How did Day 4 of the 3rd Ashes Test go between Australia vs England? — Review, Turning Points & more

Australia are on the verge of retaining the Ashes, with England needing 228 runs to win the third Test in Adelaide, while the hosts require just four wickets to seal the series 3-0.

Australia began Day 4 positively, adding around 70 runs to set England a challenging target of 435. Travis Head was the star for the hosts, scoring 170 off 219 balls, including 16 fours and two sixes, while Alex Carey contributed 72 off 128 balls with six boundaries. From the England bowling attack, Josh Tongue took 4/70 and Brydon Carse claimed 3/80.

At stumps on Day 4, England were 207/6. Zak Crawley top-scored with 85, while the rest of the batting lineup fell cheaply. For Australia, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon took three wickets each, keeping the hosts firmly in control of the match and the series.

Top batting performance — Zak Crawley Zak Crawley (Photo by Mark Brake - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

England opener Zak Crawley was the standout batting performer on Day 4, holding the crease as wickets tumbled at the other end.

He scored 85 off 151 balls, including eight fours. Crawley has accumulated over 200 runs in the 2025-26 Ashes so far but has been unable to convert his performances into match-winning contributions for England.

Top bowling performance — Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins was the standout bowler on Day 4, taking three key wickets. Nathan Lyon also claimed three scalps, but it was Cummins’ fiery opening spell that set the tone and helped dismantle England’s middle order.

Cummins dismissed Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Joe Root, keeping the English batsmen under pressure throughout the session.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• Nathan Lyon has dismissed Ben Stokes 10 times in Test cricket, ranking third behind Ravichandran Ashwin (13) and Mitchell Starc (12).
• Pat Cummins has dismissed Joe Root 13 times, the most by any bowler against him in Tests.
• Zak Crawley and Joe Root’s 75-run partnership for the fourth wicket is England’s highest of the series so far.
• In Ashes history, 104 English players have batted in the top seven at least 15 times.
  Only three, Godfrey Evans, Mike Smith, and Ollie Pope, have failed to reach 50 even once.
• Pat Cummins has taken 150 Test wickets as captain, second only to Imran Khan.
• Ben Stokes has become the eighth player in Ashes history to score over 1,000 runs and take at least 50 wickets.
• Travis Head has reached 150 in a Test six times, with his highest score being 175 against the West Indies at Adelaide Oval in 2022.