England v Australia: day three from Trent Bridge

At lunch, Australia were 14 without loss in their second innings – still 317 runs behind – as England eyed a win that would put them 3-1 up in the five-match series and see them regain the Ashes.

But in a three-over spell just before tea, medium-pacer Ben Stokes took three wickets for four runs in 13 balls to leave Australia struggling.

Stokes had undermined Australia the previous evening, and hastened their final decline too.

Retiring Australia captain Michael Clarke fought back the tears after surrendering the Ashes at Trent Bridge, admitting his own poor performances hastened the end of his global career.

Once the hosts wrapped things up he then made a tearful address on the Trent Bridge outfield, nodding to his reputation as an emoter by admitting he was “sick of crying on television”.

But although fast bowler Mark Wood finished the match by bowling Nathan Lyon at number 11, English bowling honors go to Stuart Broad, who took a magnificent eight for 15 in the first innings, and to all-rounder Ben Stokes for his test-best six for 36 in the second.

Stuart Broad’s first wicket was his 300th in Test cricket and by the end of the innings he was alongside the great Fred Trueman on 307.

England’s new Australian coach Trevor Bayliss met most of his charges, including Cook, for the first time barely two weeks before the first Test.

England has won five of the past seven Ashes series since it snapped Australia’s eight in a row in 2005.

Chris Rogers and David Warner for the first time fired together as a pair but it was all rounder Stokes who provided the home side with the break through sending back Rogers for 52.

Australia’s batting was hapless, albeit in cloudy conditions which had persuaded Cook to bowl first on a pitch tinged with green, as a blur of edges were all expertly held in the slip cordon.

Australia were soon 136 for four when star batsman Steven Smith, careless of Australia’s situation, loosely drove Broad straight to Stokes at point and was out for five.

Clarke scratched around gamely for 13 runs in almost an hour but he never looked comfortable and edged Wood into the slips where Cook juggled the ball before knocking it up for Ian Bell to pouch it. “I don’t want to jump ship now so I’ll have one last Test”, Clarke said.

After Stokes removed Nevill (17) and Mitchell Johnson (5), Voges (48) and Mitchell Starc (0) were in the middle when bad light stopped play.

Michael Clarke was unable to lift his team throughout the series – apart from in their remarkable 405-run series-levelling success in the second Test at Lord’s.

Root departed for 130 – adding just six runs to his overnight score – when he was caught behind prodding at Starc.

England declared on 391-9 in the morning session, a lead of 331, with Mitchell Starc recording figures of 6-111.