England’s prospects of levelling the Ashes were just about alive after Joe Root claimed the only wicket of a rain-ruined fourth day at Emirates Old Trafford.
Just 30 overs were possible during a gloomy afternoon, with the morning and evening sessions wiped out by the weather, as Australia finished 61 runs behind on 214 for five.
With the forecast dreadful again for the fifth and final day, England badly needed to make inroads but hit a brick wall as Marnus Labuschagne converted his overnight 44 into a vital 111.
Labuschagne has had a lean series by his own high standards but stepped up for his side to nudge them closer to the draw that would guarantee the urn joins them on the flight back to Australia.
At 2-1 down England need to find a way through the showers to square the ledger and force a decider at the Oval next week.
Labuschagne shared a 103-run stand with Mitch Marsh as the duo threatened to shut the door completely.
Indeed, had he finished not out things would have been even more precarious, but Root made the most of an unexpected role with the ball to land an important blow.
England were only using their part-time spinner due to bad light, with the umpires deciding that the visibility had deteriorated too much for the seamers to operate, but his unpredictable style added a new threat to an attack that had fallen flat in tricky conditions.
England’s pace unit had already been neutralised by the damp outfield, which softened up the ball and wrecked their chances of getting it to swing.
With first-choice spinner Moeen Ali looking out-of-sorts as he struggled to find any rhythm, Root took it upon himself to press the issue.
He served up a variety of different deliveries, getting some to kick and holding others back to gain drift.
He almost had Labuschagne on 93 when he sent one down seam up and shaped it away, but a thick edge sailed hard and fast past Zak Crawley at slip.
Labuschagne landed blows of his own, launching Root for two sixes over wide long-on, and made his way to three figures for just the second time on foreign soil and the 11th overall.
There were just four overs left when Labuschagne stepped back in his crease and shaped to cut Root on a tight line around off stump.
Jonny Bairstow did well to hold the edge, parrying it up initially but gathering safely, with the batter’s unsuccessful call for DRS earning him an extra send-off from a crowd who had waited all day for something to celebrate.
He left Marsh to carry on the fight with 31 from 107 deliveries, a watchful knock that saw him shelve his natural attacking instincts.
Root mustered a half-chance against the all-rounder late on, but Harry Brook was unable to grab a fiercely tricky one-handed catch at short-leg.
With Cameron Green joining Marsh at the crease, Australia will feel they have enough to withstand whatever England can throw at them on day five and perhaps creep into a lead of their own.
England’s seamers had a tough time of it, with the quartet of James Anderson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Stuart Broad labouring without luck before being withdrawn by the officials.
With no real demons in the pitch, precious little sign of low bounce and a ball that died a little every time it was stroked into the wet grass, it took Wood’s pace to conjure anything out of the ordinary.
He cranked it up to 93mph in a bid to take conditions out of the equation, but the closest he came to making it tell was a nasty blow to Labuschagne’s finger.
Andre Fletcher smashes unbeaten 84 as West Indies A extend dominance to take 3-1 lead against Nepal
In yet another commanding performance, Andre Fletcher led from the front with an unbeaten 84 as the West Indies A secured a comprehensive 28-run victory over Nepal on Thursday, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in their five-match T20 series.
Fletcher, who had scored 53 against the hosts on Wednesday, continued his rich vein of form with a scintillating knock of 84 not out from just 54 balls, including nine fours and four sixes. His explosive innings, coupled with Johnson Charles' brisk 58 off 30 balls, propelled the visitors to a formidable total of 209-3 in their allotted 20 overs. The duo shared a pivotal second-wicket partnership of 92 runs in less than nine overs to lay a solid foundation for their team.
Charles, coming off an unbeaten 119 in the previous match, played another impactful cameo, striking three fours and six sixes before his departure. Fabian Allen contributed a quick-fire 33 not out from 19 balls and with Fletcher shared in an unbroken stand of 83, to boost West Indies A beyond the 200-run mark for the second consecutive game.
The Nepalese bowlers struggled to contain the West Indies batsmen, with Kushal Bhurtel being the most successful among them, claiming 2-23 from his four overs.
In response, Nepal's chase was anchored by a valiant effort from their captain, Rohit Paudel, who blazed his way to 82 off just 47 deliveries, featuring seven fours and five sixes. However, Paudel lacked substantial support from his teammates as Nepal faltered and eventually folded for 181.
Apart from Paudel, Sundeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Gulsan Jha contributed 19 each but failed to capitalize on their starts against a disciplined West Indies bowling attack. Matthew Forde and Hayden Walsh Jr starred with the ball, claiming three wickets each, while Fabian Allen chipped in with 2-34. Gudakesh Motie, despite being expensive, managed to pick up two crucial wickets.
With this victory, West Indies A have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, setting the stage for the final match scheduled to be played on Saturday. The dominant display by the tourists bodes well for their confidence heading into the final encounter and also ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, with Cricket West Indies set to announce their squad for the tournament on June 1.
Cricket West Indies to reveal squad for ICC T20 World Cup Friday, May 3
Cricket West Indies (CWI) is gearing up to unveil its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup during a highly anticipated live press conference in Barbados on Friday, May 3. The event will feature CWI's Lead Selector, the Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, and Head Coach Daren Sammy alongside CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave.
In a statement, Johnny Grave expressed the organization's excitement about the impending announcement and highlighted the decision to host a live press conference as a means to directly engage with fans and media.
"Emphasizing the significance of this moment, we chose to host a live press conference to engage with fans and media directly. We also requested permission from the ICC to align our announcement with this event," said Johnny Grave.
The announcement comes amidst increasing excitement as local box offices across the region open on Thursday, May 2, allowing fans to secure their tickets for the tournament. Additionally, CWI will be releasing the official tournament song on the same day, further adding to the anticipation building around the event.
"Excitement is mounting as local box offices open across the region on Thursday, May 2, and we are equally thrilled to release the official tournament song on the same day. Anticipation is building, and we can't wait to share this journey with cricket enthusiasts worldwide," Grave added.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to commence on June 1, will be co-hosted in the Caribbean and the United States, culminating with the finals scheduled to take place in Barbados. With preparations in full swing, CWI's squad announcement promises to be a significant moment in the lead-up to this highly anticipated global cricketing event. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the squad and the exciting journey ahead for Cricket West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup.
IPL: Punjab Kings spinners frustrate CSK in routine win
Punjab Kings eased to back-to-back wins in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, their spinners doing the damage as they claimed a seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
The Kings chased down an IPL-record of 262 with eight balls to spare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, but they didn't need anywhere near that level of big hitting to clinch their first set of consecutive victories this year.
Spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar made it a far more comfortable outing for Punjab, finishing with two wickets apiece and giving up just 33 runs between them through eight overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad did his best to keep CSK in it with his 62 off 48 balls, but they always looked unlikely to defend a middling score of 162, particularly when Deepak Chahar pulled up two deliveries into the Punjab innings and walked gingerly from the field.
Richard Gleeson dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for 13 on his IPL debut, but that was as good as it got for Chennai as Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 25) steadily ate away at their score.
The Super Kings' outing was summed up by Sam Curran's wayward drive spinning away from Shivam Dube at the boundary for a four late on, and Punjab wrapped up their most comfortable win of the season with 13 balls to spare.
Data Debrief: Kings maintain Chennai hoodoo
The Kings' upturn may have come a little too late to give them a genuine shot at the play-offs, but for Chennai, it was a case of more frustration against their bogey team.
Punjab have now won their last five matches against the Super Kings, who have seen their title defence stall with a run of three defeats in four outings.
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