England chasing 271 to win test
HOBART: England will chase a target of 271 to win the fifth Ashes test in Hobart, where Mark Wood’s careerbest haul set the stage for a thrilling finish to the series.
Australia resumed at 37 for three yesterday, boasting a 152run lead and the knowledge that batting should theoretically be easier than the preceding night.
Wood, the tourists’ most impressive and prolific bowler throughout this summer, sparked another fightback with the pink ball to reduce the hosts to 63 for six.
Alex Carey stood up throughout the opening session, scoring 49 as he carried Australia to a secondinnings total of 155 with some help from a divisive decision by third umpire Paul Reiffel.
Stuart Broad denied Carey a halfcentury, finding a thin edge early in the day’s second session, while Wood fired out Pat Cummins (13) soon after.
Wood has boosted England’s hopes of a consolation victory, although his side had 58 overs of tricky batting conditions to navigate yesterday.
Carey was on 19 when he chopped on, only for Chris Woakes’ delivery to be judged a noball after Reiffel studied every angle possible.
Broad and Ben Stokes both flashed looks of disbelief when the verdict came up on the scoreboard, while former test umpire Simon Taufel also felt it was unjust to penalise Woakes for overstepping.
‘‘Conclusive evidence is required for that frontfoot noball to be called,’’ Taufel told the Seven Network.
‘‘I’m sitting at home looking at those pictures and if they’re the pictures the third umpire is seeing, I don’t think I’d overrule that.’’
Carey successfully referred his lbw dismissal on 30, when the balltracking replay indicated Broad’s delivery pitched outside leg by a slender margin.
Australia’s Decision Review System (DRS) delight continued when Cummins reviewed his golden duck after a searing sandshoe crusher from Wood.
Wood claimed the key scalps of firstinnings centurion Travis Head and former skipper Steve Smith in his opening sixover spell yesterday, also removing nightwatchman Scott Boland.
The former skipper’s dismissal on 27 meant his test average slipped below 60 for the first time since 2017.
Carey and Cameron Green (23) added 49 runs in Australia’s best partnership of a slapdash second innings. — AAP