad over the midwicket boundary and straight into a spectator’s pint.
Bowled over
Nathan Lyon will look to make the most of a Lord’s pitch offering turn as he spearheads a four-pronged Australia attack on the final day. Lyon claimed three wickets during England’s first innings and has shown more threat than England’s Moeen Ali, who bowled two moon balls but also spun one wickedly through the gate of Tim Paine on a mixed day. England’s premier off-spinner neither offered control nor routinely threatened as figures of two for 130 from 29 overs left his place for the remainder of the series under scrutiny.
