Ashes Test: England vs Australia, Day 4 - As it happened

Firm favourites England take on underdogs Australia in the first Test of the 2013 Ashes series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Catch all the Day 4 live updates here (Scorecard | Commentary | Day's Report):

 

End of Day 4 play at the England vs Australia first Ashes Test, Trent Bridge! Again, it has been a remarkable one. Australia 174/6, still need 137 to win. England will be the favourites. Obviously, Ian Bell's hundred started it off brilliantly for the hosts but Australia fought back to remove the last four wickets for 19 runs. The visitors then had a great start with Shane Watson and Chris Rogers, who added 84 before former fell lbw to Broad. That opened up the gates and Graeme Swann then picked up Steve Smith and Phil Hughes with some fine display of spin bowling. Joe Root too came into action with Ed Cowan's wicket, whose Test future seems in doldrums as of now. Eventually England ended on top and will fancy their chances going into Day 5. (Day in pics)

 

22:55 (IST): Agar plays out a maiden off Swann, another over to go in the day. Australia 174/6, need 137 more to win. And news is that tomorrow's day at the Ashes 2013 first Test is sold out. (Gilchrist slams fake Twitter over Broad blast)

 

22:49 (IST): 3 overs remain in the day as Ashton Agar and Brad Haddin look to negotiate England's bowlers and take the game into the last day. Australia 172/6, need another 139 to win with 4 wickets in hand.

 

22:32 (IST): It seems a square turner now. Vicious turn by Swann. As Michael Vaughan said on Twitter yesterday, one of the roughest English pitches in recent times. Australia face the music. 166/6, Australia need 145 more to win.

 

And Ashton Agar has been promoted. Nice move.

 

An England review now! Graeme Swann bowls a jaffer to Phil Hughes. Seemed to be pitching outside the leg on first view. Michael Holding extremely surprised that it came to be pitching on after DRS employed by England, since Dharmasena gave it not out. Australia 164/6. On closer review, it pitched just inside, milimetres. What a special delivery though.

 

Steve Smith follows his skipper back in the pavilion! England have got two in two. Graeme Swann of the first ball of his over gets rid of Smith. Traps him right in front and umpire Dharmasena had not hesitation. Australia have no reviews left and anyway that was plumb. 162/5, in trouble and now need 149 more to win with Phil Hughes and Brad Haddin at the crease.

 

Michael Clarke dismissed! By none other than Stuart Broad. A thin edge to keeper Prior, Aleem Dar checks with Dharmasena. It carried, Dar gives it out but Clarke reviews. Tiny spot shows on hot-spot, sound too heard. Nothing to overturn it. Waste of a review by skipper. Australia 161/4 now.

 

21:58 (IST): Some movement in the last two overs. Clarke hit a boundary off Finn, got new inner gloves for himself and then almost handed mid-wicket a catch off Swann. Australia 156/3, require another 155. (Meanwhile read: Adam Gilchrist slams fake Twitter over Stuart Broad blast)

 

21:48(IST): Another maiden! Steven Finn bowls a fine one to Aussie skipper Clarke. Score remains 149/3.

 

Drinks! Even as Steve Smith plays another Swann over in his typically awkward defensive manner, last 11.2 overs have cost just the 25 runs. Australia 149/3, require 162 more to win.

21:34 (IST): Has gone a bit quiet in the middle after Roger's dismissal. Steve Smith and Michael Clarke though batting with some determination even as Graeme Swann and Steven Finn try hard in their respective trades. Australia 148/3, need 163 more to win with 7 wickets in hand. Smith on 10 off 33 and Clarke on 17 off 48.

20:56 (IST): Third Wicket - Chris Rogers is gone and James Anderson takes his 1st wicket of the innings. Bowling from round the stumps, Anderson bowls around middle and leg, Rogers chips it to mid-wicket where Ian Bell is eagerly waiting to pouch one. Rogers went for 52 off 121 balls, an innings laced with 8 fours. Australia 124/3 (43 overs) still need 187 runs more runs to win.

 

20:47 (IST): FACTOID: At 35 years and 316 days, Chris Rogers is the second oldest Aussie to make a maiden 50 in an Ashes Test. The oldest was Clarrie Grimmett who was 38 years and 213 days old when he scored his 1st Ashes 50, way back in 1930.

 

20:30 (IST) Michael Clarke is the new man in for Australia. Australia have eight wickets in hand and England will be buoyed with that wicket of Cowan. Clarke being a busy player will keep the run-rate moving along. Should be a good session to look forward too.

 

20:13 (IST) It was Australia's day till the fall of that last wicket. The visitors are 111/2 in 36.4 overs, needing a further 200 runs to win. Stuart Broad and Joe Root are the two wicket-takers for England in the second session.

20:11 (IST) Second Wicket - The dreaded 'single nelson' has struck for England as Ed Cowan falls at the stroke of tea, to the off-spin of not Graeme Swann but Joe Root. It was tossed up, drifting in and then turning away from Cowan who chased it and got an edge, only to be caught by Jonathan Trott at 1st slip. Cowan hit 3 fours in his 43-ball 14.

 

20:07 (IST) Chris Rogers, playing his second Test, reaches his maiden fifty. 108 balls for his fifty, with the help of 8 fours.

 

19:51 (IST) Ed Cowan punishes Graeme Swann in the 32nd over to bring go past 1000 Test runs. Cowan first comes down the track and drills Swann past mid-on and then two balls later, rocks back to cut him past cover point for four. Australia 104/1 (32 overs), need 207 more to win.

19:28 (IST) Chris Rogers survives a close call after making good use of the review. Swann turned one across the left-hander bowling from round the stumps and the players appeal for caught behind, the finger goes up straightaway. However, Rogers feels the umpire gave him out lbw as he was convinced he hadn't hit it. Indeed Rogers is right and the replays show there was a big gap between bat and ball and the ball happened to strike the pad outside the line of off stump.

 

19:20 (IST) First Wicket - First ball after drinks break and Watson is out lbw. Stuart Broad draws first blood for England. The ball thudded onto his pads and umpire Aleem Dar raised his finger, but Watson went for a review. Replays showed the ball was just about clipping the leg stump and the decision stays. Watson went for 46, with the help of 8 fours. Australia 84/1, need 227 more to win. Ed Cowan is the new man in.

 

19:10 (IST) FACTOID: Chris Rogers has played a lot of domestic cricket - both in England and Australia. The 35 year-old has represented 4 English Counties - Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Middlesex. He also played for a minor cricket county named Shropshire and the famous Marylebone Cricket Club. In Australia, he has played for the two states - Victoria and New South Wales. His father John Rogers played four first-class games for New South Wales in the late 1960s.

18:55 (IST): Swann gets one to turn away from Rogers and the left-hander is beaten all ends up, finally a moment of action and encouragement for England. So far so good going for the Australians, who are 70 for no loss after 20 overs, 241 runs away from the target.

18:40 (IST): Australia openers have remained unscathed and the 50 is up! 16 overs gone the visitors are 53 for no loss. Watson on a steady 31* and Rogers, slowly gaining confidence, at 22*.

18:32 (IST): Watson finally comes down the track to Swann, and gets four past wide long. Swann had tied Watson to a defensive line of attack around the off stump and Watson attacked him on the final ball of the 14th over, hitting a lofted on drive that eluded Kevin Pietersen at long on. Australia 47/0 (14 overs), need another 264 runs to win.

18:14 (IST): Spin for the first time, straight after lunch! Graeme Swann comes into attack and bowls one bad delivery to which Watson latches on and smacks it past covers for four. Australia 33/0 (8 overs), need a further 278 runs to win.

17:50 (IST) FACTOID: Australia have chased down 300-plus targets to win Test matches more times than any other team. They have successfully chased down 300 or more in fourth innings a total of 9 times. Next best are West Indies, who have chased down 300-plus targets 5 times in Tests.

 

17:31 (IST): The umpires have taken the bails of and that will be lunch on Day 4. Australia 28/0 in 7 overs after the first session, needing 283 more runs to win the game. Shane Watson, with the help of four fours is on 18, while giving him company is Chris Rogers on 10.

 

17:26 (IST) Chris Rogers gets his first set of fours, off Stuart Broad. Broad was too full and straight on his pads and Rogers flicked it past square leg for four. Two balls later, he pushes it wide of extra cover for another four.

17:17 (IST) Talk of Anderson getting the ball to swing, Stuart Broad is bowling at good speeds here. He is easily bowling at an average speed of 85 miles per hour, fastest that he has bowled today was close to 86.5 miles per hour.

 

17:10 (IST): Shane Watson gets the first set of boundaries for Australia in the third over of their chase. Anderson looking to ball middle and leg Watson plays two on drives for fours - one a long the ground drive between mid wicket and mid-on and an uppish drive over mid-wicket. Australia 10/0 (3 overs), need another 301 runs to win.

17:01 (IST): Shane Watson gets the first run for Australia in the first over bowled by James Anderson, just a defensive push towards the off side and a single taken. Chris Rogers to face Anderson now, who is swinging the ball away from the left-hander from over the wicket. Rogers is not keen to put bat to those. Expectantly the final ball of the over is the one that comes in and Rogers taps it to square leg. Australia 1/0 after the first over of their 311-run chase.

16:55 (IST): England tail fails to take forward the work done by the marathon stand between Ian Bell and Stuart Broad as they lost the last 4 wickets for 19 runs. However, the Australian bowlers were disciplined in their line and lengths and never allowed the tailenders like Swann and Finn to score freely. On day 4, England scored 49 runs in 16.5 overs, for the loss of 4 wickets.

 

16:52 (IST): Peter Siddle takes two wickets in the 150th over to knock over Graeme Swann (9) and James Anderson (0) in space of 3 balls as England are 375 all out, with a lead of 310 runs. Australia need 311 runs to win 1st Test.

 

16:33 (IST): Eighth Wicket - Ian Bell gone and Mitchell Starc ends his marathon knock. 267 balls, 15 fours, take a bow! Starc bowling from round the stumps, tucked Bell for room and gets it to reverse away a little bit and finds the edge, Haddin takes the catch low down. England 371/8 (146.2 overs), lead by 306 runs. Steven Finn is the new man.

16:17 (IST): Talking of controversy, West Indies legend and commentator Michael Holding thinks Stuart Broad must be admonished for his unwillingness to walk after being caught off an edge on Day 3.

16:07 (IST): Seventh Wicket - James Pattinson breaks the partnership and Stuart Broad is out. It was outside the off stump and going away from Broad, who edges it to give Brad Haddin a regulation catch. No controversy here as Broad walks back to the hut after Kumar Dharmasena raises his finger. Broad's 65 was a part of a 138-run partnership with Ian Bell. He hit 7 fours. England 356/7 (141 overs), lead Australia by 291 runs.

 

16:00 (IST): England go past 350 runs in second innings as Stuart Broad continues to impress with the bat, this time against Peter Siddle. On the first ball of the 140th over, Broad's airy fairy drive past cover point gets him two runs and England past 350, three balls later he drills him past mid on for four.

 

15:54 (IST): The highest successful run chase at Trent Bridge Nottingham is 284 by England vs New Zealand in 2004. England 348/6 are currently leading Australia by 283 runs.

 

15:41 (IST): Ian Bell pushes towards cover point and there is a misfield there, scrambles through for a single and completes a hundred - his 18th in Tests and second vs Australia. Bell took 237 balls to reach his hundred, with the help of 13 fours to his name.

 

15:35 (IST) Stuart Broad gets a fifty - his 10th in Test match cricket and 3rd against Australia. He goes after a wide one from James Pattinson and it flew over the slips for a four. England now 339/6, leading Australia by 274 runs.

 

15:31 (IST): Good start for Ian Bell, gets a four past slips in his customary fashion, moves to 99 now.

 

15:25 (IST): Players coming out now to take their spots on the field. Mitchell Start is at the top of his bowling mark, getting ready to bowl to Ian Bell, who is batting on 95.

 

14:47 (IST): Australian legend Glenn McGrath, who gave the baggy green to debutant Ashton Agar before the start of this Test, says, "He is not really a number 11 batsman, the way he played that knock, that would embarrass a lot of current No.11 batsmen."

 

14:37 (IST): David Gower and David Lloyd discuss the scoring areas of Ian Bell and the graph shows that 60 out of his 95 runs on Friday were behind the wicket. Bell in his unfinished innings has looked cautious and used the pace of the ball on most occasions.

 

14:30 (IST): Catch all the pics from Day 3's action - How England stretched their lead, courtesy Ian Bell and Stuart Broad

 

13:15 (IST): On the controversy surrounding Broad, Australia's Petter Siddle claimed it was "no big deal" and asked "how many people have ever walked?" (Read more)

12:45 (IST): England ended Day 3 on 326/6 to lead Australia by 261 runs. Bell (95*) and Broad (47*). Together with Broad, Bell has so far added an unbroken 108 for the seventh wicket. It was a potentially decisive partnership, with the most runs ever scored by a side in the fourth innings to win a Test at Trent Bridge the 284 for six England made against New Zealand at the Nottingham ground in 2004.

All Started with Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen slowly bringing England back into the game after Ashton Agar special on Day 2. Australia then fought back through Agar and Pattinson, before Bell and Broad got together to practically take the game away from Australia. Some fortunes did come England's way with Australia running out of Decision Reviews but the hosts will take that with open arms.

Pietersen hailed Ian Bell for wresting the initiative from Australia in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge and defended Broad from allegations of bad sportsmanship. (Read more)

Earlier, Australia were left fuming as England's Stuart Broad enjoyed a massive slice of luck on the third day of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge on Friday.

Broad, on his Nottinghamshire home ground, had made 37, with England then 297 for seven in their second innings, when he edged teenage debutant spinner Ashton Agar.

The ball clipped wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's gloves and then flew to Australia captain Michael Clarke at first slip.

Australia appealed for the catch but leading Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar ruled in the batsman's favour as Broad stood his ground. (Read full story)