Ashes 2025-26 | Live Blog: England vs Australia, 5th Test, Day 4

Oh dear, a terrible mix-up! Short ball, pulled to the left of square leg and there’s a confusing yes-no situation. Bethell responds and then stops. Smith is halfway down the pitch before he spots his partner’s non-interest. Weatherald, meanwhile, is quick to budge to his left at square leg and throws the ball to the right end. Labuschagne whips the bails off to catch Smith well short of his crease.

As I write, Stokes is a goner too. He was clearly in pain and he could hardly deal with deliveries off the frontfoot. Only manages an outside edge on this occasion.

Another part-time bowler. Labuschagne, who dismissed Jamie Smith in the first innings, to dole out medium-pace with a spread field. After losing two wickets in the same over, the keeper-bat and Bethell have added 45 runs inside 13 overs. Can England stretch the lead to 200? 45 minutes remain in the day and there’ll be one more burst from the spearheads for Australia. For now, Labuschagne to continue peppering England with his short stuff.

Two wickets in three balls! Brilliant catch from Cameron Green. Will Jacks has thrown his wicket away. Can’t fathom his mindset. He just walked out to the middle and has fallen while trying to slog one.

Brook once again got off to a decent start but falls in the fourties. A lot rests on the well-set Bethell to keep England in the hunt.

What a way to reach your maiden first-class ton! Take a bow, young Jacob Bethell. He takes his helmet off, raises his bat jubilantly and heaves up his arms to celebrate the moment. The wunderkind looks determined and hungry for more. It has been a sensational knock under tough circumstances. Shows the level-headedness this lad carries. His family in the crowd is chuffed to bits. Coming back to the delivery, it was tossed up. Bethel used his feet, got to the pitch of the ball and lofted it over mid-wicket to reach the milestone.

Four minutes to go for Tea and it’s time for some spin. A slip and short leg in place. Lovely use of the feet by Harry Brook. Flighted outside off, he converts it into a half-volley by shimmying down the track and blasting the ball through extra cover. Almost 50 runs in the last ten overs at the cost of one wicket.

Damn, looks close! Root has been adjudged lbw. He has a chat with Jacob Bethell and reviews. 132.7kph, good length, jags in off the deck and defeats Root’s willow to rap him on the front pad adjacent to the stumps. Sending the decision upstairs proves to be an exercise in futility. Big wicket and Root walks off to a standing ovation from the SCG crowd. Been a superb series for the experienced campaigner.

It has been some classy, attritional cricket on display post Lunch. Neser and Boland operated in probing channels and kept the English batters on their toes. Duckett dragged one onto his stumps off Neser early in the session. Boland has been particularly good and has challenged the outside edge and the inside edge of the opposition batters, just like he did in the first dig. Root is looking determined out there while Bethell has weathered the storm pretty well to raise a fifty.

Michael Vaughan on air mentions that the good news from the England dressing room is that captain Ben Stokes will be batting but he will probably come into bat lower down the order.

The groundsman comes in with the hammer and pounds the bowler’s landing area again. That area has softened up and the hammer is being used to firm it up.

Neser has been bowling in some excellent areas and he eventually gets the reward for his discipline. Duckett fails to convert his start into something noteworthy. On a back of a length outside off from round the wicket, cutting in, Duckett is cramped for space but still tries to chop it behind square on the off-side. An inside edge crashes into the off-stump. The dropped chance of Duckett just before the lunch break hardly costs Australia.

140.5kph, brute of a ball from Green! Bounces menacingly from a back of a length. Bethell hops and jumps to try and fend, moves his head away as well at the eleventh hour. The ball bangs the side of the helmet and flies over the slips before running away to the fence.

Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett are on the charge as England claw their way back into the contest after the early exit of Zac Crawley. Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green have been taken to the cleaners with rasping pulls and drives.

Woah, that’s reared up sharply! Steep bounce from a length and there’s not much any batter can do. Unplayable stuff. Duckett looks to defend but the ball bounces viciously to zoom past the glove. Starc certainly enjoyed it. He smiles and has a word or two with the southpaw.

Boland switches to over the wicket. Unfurls a short ball that keeps climbing, Bethell sways away from it and Carey has no chance of intercepting that.

Crawley has been trapped in front of the stumps but after a consultation with Duckett, he goes for the review. The on-ground verdict stands. Starc works his magic in the first over yet again. Phenomenal start with the ball for Australia.

Here’s a reading recommendation from the ongoing Test in Melbourne. Aryan Surana writes about the trifecta of skills that delivered a balanced contest on the second day, up until the Tea break: https://www.guerillacricket.com/78395,the-skill-triangle-makes-for-a-dynamic-better-part

Scott Boland departs for a golden duck and that’s the end of the innings! Served on a back of a length around off, skids on after pitching, Boland camps back and pushes at it but only manages to offer an edge to slip. Brook pouches it safely.

Knocked him over! Tongue fetches a three-wicket haul. 134.3kph fuller length delivery on off, decks in substantially after pitching, Mitchell Starc is caught in the crease and beaten on the inside edge. The ball crashes into the leg-stump. He left a bat-pad gap and hears the death rattle.

Tongue bags the well-set Smith with a good piece of bowling! It’s the fourth time in this series that Tongue has claimed the Aussie skipper. A fantastic knock from Smith nonetheless and he walks off to a standing ovation from his home crowd. 132.4kph delivery sent down in the corridor of uncertainty, straightens enough after pitching to open Smith up. Nicked behind.

Hundred partnership for Steve Smith and Beau Webster. Length delivery angling down leg, the latter flicks it past the left side of the keeper and the ball zips to the fine leg fence.