Jonny Bairstow in a gutsy knock, has gone on to score England's first century this Ashes series. This knock has led a late resurgence from visitors on Day 3 of the fourth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Bairstow’s counter attacking ton meant England finished the day on 258/7.
Bairstow walked in to bat when England were reeling at 36/4. The right-handed batter struck eight boundaries and three massive sixes in his unbeaten 103 of just 140 deliveries. Bairstow brought up his seventh Test ton with a four off Pat Cummins in the final over of the day to leave the tourists trailing by 158 runs in the first innings.
Ben Stokes and Bairstow fought valiantly, with Stokes struggling with a side injury he picked up while bowling. On a quest to stabilise the innings, the duo added 128 runs for the fifth wicket. Stokes eventually fell LBW to Nathan Lyon, but Bairstow charged his way to a hundred after taking a nasty blow on the thumb.
Cummins then got his first wicket of the match to dismiss Jos Buttler for a duck and his second after a DRS detected a touch of Mark Wood's bat on the ball before it was caught by Lyon.
The duo of Bairstow and Wood together put on 72 runs to ensure England avoided the follow-on, with Wood smashing three sixes on his way to 39. Nonetheless, England enjoyed two of their best sessions on this tour and as Day 3 ended at the SCG, with the hosts now having to bat for a second time, the projected poor weather now offers England a hope of avoiding a fourth consecutive Test defeat in the series.
Earlier in the day Mitchell Starc removed Haseeb Hameed to start the collapse. The last three wickets before lunch fell without a single run being added.
Bairstow will resume on Day 4 with Jack Leach, who was four not out, looking to cut deeper into Australia's lead.
