Daily Cricket News

Ashes: England 644 all out, lead by 364

Sydney: Australia wasted little time after lunch on Thursday to take the last English wicket on day four of the fifth Ashes Test, ending their first innings at 644. The hosts now have to bat for almost five sessions to prevent the embarrassment of an innings defeat.

Earlier, Matt Prior continued the batting onslaught against Australia in the fifth Ashes Test, scoring 118 as England posted its highest total ever on Australian soil and took a 356-run first-innings lead.

Prior shared a 102-run stand for the eighth wicket with Tim Bresnan (35), who batted for almost two hours on Thursday until he edged a Mitchell Johnson delivery to Michael Clarke at second slip.

Graeme Swann was unbeaten on 33 at lunch on the fourth day. He and Chris Tremlett took the score from 609-9 to 636-9, equaling England's previous highest total of 636 all out — set in 1928-29 — for an innings in Australia.

The Australian bowlers lacked any penetration on a perfect, sunny morning at the Sydney Cricket Ground as England moved into a match-winning position. The English have a 2-1 lead and have already retained the Ashes after an emphatic win in the fourth Test at Melbourne last week. With such a commanding lead, England is almost assured of securing its first Test series win in Australia since 1987.

The visitors resumed on Thursday at 488-7 after Alastair Cook and Ian Bell scored centuries on Wednesday.

Cook scored 189 to take his tally for the series to 776 runs, becoming the second-highest English run-scorer in an Ashes series since Wally Hammond's 905 in 1928-29.

Prior wasted no time in reaching his fourth Test hundred, hitting Steven Smith for a boundary to bring up triple figures from 109 balls before he was caught behind chasing a wide Ben Hilfenhaus delivery.

Australia finally got the benefit of a TV umpire's review, with umpire Billy Bowden referring Prior's dismissal to the third official to check for a Hilfenhaus no-ball. After several minutes, the TV umpire Tony Hill ruled that part of Hilfenhaus' front foot did touch down behind the crease. The Australians had a similar decision go against them when Cook was on 46 and miscued a catch off left-arm spinner. Bowden referred the decision to Hill, who adjudged a no-ball based on video replays.

Johnson conceded 20 runs in one over as Swann chased quick runs, another low point for the Australian attack in a demoralising series. Johnson's figures were 4-168 from 36 overs, while Hilfenhaus had 2-120.