Ben Stokes shows fight as Aussies close in on Ashes

English batsman Ben Stokes plays a pull shot against Australia on the fourth day of the third Ashes Test

Rookie Ben Stokes kept England's weak trusts bursting at the seams with his lady Test half-century as the guests battled to spare the Ashes arrangement against a wild Australia Monday. 

Set a far-fetched 504 to win, England were 251 for five at stumps on day four, still 252 runs behind with only five wickets under control on a vigorously broke Perth pitch. 

Stokes, playing simply his second Test, was furnishing safety on 72, with wicketkeeper Matt Prior on seven and all of England's top request back in the structure. 

Australia will be vigorously favoured to wipe up England's tail on the last day and recapture the celebrated internationally Ashes urn despite anything that might have happened before since 2007 after their enormous wins in Brisbane and Adelaide. 

A large portion of the waiting idealism for England went away after tea, when Kevin Pietersen again tumbled to a rash shot and after that Ian Bell was given out on a great choice survey by the home side. 

A cataclysmic day later for the voyagers on Sunday, when they yielded an enormous prompt the Australians, things just deteriorated for them on day four. 

Centurion Shane Watson and George Bailey mortified the England assault before Australia pronounced on 369 for six, making them the first group to be set a focus of more than 500 in three progressive Tests. 

England's pursue then got off to a shocking begin when skipper Alastair Cook fell for a brilliant duck, the first of his 100-Test vocation, from the first chunk of their second innings. 

Cook, clean-knocked down some pins by a magnificence from Ryan Harris, additionally turned into the first player to endure the disgracefulness of a first-ball duck in their centennial match. 

Individual opener Michael Carberry again looked robust, yet was trapped lbw by Shane Watson for 31, while Joe Root protected inauspiciously for 125 prior minutes being gotten behind off Mitchell Johnson for 19. 

Root called for an audit, yet it indicated a reasonable edge through to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who took a fine jumping get. 

Pietersen looked in exceptional touch in cruising to 45, yet once more succumbed to a hurry of blood as he propelled down the wicket to spinner Nathan Lyon and attempted to space him down the ground for six, as he had done in the past over. 

Rather, he made history under the ball and hit it high to long-off, where Harris remained formed and took a protected get. 

Chime and Stokes then start attempting to save the reason, putting on 99 for the fifth wicket before Bell, on 60, was decreed gotten behind on the confirmation of the "snickometer" sound engineering. 

Umpire Marais Erasmus at first turned down the offer, yet Australia's choice to hazard its second choice survey paid off when "snicko" uncovered an edge as Bell flashed at a short ball outside his off stump. 

One positive for England was the batting of Stokes, who was most great, playing some fine drives and not looking plagued by the weight. By stumps, he had confronted 96 balls, hitting 12 limits. 

Prior in the day, Australia proclaimed their second innings at 369 for six after firecrackers from Watson, who took only 40 balls to race from his overnight score of 29 to his fourth Test century, and Bailey, who equalled Brian Lara's Test record with 28 runs off one Jimmy Anderson over. 

With the harmed Stuart Broad nonattendant from the strike, England missed three gets as Australia belted 134 runs in 17 overs, with Watson making 103 and Bailey an unbeaten 39.

On December 16, 2013

Australian team lead England by 369 runs after day three 3rd ashes test

England's batsman Stuart Broad struck on the foot and trapped lbw by Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson on the third day of the third Ashes Test

Australian opener Chris Rogers said Sunday England's weak Ashes hopes were set to vanish down augmenting breaks at the WACA Ground after the home group took a stranglehold on the third Perth Test. 

England were left wounded and everything except defeated after what Rogers depicted as Australia's best day of the arrangement, and possibly their most significant as they close in on guaranteeing the Ashes despite any precedent to the contrary since 2007. 

Australia headed by 134 runs on the first innings after the England tail collapsed compliantly again before lunch on the third day and the travelers were released for 251. 

The Australians were 235 for three in their second innings at the finish of play for a by and large lead of 369, with Shane Watson on 29 and Steve Smith on five and two days left to play. 

"I don't suppose we could be in an improved position," Rogers told columnists after the day's play. 

"To complete day three 370 in front, that is position A. 

"Today was an astonishing day, most likely as exceptional a day as we've had in the Ashes as such." 

Rogers, who was hit on the figure by a ball from Ben Stokes that spiked once more off one of the makes that have opened laughs to point of tears in the amazing hotness, said it might make the pitch harder to bat on over the last two days. 

"All in all its a great surface, however these splits are set to come increasingly into play," he said. 

"Provided that these splits continue enlarging, then its set to be extremely difficult to bat on, and a tiny bit startling." 

Rogers' individual opener David Warner (112) capitalised on the poor wicketkeeping of Matt Prior, who missed two confusing chances from the left-hander, to post his second century of the arrangement and take his count for the arrangement to 457 runs at 91.40. 

Australia lead the five-Test arrangement 2-0 after complete triumphs in Brisbane and Adelaide and can recover the Ashes with triumph in Perth. 

As though England's quandary wasn't as of now pressing enough, the sightseers came back to the field for the Australian second innings without their best quick bowler Stuart Broad, who is expecting the aftereffect of outputs to figure out the degree of a foot harm. 

Expansive harmed his right foot when struck by a swinging yorker by Johnson, who might have conveyed the last hit to England's any expectation of keeping a firm grip on the Ashes. 

Expansive was trapped lbw by the conveyance for five, and limped to a fitness test in the nets between innings before being taken from the beginning outputs. 

Expansive was on bolsters at the post-match public interview and said he might not have the capacity to bowl again in the match, yet might bat if needed. 

He said he was unsure of the degree of the damage, and was still cheerful of playing in the remaining two Tests. 

"Something appeared on the X-beam, yet it was a touch uncertain, so I needed to have a Mri," he said. 

"We are simply attend to those outcomes." 

Expansive surrendered it was a tragic day for the voyagers. "It was a terrible one, there is no escaping that," he said. 

To add affront to harm, the beset Prior - who again fizzled with the bat prior in the day - talented Warner a life when he missed the most straightforward of stumpings in spinner Graeme Swann's first over of the innings. 

Warner was on only 13 and was demolished in flight by Swann yet Prior neglected to take the ball. 

Former's evening headed off from terrible to more awful when he then neglected to respond to a dainty edge from Rogers, on 26, from the bowling of Jimmy Anderson. 

Former missed a second chance to stump Warner off Swann when the Australian was on 89. 

Warner's 140-ball thump at last reached a closure when he holed out to Stokes at profound mid-on from the bowling of Swann, having hit 17 fours and two sixes. 

He and Rogers put on 157, the first century opening association of the arrangement, before Rogers tumbled to Tim Bresnan for 54. 

Prior in the day, England continued on 180 for four, yet offered imperviousness to the Australian pace trio of Ryan Harris (3-48), Johnson (2-62) and Peter Siddle (3-36). 

The last six English wickets fell for only 61 runs, the decay beginning when overnight batsman Ian Bell was given out lbw to Harris on a third umpire survey for 15, after he was at first assumed the best about the benefit of the doubt.

December 15, 2013