The ashes series
England's Bairstow picks World Cup glory over Ashes win
World Cup returns to England and Wales after 20 years and Bairstow said England deserved to win their maiden title after all the hard work they had put in over...
Australia’s bowling attack - the potency of which has been one of the main points of difference between the two sides - mopped up the last four batsmen at the cost of just 36 runs after the break at Sydney Cricket Ground.
The 35-year-old was shown on television appearing to try to scuff up the ball with his thumbnail on the fourth day on Friday and local commentators seized on the footage as the match meandered to a draw.
The home side were 103 for two in their second innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when rain interrupted play before tea and the showers lingered long enough for umpires to abandon the day without another ball bowled.
Stuart Broad provided gallant support with a swashbuckling 56, sharing a 100-run partnership to crush the spirits of a demoralised Australian attack.
English cheer has been in short supply this series after Australia took back the urn by winning the first three Tests but Wednesday’s fightback thrilled sun-baked Britons in the raucous crowd of 67,882.
Opening batsman David Warner top-scored with 103 for Australia, with Stuart Broad taking 4-51 for England.
Smith was struck on the right hand by a Bancroft shot while standing at the back of the batting nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday ahead of the fourth Test in the series.
Anchored by the brilliant batting of captain Steve Smith, the hosts have barely put a foot wrong in the five-match series and will head to the MCG confident of pushing England towards a second successive whitewash on home soil.
Joe Root’s team head to Melbourne 3-0 down in the five-match series after being subjected to an innings and 41-run hiding in the third test at the WACA.
Australia dismissed England for 218 in their second innings before tea to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The tourists were 132 for four when a rain-shower brought stumps an hour early at the WACA.
Steve Smith top-scored for the hosts with 239, with James Anderson taking 4-116 for England.
The middle order batsman’s unbeaten 110 anchored a flourishing 174-run stand with wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow (75 not out), the pair pushing England to 305 for four at the close of a glorious day in Perth.
The corruption does not usually affect the overall outcome of the match but gamblers in the know can use the information to beat the betting market.
Anderson was at his unplayable best with the pink ball in Australia’s second innings in the day-night test in Adelaide.
Australia, 1-0 up in the five-test series, made 442-8 declared on Sunday but captain Steve Smith looked unlikely to enforce the follow-on.
Earlier on day two, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon got his reward with two wickets as England suffered a middle order collapse.
England would have been buoyed by the performance of rookies Vince and Stoneman but tempered by the disappointment that neither could go on to make bigger scores.