END OF OVER:78 | 20 Runs | ENG: 393/8
- Joe Root118 (152b)
- Ollie Robinson17 (31b)
- Nathan Lyon29-1-149-4
- Josh Hazlewood15-1-61-2
6.04pm: How d'you like them apples Bazballs? In traditional terms, this is sheer madness - 400 is surely the minimum on this surface, if not 500 - but Stokes isn't interested in what it says in the textbook. England will feel they've already made their point and that the last thing Australia's openers will want to do after a long day in the field is strap on their pads. It could backfire, but we won't know for a few days whether those extra runs could have come in useful... for now, it's time for England's attack to try to get on the front foot and send the crowd home happy. And time for Broad vs Warner Redux, too!
chandan: "England could have easily got to 500 with the way these 2 were batting. i really hope australia could put a mountain of runs"
Nathan: "Way too early for a declaration IMO. All England have done is ensure that Australia have plenty of time to bed in and make a massive score. We will be getting a result either way."
Dunc: "In case you're wondering, that sound is 20000 strings of pearls being clutched. "
Here's Andy Spence: "Australia are now missing some searing yorkers to the tail from Mitch Starc. There had to be a trade-off I guess."
END OF OVER:77 | 5 Runs | ENG: 373/8
- Joe Root103 (148b)
- Ollie Robinson12 (29b)
- Josh Hazlewood15-1-61-2
- Nathan Lyon28-1-129-4
"I liked this idea of declaring before few overs are left for the day. Have England ever declared an inning under new Bazball strategy?" They did so twice in NZ, Malik Murad. Worked well in Mount Maunganui (less so in Wellington)
David Barrass: "All is right with the world Joe Root has a century"
END OF OVER:76 | 5 Runs | ENG: 368/8
- Ollie Robinson10 (26b)
- Joe Root100 (145b)
- Nathan Lyon28-1-129-4
- Cameron Green6-0-32-1
That is Joe Root's 30th Test ton, by the way. Taking him past a certain Don Bradman
"My problem with slow over rates is that the chance of a result in a close match reduces. The WTC final lost more than an entire session's worth of overs - imagine if the Indian batters had actually made a game of it on the last day!" And yet it was still all over with two sessions to spare, Siddharth... Draws are vanishingly rare these days (and yet the possibility of one on day five is still a great thing)
END OF OVER:75 | 7 Runs | ENG: 363/8
- Ollie Robinson9 (23b)
- Joe Root96 (142b)
- Cameron Green6-0-32-1
- Nathan Lyon27-1-124-4
"Bairstow, Moeen and Broad throw away their wickets and now Robinson and Root are tootling along at two an over. Silly. A modicum of sensible shot selection and England could have 400 for not all out by the end of the day." It's certainly a view, Alan. Not one you'll hear much about in the home dressing room, I'll wager
