England wins fourth Test; regains Ashes

England lead the five-match series 2-1 and victory at Trent Bridge would see them regain the Ashes after they were whitewashed 5-0 in Australia in 2013/14.

Bad light stopped play on the second day with Australia reeling in their second innings still 90 runs of making England bat again and with three wickets remaining.

David Warner trudges off after being dismissed by Stokes.

“In the cricketing world he is well respected and he will now want to take England up the rankings”.

The pair batted through most of the afternoon session before Stokes inspired England to take four wickets and end the Australia fightback.

‘Alastair Cook is a fantastic bloke and I thought his captaincy throughout these four Tests has been spot on. Warner followed in the next over and by the time under pressure captain Michael Clarke was out for 10, Australia were 29-6.

England piled up 391 for nine declared in reply, Joe Root top-scoring with 130.

But Mark Wood removed him in the 12th over after tea, Cook juggling a catch at first slip before Ian Bell snapped up the rebound.

Australia collapsed to 60 all out, Broad an irresistible force with a career-best eight for 15 – figures previously surpassed in the Ashes for England by only Jim Laker.

And when captain Michael Clarke departed for 13 for another failure this series, Australia was on course to lose an Ashes test inside two days for the first time in 125 years.

But Adam Voges and Peter Nevill dug in for a 50-run partnership, helping delay England’s likely coronation until Saturday unless there was a major surprise or weather came to Australia’s rescue.

Johnson was the last man to walk back after he edged a swinging delivery from Stokes straight to slip.

The England players celebrated in a huddle before going on a lap of honour to strains of “Rule Britannia” and “Land of Hope and Glory” as the crowd basked in the sunshine. Starc (six for 111) took advantage of helpful conditions as the hosts stumbled from 274 for four to 332 for eight but Moeen Ali and Broad put on 58 for the ninth wicket.

After Stokes then edged Josh Hazlewood behind down the leg-side, England’s array of low middle-order entertainers had thinned out with precious little to show for their efforts.

But nobody could truly share Broad’s moment in the sun and his return now stands as the best seam bowling performance in Ashes history – Jim Laker having spun his way to 19 wickets in 1956.

“Taking six wickets was special with this being an Ashes series, but I’d rather we were heading into day three in a better position”.

“I would give those six back to be none down overnight, so it’s a mixed day”, he conceded.

“We came in without Jimmy, who is a massive loss…I’m really happy with being given the extra responsibility”, Stokes told reporters after Australia had avoided their first two-day defeat in a Test since 1890.