England hope for lead as Australia aim for a result on rainy day

7th January 2022: A day England and their army of fans would want to cherish for a long time. 

While the preparations for the two sides were far from ideal, Australia under the helm of Pat Cummins produced clinical performances in the first three Tests to retain the Ashes. 

On the other hand, England struggled with lack of experience in their batting unit and failed to put up a substantial total on several occasions. While Root amassed thousands of runs in the longest format of the game, he failed to get adequate support from other batters in the squad. 

One of the significant causes of concern for the England team is the lack of runs from their opening combination. In the 16 innings played thus far, Zak Crawley has scored 300 runs at an average of 18.75, the third-worst among England openers with a minimum of ten innings. 

The team has often lost a flurry of wickets in a session, and today was no different as they were reeling at 36 for the loss of four wickets at lunch, including the prized wicket of Root without troubling the scorers. 

The England skipper side endured a dismal day with the bat and registered his seventh duck as captain, one behind Mike Atherton. The 31-year also equalled the record of five ducks in an Ashes series alongside Don Bradman. 

Despite the stutter, Jonny Bairstow led England's fightback with an unbeaten 103 to rescue the visitors and guide them safely to 258 for seven at stumps. 

The right-handed batter forged a 128-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ben Stokes to steady the innings. 

While the southpaw was the aggressor in this stand as he took the attack to the opposition bowling unit by capitalising on the loose deliveries and taking calculated risks. 

However, things were not easy when they started their innings as the Australian team bowled a nagging line and length and did not concede a run for 70 deliveries. 

After weathering the storm and accumulating the ones and the twos, Bairstow started scoring freely after notching up his half-century. The 32-year old did not allow Nathan Lyon to settle in his spell and attacked the off-spinner from the start. 

Displaying an array of strokes all around the ground, Bairstow slashed a ball outside the off-stump to bring up his scintillating hundred. He became the first England player to score a century in this Ashes series and only the fourth England player in this century to score a hundred batting at number six. 

While Bairstow scripted England's incredible fightback on the third day, Pat Cummins and the Aussie outfit will still feel confident of enforcing a result in this Test match. 

However, the home team will have a mountain to climb as the last time a team won at the venue after having a lead of over 150 was back in 1894 when England edged past Australia by ten runs after being asked to follow on. 

Whenever a bowling team has taken a lead of 100 to 150 runs in the second innings, the teams have never lost a game.

Over the years, the SCG has been conducive for batting, and the teams batting in the third innings have made optimum use of the condition on offer and scored at a run rate of over three runs per over, making it hard for the sides to force a result. 

In the 23 matches played thus far at the ground in this century, teams have scored at a run rate of 3.57 runs per over, making it the second-quickest venue to score runs in the third innings. Wanders in South Africa is on top of the list with a run rate of 3.6 runs per over. 

The wicket does not deteriorate much on the fourth day, as the average run per wicket in the first session of the day is 47.7. While there is a dip in the numbers in the subsequent sessions, with average runs per wicket falling to 27.4 and 36.1, respectively. 

Another critical aspect for the home team to consider is the forecast for the next couple of days. With 90 percent chances of rain and thunderstorms in the morning session, there will be plenty of interruptions and loss of overs.

The onus will rely heavily on Pat Cummins and his bowling unit to bundle the tail early in the first session and push for a result. 

If there is no rain, it promises to be a riveting fourth day of Test cricket.