Touring side battle on to put them back on the front foot at Chester-le-Street.
It was not pretty but it got the job done.
Australia lost just one wicket in the afternoon session of play in the fourth Test match of the Ashes series, as they moved to be 90 runs behind England’s first innings total.
Chris Rogers and Shane Watson put on a partnership of 72, despite both of them offering up several chances to the home side in difficult conditions to bat in at Chester-le-Street.
Scorecard
England v Australia
Played at Chester-le-Street
Toss won by England
England 1st Innings (overnight: 238-9)
A. Cook lbw b Bird 51
J. Root c Haddin b Watson 16
J. Trott c Khawaja b Lyon 49
K. Pietersen c Haddin b Lyon 26
I. Bell c Harris b Lyon 6
J. Bairstow lbw b Lyon 14
M. Prior lbw b Siddle 17
T. Bresnan not out 12
S. Broad c Warner b Harris 3
G. Swann c Lyon b Harris 13
J. Anderson b Bird 16
Extras (b5, lb1, w3, nb6) 15
Total (all out, 92 overs, 403 mins) 238
Fall of wickets: 1-34 (Root), 2-107 (Trott), 3-149 (Pietersen), 4-153 (Cook), 5-155 (Bell), 6-189 (Prior), 7-193 (Bairstow), 8-198 (Broad), 9-214 (Swann), 10-238 (Anderson)
Bowling: Harris 19-3-70-2 (5nb); Bird 22-9-58-2; Watson 13-6-21-1 (2w); Siddle 18-6-41-1 (1nb, 1w); Lyon 20-7-42-4;
Australia 1st Innings
C. Rogers not out 71
D. Warner b Broad 3
U. Khawaja c Prior b Broad 0
M. Clarke c Cook b Broad 6
S. Smith c Prior b Bresnan 17
S. Watson not out 38
Extras (b2, lb9, nb2) 13
Total (4 wkts, 48 overs, 221 mins) 148
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Warner), 2-12 (Khawaja), 3-49 (Clarke), 4-76 (Smith)
To bat: B Haddin, P Siddle, R Harris, J Bird, N Lyon
Bowling: Anderson 16-7-39-0; Broad 14-4-41-3 (2nb); Bresnan 10-2-38-1; Swann 5-2-9-0; Trott 3-0-10-0;
Match position: Australia are 90 runs behind England with six first-innings wickets standing.
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