Root strikes but England's Ashes hopes hang in balance

England dodged the rainfall to instrumentality the captious wicket of Marnus Labuschagne but their Ashes hopes stay successful the equilibrium going into the last time of the 4th Test against Australia.

England were frustrated for a agelong play by Labuschagne, who made lone his 2nd overseas Test 100 and shared a stubborn concern of 103 with Mitchell Marsh.

As the airy faded, England were ordered to vessel rotation and Joe Root's off-breaks provided an improbable root of inspiration.

He had Labuschagne caught down by juggling wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow for 111 and astir had Marsh held astatine abbreviated leg.

Rain arrived astatine the scheduled beverage interruption of 17:00, preventing immoderate further enactment and leaving Australia connected 214-5, inactive 61 abbreviated of making England bat again. Marsh has 31 and Cameron Green three.

With much atrocious upwind forecast for Sunday, England are near hoping for capable clip to unit the triumph that would level the bid astatine 2-2 and crook the 5th Test astatine The Oval into a decider.

Though triumph is present astir retired of the question for Australia, a gully would beryllium capable for them to clasp the urn.

• Reaction to time 4 astatine Old Trafford

England conflict upwind to support Ashes alive

This bid has produced 3 thrilling Tests, with the play successful the 4th present coming done England's conflict with the weather. It would beryllium a immense anti-climax if the rainfall has a decisive accidental successful the destination of the Ashes urn.

England were fortunate to get immoderate play connected Saturday. Overnight rainfall persisted into the greeting and aboriginal afternoon, but the crushed was readied astatine a singular speed. The bare stands filled rapidly arsenic quality of a commencement filtered through.

Though the overheads were perfect and the assemblage expectant, England were blocked by an unresponsive aboveground - determination was nary motion of the uneven bounce from earlier successful the lucifer - and the determination of Labuschagne and Marsh.

The reverse plaything of Friday evening besides disappeared arsenic the shot became wet. When England persuaded the umpires to alteration it and looked to bring Mark Wood into the attack, they were told the airy was not acceptable capable for pace. It turned retired to beryllium a blessing successful disguise, arsenic Root proved to beryllium the astir threatening bowler.

England volition instrumentality connected Sunday wishing for the upwind to beryllium kind. There is the anticipation of 98 overs of play and 2nd caller shot disposable 9 overs into the day.

For Australia, they volition not lone beryllium looking to repel England, but besides physique a pb to marque the hosts' way to triumph longer. Their inclusion of some Marsh and Green successful this Test, extending the batting line-up, was done partially with this script successful mind.

Labuschagne delivers erstwhile Australia request it most

This has been a hard bid for Labuschagne. Beginning ranked arsenic the world's fig 1 Test batter, helium had not managed a half-century earlier this match.

He hinted astatine a instrumentality to signifier with 51 successful the archetypal innings and past delivered what could yet beryllium to beryllium an Ashes-saving hundred.

With Australia 113-4 overnight, Labuschagne began connected 44 and Marsh one. Though Labuschagne took a achy stroke connected the digit from a Wood bouncer, helium was mostly untroubled by England's short-ball plan.

Marsh, usually truthful aggressive, was a calm foil. He has struck lone 4 fours successful a 107-ball enactment and 2 of those came successful successive deliveries from Chris Woakes.

When Root came on, Labuschagne lofted 2 sixes implicit long-on, but besides flashed an borderline disconnected an arm-ball past gaffe Zak Crawley erstwhile helium was connected 93.

He went to his 11th Test ton by pinching a azygous disconnected Moeen Ali earlier making an mistake attempting to chopped Root and was fixed retired connected review.

Root provides England inspiration

Given the stakes and urgency of the situation, this was a curiously level show from England's seamers.

They got small question from the shot oregon the transportation and chewed up precious clip arsenic they deliberated implicit tract placings and tactics.

A bouncer program achieved small different than knocking the shot retired of shape, aft which came the changeable of luck with Wood being denied the accidental to bowl, resulting successful the telephone to Moeen and Root.

While Moeen mixed immoderate unsafe bounce with regular escaped deliveries, Root perpetually made things happen.

He was convinced on-field umpire Nitin Menon had made a mistake for the Labuschagne wicket, celebrating towards the Party Stand adjacent earlier the reappraisal was complete. In the aforesaid over, an wrong borderline disconnected Marsh went successful and retired of the fingers of bat-pad fielder Harry Brook.

Green survived a reappraisal disconnected Moeen from the last shot earlier the beverage break. England would person been blessed to vessel much rotation aft the interval, but did not get the chance.