Jonny Bairstow scored a gutsy century as England’s batters finally showed some fight against Australia on day three of the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney.
Bairstow’s well-crafted, unbeaten 103 and his 128-run stand with Ben Stokes rescued England after they slipped to 36-4.
Stokes, visibly struggling with a left side injury, made 66, while Mark Wood clubbed an entertaining 39 from 41 balls in a 72-run stand with Bairstow.
Scott Boland took 2-25 as England closed on 258-7, trailing by 158.
They lost three wickets in 53 balls and could not find a run before Bairstow and Stokes injected some much-needed impetus into the innings.
The two were able to dominate Australia’s bowlers in a way that England have failed to do throughout the series.
Australia dropped three catches and have an injury concern over Boland, who was taken for a scan after falling in his follow-through in the afternoon session.
While England are still a long way behind in the match, the fight they showed will have been encouraging for the beleaguered dressing room.
At various points, it looked as though Bairstow and Stokes would have to end their innings early – Bairstow with a seriously damaged thumb and Stokes with an injured left side, which he hurt while bowling on day two.
However, both players are competitive and determined to a fault. Bairstow is a batter who thrives on the chance to prove people wrong, while Stuart Broad described Stokes on Thursday as the toughest cricketer he has seen.
Chief scores:
Australia 1st Innings: 416/8d in 134 overs (Khawaja 137, Smith 67, Starc 34*, Broad 5/101)
England 1st Innings: 258/7 in 70 overs at close (Bairstow 103*, Stokes 66, Wood 39, Boland 2/25) (BBC)