Australia will be praying that Manchester is peppered with rain this weekend after England humiliated the tourists on day three of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.
Jonny Bairstow plundered an unbeaten 99 from 81 balls in a dazzling blitz before the England wicketkeeper ran out of partners, with England posting 592 in the first innings. Josh Hazlewood claimed a five-wicket haul, his tenth at Test level, but the Australians didn’t have much else to celebrate on Friday afternoon.
Australia collapsed to 4-113 in response, still trailing by 162 runs, with Marnus Labuschagne (44*) and Mitchell Marsh (1*) unbeaten at stumps. England quick Mark Wood (3-17) destroyed Australia’s top order during a blistering spell in the evening session to put the hosts within touching distance of a dominant victory.
The visitors have been utterly outclassed in all three facets of the game at Old…