By Ian Ransom
(Reuters) – England’s opening batsmen survived a tense half-hour before lunch after Australia were dismissed for 425 on day three in Brisbane on Friday but Joe Root’s side face a Herculean task to save the opening Ashes test.
Opener Rory Burns was 13 not out, having overturned an lbw decision on review, while Haseeb Hameed was on 10, with England 23 for no wicket and still needing 255 runs to make Australia bat again.
Travis Head finished with a magnificent 152 from 148 balls, Australia’s last wicket to fall after another dominant session.
Burns, dismissed first ball of the series by Mitchell Starc on Wednesday, was rapped on the pads by the big left-armer on the sixth ball of the second innings and given out lbw.
He referred almost immediately and the ball-tracking technology showed it just clearing the bails.
Following Head’s swashbuckling century on day two, the equal third-fastest in Ashes history, Australia resumed on 343 for seven in the morning with England struggling for much of a dreary session.
Paceman Ollie Robinson, who appeared to be nursing a sore hamstring late on day two, still seemed in a funk and barely threatened with the new ball.
Ben Stokes, who bowled nine overs on Thursday and struggled after jarring his left knee, was deemed fit and came into the attack some 45 minutes into the session.
The all-rounder was blasted over his head for six by Head on his second delivery.
Nearly an hour passed before tail-ender Starc gifted England a wicket by slogging Chris Woakes straight to Burns at deep square leg, the England opener making the catch a day after grassing one in the slips that reprieved David Warner during his 94.
Moments later, Nathan Lyon also offered up a caught-and-bowled wicket to Woakes but the seam-bowling all-rounder put down the one-handed chance.
Lyon then slogged Stokes for four on the next over to push Australia past 400.
Wood, the pick of England’s bowlers, finally dismissed Lyon for 15 when the number 10 pulled at a short ball and top-edged to Robinson at square leg.
Head slog-swept Jack Leach to bring up his 150 in 143 balls and enjoyed another roaring ovation from the Gabba crowd, as fans kitted out as bananas, convicts and nuns celebrated the mark.
Hameed then dropped Head in the field with a running chance before the batsman was finally bowled by Wood backing away from the wicket in search of quick runs.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
