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Aussie hopes cooked

- ROB FORSAITH

ALASTAIR Cook has broken records and all but ruined Australia’s hopes of an Ashes whitewash, finishing 244 not out on day three of the fourth Test after being dropped twice by Steve Smith.

Cook resumed on 104 at the MCG yesterday, with England 2-192.

The tourists were 9-491 at stumps, holding a 164-run lead after an embarrasse­d Australia failed to end Cook’s 634-minute masterclas­s.

The 33-year-old opener, who had struggled severely as Australia eased to an unassailab­le 3-0 lead in the series, posted the highest Test score by a visiting batsman at the MCG.

Australia coach Darren Lehmann can’t envisage a scenario where his side could conjure a victory in Melbourne. “We’d have to get 450 in a day. How do you want us to do that? Slog? We’ve got to worry about getting past them first,” Lehmann said.

“We’ll hopefully bat the day and reassess what happens.

“England scored reasonably quickly but you’d think we’re not going to score as quickly as that. What do you want us to set them?”

Lehmann insisted his charges did not become complacent in their bid for a 5-0 series win.

“We certainly didn’t go into the game looking that far ahead,” he said. “You don’t worry about those sort of scenarios, they’re nice if they come along. The main goal is to win the Ashes and that should be the main goal. “We’ve just been outplayed.”

Cook, England’s all-time leading run scorer, was dropped on 66 and 153 by Smith, with the second chance coming at square leg during yesterday’s post-lunch session.

They were the only lapses in concentrat­ion from the former skipper, who batted with trademark patience to frustrate the hosts on a slow pitch.

“He showed our younger guys how you’ve got to sometimes grind it out and work at it a different way,” Lehmann said.

Smith had high hopes of claiming a first-innings lead after England slipped to 6-307 but they were eroded as Cook combined with Chris Woakes in a 59-run stand.

Cook and Stuart Broad, who both started the game under pressure to retain their spot in the XI, then hammered home England’s advantage in a 100-run partnershi­p.

Broad, greeted with yet another bouncer barrage, belted nine boundaries in a quickfire knock of 56 that was two runs short of his highest Test score outside England.

 ??  ?? Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook

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