[Watch] Joe Root falls to a delivery that keeps low as Australia get a key breakthrough on Day 2 of 4th Ashes Test
Australia's new-ball seamer Josh Hazlewood gave his side a significant breakthrough on Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester on Thursday, castling star England batter Joe Root. The good length ball from the right-arm seamer kept low and left the Yorkshire batter stunned.
The incident occurred in the 62nd over of England's innings as Australia desperately needed another wicket. Hazlewood, who went for plenty of runs until that point, produced a ripper to end Root's knock at 84 from 95 deliveries.
Watch the dismissal here:
The only way to get him out 😉
Nothing you can do about those, Joe...
#EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/2RYAhrfHcM
England started the day needing two wickets to bowl Australia out and did so within half an hour as Chris Woakes finished with his first five-wicket haul in Ashes cricket.
Australia's left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc then got an early breakthrough by removing Ben Duckett, but a century stand between Moeen Ali and Zak Crawley stabilized England's innings.
Zak Crawley and Joe Root put Australia to the sword with their double-century partnership
Mitchell Starc bagged his second scalp of the innings as he dismissed Moeen Ali, who departed after building a solid platform for England's innings with a 121-run stand with Zak Crawley for the second wicket.
Following Ali's dismissal, however, Crawley shifted gears exponentially and reached his ton off just 93 deliveries. The 25-year-old also reached his 150 at nearly a run-a-ball pace.
All-rounder Cameron Green produced his wicket out of nowhere as Crawley toe-ended one onto the stumps 11 short of a terrific double-century. Crawley scored 189 from 182 deliveries, with his knock including 21 fours and three sixes.
The dismissal also ended an incredible partnership of 206 runs between Crawley and Joe Root. Although Ben Stokes and Harry Brook scored slowly after Root's dismissal, they stopped any more loss of wickets and finished the day with 384-4, giving England a sizeable 67-run lead. The hosts also scored at 5.33 in the 72 overs they faced on Day 2.
| @IGcom pic.twitter.com/LU845Eh24TRooty's 59th (Fifty-ninth) Test fifty! 😅
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | @IGcom pic.twitter.com/LU845Eh24T
The visitors lead the five-Test series by 2-1, winning the first two games at Edgbaston and Lord's by two wickets and 43 runs respectively. England managed to pull one back at Headingley, winning the Test by three wickets.
With heavy rains predicted for Day 4 and 5 and the hosts gaining a lead, Pat Cummins and co. will need to dig deeper to prevent the opposition from winning.