Australia pegged back by England after super Head start

England fought back from behind and weathered a flurry of Australian wickets to seize control on day three of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday.

Australia resumed the day on 203 for three, holding a 196-run lead, but were dismissed for 416 late in the final session after tea. England reached 30-0 by stumps, needing a further 287 to reach their victory target of 317.

The tourists had looked set for a substantial advantage after openers David Warner (94) and Marcus Harris (76) put on a century stand and Marnus Labuschagne continued his prolific form with 74.

But the introduction of spinner Jack Leach swung the momentum in England's favour. Having failed to make much impact on day two, the left-armer took three wickets in quick succession to reduce Australia to 267 for six.

Despite resistance from Cameron Green (70) and Alex Carey (63), Australia were unable to fully capitalise on their promising start.

England were also fortunate to survive a run-out scare when captain Joe Root and opener Haseeb Hameed were involved in a mix-up. But they will be confident of securing a consolation win after a rain-affected series and setting up an exciting decider in Hobart.

Key moments:

• David Warner and Marcus Harris put on a century stand for Australia
• Jack Leach took three wickets in quick succession to swing the momentum in England's favour
• Cameron Green and Alex Carey resisted for Australia but were unable to fully capitalise on their promising start
• England survived a run-out scare when captain Joe Root and opener Haseeb Hameed were involved in a mix-up

Experts' views:

"England have fought back brilliantly today. They were under the cosh in the first session but they came back strongly. Jack Leach bowled beautifully and the bowlers stuck at it. It's set up for a really exciting finish," said former England captain Michael Vaughan.

"Australia will be disappointed not to have kicked on after a great start. They got themselves into a really strong position but they let England back into the game. They need to come out tomorrow and bat aggressively," said former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy.

Stats and facts:

• Jack Leach has now taken 10 wickets in the series
• David Warner has passed 7,000 Test runs
• England have won the last two Ashes Tests in Australia

Conclusion:

England have turned the tide on day three of the fourth Ashes Test and will be confident of securing a consolation win. Australia will need to bat aggressively on day four to stay in the game and set up an exciting decider in Hobart.