Ben Stokes praises England attack for response to James Anderson injury

The visitors, who were shot out for an ignominous 60 in the first innings, reached 241 for seven at stumps on Friday, still needing 90 runs to make England bat again when the umpires called off the day’s play due to fading light. It was a huge first-innings lead of 331, after they had skittled Australia out for just 60 on Thursday.

Resuming the day with a lead of 214 runs, Starc picked up the wickets of Joe Root (130), nightwatchman Mark Wood (28) and Jos Buttler (12) in quick succession.

“It’s pretty unbelievable. It hasn’t sunk in”, Broad said of his career-best haul.

Bairstow glanced Starc to the boundary to succeed in his fifty and Root reduce part-time medium-pacer Warner for his 17th 4 to get to his eighth Check century, punching the air and elevating his bat to all corners of the bottom. Within eight deliveries, it was largely forgotten that the hosts were playing without their leading fast bowler, Jimmy Anderson.

Speaking on their dismal performance, Australian Test skipper, Michael who only scored 10 runs said that he was trying to be aggressive during the match and that too much aggressiveness might have cost the Ashes.

Josh Hazlewood snared Stokes for five and Johnson removed Moeen Ali for 38 thanks to a superb catch by Smith, only a fine ninth-wicket partnership of 58 between Moeen and Broad saving England from complete collapse.

Meanwhile, in the five Investec Test match series, England has won 2 games and Australian stands with 1 victory.

Chris Rogers and David Warner survived three testing overs to take Australia to 14 for no wicket at the interval.

Earlier, England captain Alastair Cook declared his side’s first innings on a total of 391 for nine.

Australia’s specialist batsmen were destroyed by England’s bowling, with Broad taking eight wickets for just 15 runs.

They had luck going their way too – Alastair Cook dropped a catch at first slip when Warner had made ten, and Ian Bell then floored another chance at second slip when Warner was on 42.

“We will come out tomorrow morning and fight as hard as we can”.

Fellow left-armer Starc was easily the standout bowler, beating his previous best of 6-154 against South Africa in Perth in 2012.

With the floodlights on in the final session, Stokes returned to have wicket-keeper Peter Nevill, leaving a ball that cut back into him, plumb lbw for 17.