MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Marnus Labuschagne scored his 11th test century to frustrate England before falling on 111 as Australia reached 214-5 at tea on the rain-affected fourth day of the fourth Ashes test in Manchester on Saturday.
After the start of play was delayed due to wet weather, Australia resumed on 113-4, needing 162 runs to make England bat again, with number three Labuschagne on 44 and Mitch Marsh on one.
Sensing opportunity, England began aggressively as they looked to take quick wickets, with Mark Wood leading the attack after his vicious spell on Friday decimated most of Australia’s top order.
Labuschagne and Marsh did well to soak up the early pressure, stealing singles and finding the occasional boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking as dark clouds continued to gather over the Old Trafford stadium.
Umpires then ruled that it was too murky for pacer Wood to bowl, forcing England captain Ben Stokes to bring in spinner Moeen Ali and part-timer Joe Root.
The change initially played into Australia’s hands, with Labuschagne hitting Root for two sixes and two fours to bring up his first century in England, but a rare lapse in concentration led to the batter nicking a Root delivery through to Jonny Bairstow just before tea.
The rain returned soon after the players left the field, with the weather forecast for the rest of the day looking bleak and Britain’s Met Office predicting high chances of precipitation throughout the day.
Australia lead the series 2-1, with the final test of the five-match series to be played at the Oval in London next week.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
