Cricket: Ashes 2023 England v Australia: England rise in Australia as hosts take control of fourth Test

Opener Zak Crawley hit a quickfire 189 as England dominated the second day of the fourth Ashes Test to take a 67-run lead over Australia with six wickets remaining at stumps overnight.

England reached 384-4 in 72 overs in reply to Australia’s first innings 317. The visitors were dismissed in the morning at Old Trafford after posting 299-8.

Crawley put England in the lead after just 54.3 overs with a superb flicked six off Mitch Marsh.

Australia’s woes continued when England were allowed a couple of overs when Australian captain Pat Cummins forgot to defend Steve Smiths’ delivery from deep, although it got a respite when an off-balance Crawley dragged Cameron Green (1-40) to his stumps. Crawley scored 189 off 182 deliveries, including three sixes and 21 fours.

Joe Root (84/95) then departed for 16 in three figures when he failed to bring his bat in time for Josh Hazlewood’s (1-62) grubber, the first significant sign of erratic bounce on the pitch.

There were no further alarms for England as Harry Brook was unbeaten on the 14th and captain Ben Stokes on the 24th.

England had started bowling Australia after lunch and were 239-2. Crawley led 121 off 152 balls with Moeen Ali, then 109 off 86 with Root at tea in a partnership that would grow to 206.

Crawley scored 106 alone in the middle innings.

Ali showed his versatility by scoring 54 points at No.3

England need to win here to keep the series alive and warned Australia in advance that they will try to force a quick result as Saturday’s game could be lost to the forecast rain. If England do not win, Australia will retain the Ashes.

With that in mind, England added an entertaining 178 runs after lunch from 25 overs at seven per over.

The Australians were confused, especially the expensive Cummins. Mitchell Starc ended the day with 2-74.

England’s first 100 saw 22.1 passes. The second 100 took 13.2 overs.

Ali came out of Test retirement from the series as emergency spin cover, and then volunteered to bat at No.3 when Ollie Pope was ruled out of the series injured. Ali made it his mission to give Root and Brook distance from the new ball and shone with his first Test fifty in 4 1/2 years.

He fell for 53 but out after one run at 130-2 when he hit Starc in front of the crease and gave Usman Khawaja a two-handed diving catch.

This brought in Root, who hit the first ball he faced off Starc for a boundary.

Crawley notched back-to-back centuries with sharp shots from 93 balls, the second-fastest by an England opener in Test history. The only faster was his own 86-ball last year in Pakistan.

He and Root were so comfortable on a slow pitch against an aging ball that they hit sixes near the gap.

Root reverse ramped Marsh into the deep third and Crawley slog-swept Travis Head over the cow corner.