Lyon leads Australia toward Ashes win as England enter final day under pressure at Adelaide

Australia moved within four wickets of retaining the Ashes on day four at Adelaide Oval after Nathan Lyon dismissed England captain Ben Stokes and opener Zak Crawley, sparking a late-innings wobble that left the tourists staring at a probable series loss. Lyon, who finished with three wickets for the day, combined with Pat Cummins to pile pressure on England as Australia tightened their grip on the match after 11 days of play. England’s resistance inched forward but their chances of saving the series diminished as the evening session wore on.

England ended the day 6-207, still 228 runs behind Australia’s first-innings total and heading into a fifth day with a tall task ahead. The home side require just four more wickets to seal the win, while England will need a monumental rearguard to stretch the contest into another day. The mood around the ground suggested a swift finish could be on the cards, with Australia optimistic of sealing the urn on the final day.

Lyon’s double strike early in the session removed England’s captain and his opening partner, two positions England had hoped to anchor after a patient stand earlier in the day. Cummins joined in with three wickets of his own, leaving England with a mounting task and a growing sense of inevitability that the series would tilt toward Australia. The Australians’ bowling attack used two spinners for portions of the day, a tactic that yielded fruit as England’s middle order failed to establish a meaningful partnership and were left to salvage what they could from the innings.

The afternoon and early evening spells featured a measured Australia approach, with Lyon and Cummins keeping a tight line and length and asking questions of England’s batsmen. England briefly steadied through a late flourish, including a boundary-laden stand between Will Jacks and other lower-order batsmen, but the momentum swung back in Australia’s favour as Lyon bowled with energy and precision. Carey, the Australian wicketkeeper, praised Lyon’s vigour and noted that while the day’s work was substantial, there was still a need to execute tomorrow morning to finish the job.

Alex Carey said Lyon had been bowling with energy throughout the day and that the team would need to maintain the same level of intensity heading into the final day. He added that Lyon toiled hard and finally found reward, emphasizing that while Australia were in a strong position, there was still significant work ahead to close out the match.

Analysts, including Lawrence Booth, noted that Cummins and Lyon’s three-wicket hauls had put Australia on the cusp of victory on the back of eleven days of hard toil. Booth’s assessment from Adelaide underscored how the combination of Cummins’ accuracy and Lyon’s guile had exposed England’s vulnerability against quality pace and spin in this match up to this point. In the immediate aftermath of day four, bookmakers and pundits alike signalled Australia as favourites to seal the series on the next day, with England needing a dramatic reversal of fortunes to stave off a whitewash.

As the day concluded, the sense in the Australian camp was that the final stage of this Test would unfold on the first sessions of the next day. Australia needed four wickets to win, and England required another 228 runs to prevent a rapid finish. Either outcome would hinge on the morning's play and how quickly Australia could convert the pressure into a final breakthrough. For now, the Ashes are within sight for Australia, and the home side’s plan will be to push for early scalps on the fifth day to seal the series in Adelaide.