PERTH: Australia moved within six wickets of reclaiming the Ashes at the close of a rain-hit day four of the third Test on Sunday, with England still 127 runs short of making the hosts bat again.

The tourists were 132 for four when a rain-shower brought stumps an hour early at the WACA Ground, with Dawid Malan (28 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (14) tasked with an improbable rescue mission following their defiant 237-run stand in the first innings.

Australia had declared at 662 for nine after lunch, their highest-ever Ashes total at home, with captain Steve Smith finally dismissed for 239 from 399 balls.

Trailing 2-0, England must cobble a draw to keep the five-test series alive to Melbourne and their hopes may rest on the weather, with more showers forecast on day five.

“I think were in a pretty good position obviously,” Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood told local radio, after dismissing both of England’s openers.

“I think we would have loved one more [wicket] but they’ve lost the wickets at the tail pretty quickly throughout the whole series.”

Even with the chance of rain interruptions, it still looked bleak for the tourists, with cracks opening up on a pitch and variable bounce likely to play a part on day five.

One large fissure at the southern end of the wicket opened up to swallow England number three James Vince for 55 when a Mitchell Starc ball jagged viciously back to rip out his off-stump.

“I think we try and put the rain to the back of our minds,” Vince told reporters. “We’ve got to have belief that we can save the series and get over the line tomorrow [Monday].

“It’s going to be tough. I’m sure there’s going to be some good balls flying around out there.

“But these two especially showed in the first innings that they can occupy the crease for a long time, so hopefully they get off to a good start in the morning.”

Vince had at least shown determined application, a quality sorely missed in his top order colleagues.

Alastair Cook’s miserable series continued as he threw away his wicket for 14, having managed only seven in the first innings of his 150th Test match.

Joe Root, his successor as captain, was equally culpable in his own 14, with opener Mark Stoneman out for three, as England staggered to 60 for three.

England’s ‘Barmy Army’ danced in the terraces as rain brought tea five minutes early and again when it returned midway through the final session to see play abandoned.

Vince and first innings centurion Malan dug in for 40 runs before the pitch claimed the number three.

Bairstow, who scored a hundred in the first innings, and Malan added another 32 in a watchful stand to survive until the rain fell.

Australia’s pacemen stuck to their task but the match is likely to be remembered for their captain’s batting master-class which yielded a second double-century against the same foes.

He was finally dismissed leg before by paceman James Anderson (4-116) in the morning.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh was also trapped lbw by the veteran quick without adding to his overnight 181.

Australia lost three wickets for 12 runs in the mini-collapse but wicket-keeper Tim Paine (49 not out) and Pat Cummins (41) steadied the home side with a 93-run stand.

Facing a 259-run deficit, England’s chase began disastrously with Stoneman caught behind for three in the second over, seemingly hypnotised into a lead-footed push away from the body by metronomic seamer Josh Hazlewood.

Six overs later, Cook was sent packing when he spooned a leading edge low and straight back to Hazlewood who took a brilliant reflex catch to dismiss him.

With England desperate for a captain’s knock, Root joined Vince in the middle and the pair added 31 runs to prompt a bowling change.

Lyon was introduced and had Root caught at slip with his first delivery, the skipper playing a loose drive away from the body and Smith snaffling the chance when it pinged off Tim Paine’s gloves.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND (1st Innings) 403(D.J. Malan 140, J.M. Bairstow 119, M.D. Stoneman 56; M.A. Starc 4-91, J.R. Hazlewood 3-92).

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings, overnight 549-4):

C.T. Bancroft lbw b Overton 25

D.A. Warner c Bairstow b Overton 22

U.T. Khawaja lbw b Woakes 50

S.P.D. Smith lbw b Anderson 239

S.E. Marsh c Root b Moeen 28

M.R. Marsh lbw b Anderson 181

T.D. Paine not out 49

M.A. Starc run out 1

P.J. Cummins lbw b Anderson 41

N.M. Lyon c Moeen b Anderson 4

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-16, W-1, NB-1) 22

TOTAL (for nine wkts decl, 179.3 overs) 662

FALL OF WKTS: 1-44, 2-55, 3-179, 4-248, 5-549, 6-560, 7-561, 8-654, 9-662.

DID NOT BAT: J.R. Hazlewood.

BOWLING: Anderson 37.3-9-116-4 (1nb); Broad 35-3-142-0; Woakes 41-8-128-1 (1w); Overton 24-1-110-2; Moeen Ali 33-4-120-1; Root 3-0-13-0; Malan 6-1-13-0.

ENGLAND (2nd Innings):

A.N. Cook c and b Hazlewood 14

M.D. Stoneman c Paine b Hazlewood 3

J.M. Vince b Starc 55

J.E. Root c Smith b Lyon 14

D.J. Malan not out 28

J.M. Bairstow not out 14

EXTRAS (LB-4) 4

TOTAL (for four wickets; 38.2 overs) 132

FALL OF WKTS: 1-4, 2-29, 3-60, 4-100.

BOWLING (to-date): Starc 10-3-32-1; Hazlewood 9-3-23-2; M.R. Marsh 3-1-14-0; Cummins 8.2-2-31-0; Lyon 8-3-28-1.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2017