Lyon's 5 gives Australia firm grip on fourth test

MELBOURNE: Australia require another 201 runs with 10 wickets remaining to claim fourth consecutive victory in the Ashes Test series at Melbourne Cricket Ground, ARY News reported.

While chasing 231 runs, Australia were 30-0 at the stumps of third day. Chris Rogers and David Warner remained unbeaten at 18 and 12 respectively.

Australian spinner, Nathan Lyon was the most prominent figure for the third day. He took 5 for 50 to wrap up England’s inning at 179 runs. Lyon is now becomes the first Australian offspinner to take 100 Test wickets since Bruce Yardley, who finshed with 126 wickets from 33 Tests at an average of 31.63. Lyon has 101 in his 29th, at an average of 32.23.

Mitchell Johnson was again the catalyst for much of this mayhem, dismissing Cook for 51 and later conjuring a run out amid a slide of 3 for 1 in six balls. Kevin Pietersen and Ben Stokes resisted usefully for a time, their 44-run union threatening to blossom into something greater before Lyon tempted Stokes into a lofted drive that lobbed obligingly into the hands of Steve Smith, posted precisely a little more than half way to the long-off boundary.

Pietersen scored 49 and got victim of Lyon. Jonny Bairstow (21) added another 42, taking England to the edge of supremacy given Melbourne's history of giving up few lofty fourth innings chases. 

Although Australia looked to be in a best position for winning the 4th Ashes Test but the highest fourth-innings total in a successful chase at the MCG is 332, but the last time a 200-plus target was chased down was 1962-63.