Bairstow and Wood stun Australia as England bid to set up Ashes decider

21 July 2023 , 18:37

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Mark Wood picked up 3-17 to leave England in the driving seat heading into day four (Image: Gareth Copley - ECB/ECB via Getty Images)

Only the rain can stop Mark Wood from bringing the thunder to the men from Down Under this weekend.

And for an Aussie team all but out of ideas who have been clinging desperately to what they have - which happens to be the Ashes and a series lead - the sight of a downpour on Saturday morning will bring blessed relief. For the trio of saggy green men who had to face down England's Northern powerhouse on Friday and were sent back to the dressing room, they’ve already seen things that they won’t want to scare their grandchildren with in years to come.

Wood might be the most genial and gentle soul in the England team off the field, but his express pace is the stuff of nightmares for opposition batters on it. And yet it is the cruel reality of injuries and what it takes for Wood to operate at such speeds that it was only with the wicket of Steve Smith, caught down the legside hooking, that brought up the 100th scalp of his career.

Since his debut in 2015, Wood has played just 30 of the 110 Tests that England have played and he almost never fails to make an impact. And if the weather and the Aussies are to be beaten over the next 48 hours, it will be Wood at the heart of the onslaught - perhaps even helping the ground staff to peel back the covers if it would make the difference.

With a raucous crowd and a rampant England team out in the field, the momentum of the game and the series was unequivocally with the home side - and yet, and yet, refuge was eventually theirs at the close of day four, wobbling on 113-4 and trailing by 162.

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Now isn’t quite the time for the what ifs and the maybes, but with Jonny Bairstow leading the way with the bat as one of six England batters to go past 50, and with Wood charging in with the ball and causing more mayhem - the dominance of the home side has been mesmerising. They spent much of Friday toying with the Aussie bowlers as they racked up 592 all out at a scorching rate of five and a half runs per over.

Which is frankly remarkable when you consider their skipper Pat Cummins often just told his fielders to spread out with nine of them on the boundary rope. That still didn’t stop Bairstow who finally found his groove with the bat, to go with the catches he has taken behind the stumps.

Jonny Bairstow smashed a brutal unbeaten 99 off just 81 balls in his best innings since returning from injury (Gareth Copley - ECB/ECB via Getty Images)

He should have had his first Test hundred scored after keeping wicket, but instead had to make do with 99 not out when James Anderson was the last man out, lbw to Cameron Green. With the sort of collaboration that would have made a pair of northern Mayors proud, the Lancashire man was desperately trying to get the Yorkshireman to the milestone, even running byes to keeper Alex Carey, who somehow lost his ability to hit the stumps.

The crowd loved it along with the brutal blows struck by Bairstow who was back in the sort of form that created the magic of Bazball last summer. There was even a mighty hook for four from Anderson off Cummins that brought the loudest roar of the day for a local hero who just might be playing his last Test in front of his home fans.

They showed their appreciation in spades. His dismissal gave England 41 overs to bowl at the Aussies with a 275-run lead, which was never going to be enough to secure victory. Their hope is that the rain relents just enough to give them the chance to do it by Sunday.

Dean Wilson