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Melbourne, December 28

Alastair Cook reeled off a record-breaking double century to put England in full command of the fourth Ashes Test with a formidable 164-run lead here today. The stoic opener emphatically bounced back after a lean run of scores to finish the day unconquered on 244 off 409 balls. At the close, England were 491/9. 

Along the way, Cook surpassed the highest score by a visiting batsman in a Test match at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, bettering the 208 by West Indian great Viv Richards in 1984. He earlier bettered Wally Hammond’s 200, back in 1928, as the highest Test score at the MCG by an Englishman. Cook’s fifth double-century in 151 Test matches also catapulted him above West Indian Brian Lara to become the sixth highest run-getter in Test cricket with 11,956 runs.

Australia, who already have won back the Ashes with an unassailable 3-0 lead, looked unable to stop the flow of runs in the final session as Stuart Broad supported Cook to take the game away from the hosts.

Broad, who survived a series of hair-raising short-pitched balls, thrived in his partnership with Cook, pushing the tourists beyond 450 on a lifeless pitch. It needed multiple replays before Broad was finally given out for 56 off 63 balls to a diving outfield catch by Usman Khawaja off Pat Cummins, ending a demoralising 100-run stand off 110 balls with Cook.

Smith’s double drop 

Cook cashed in on two dropped catches by Australia skipper Steve Smith along the way to continue the misery for the home side. Smith, who dropped Cook on 66 in the slips on Wednesday, put down the former England skipper for the second time on 153 in a sharp right-handed chance at square leg.

The tourists lost seven wickets for 299 on the third day with captain Joe Root again failing to convert a half-century into three figures when he top-edged a hook shot off Cummins to Lyon at deep square leg. Root reached his third half-century of the series but was clearly furious with himself when he holed out on 61 in the morning session. Dawid Malan, a century-maker in the third Test in Perth, was out leg before wicket to Josh Hazlewood’s second delivery of the second new ball for 14.

Malan conferred with Cook before deciding not to review, but replays showed a distinct ‘Hot Spot’ nick on his bat. England lost two wickets in the middle session with Jonny Bairstow caught behind off Lyon for 22 and Moeen Ali for 20. It was the sixth time in seven innings in the series that Moeen had been dismissed by fellow off-spinner Lyon. — AFP

Cook says...

Deserved to be dropped They would have been entitled (to drop me) just because I literally hadn’t scored a run since Edgbaston. I always feel I’ve got the backing of the selectors but you’ve still got to deliver the goods, I hadn’t done that on this tour. It was very frustrating

Runs came a little too late

It’s probably been one of the more emotional (ones) from where I’d been on this tour. It meant a lot last night and then today I was quite proud that I managed to back it up. After all the emotion came out yesterday, to get a real big one for the team was really important. It’s just a shame it’s three or four weeks too late, I’ll have to live with that for a long time but it’s nice to score a few.

Ugly runs 

I’ve always worked hard on my whole game and my approach to cricket, so unfortunately most of my runs are pretty ugly runs and quite hard work, that hasn’t changed throughout my whole career

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Highest scores by visiting players in Aus

290 R Taylor, 2015

287 Tip Foster, 1903

277 Brian Lara, 1993

251 W Hammond, 1928

244* A Cook, 2017

241* S Tendulkar, 2004

235* A Cook, 2010

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Most 200s by 

openers in Tests

6 M Atapattu, V Sehwag 

5 G Smith, A Cook

4 L Hutton, G Greenidge

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SCOREBOARD

Australia Ist innings 327
England Ist innings 

A  Cook  not out 244

M  Stoneman c&b Lyon 15

J Vince lbw Hazlewood 17

J Root  c Lyon b Cummins 61

D Malan  lbw b Hazlewood 14

J Bairstow c Paine b Lyon 22

M Ali c S Marsh b Lyon 20

C Woakes c Paine b Cummins 26

T Curran c Paine b Hazlewood 4

S Broad c Khawaja b Cummins 56

J Anderson  not out 0

Extras: (B4, LB5, NB3) 12

Total: (9 wickets; 144 overs) 491

FOW: 1-35, 2-80, 3-218, 4-246, 5-279, 6-307, 7-366, 8-373, 9-473

Bowling

Josh Hazlewood 30-5-95-3

Jackson Bird 30-5-108-0

Nathan Lyon 42-9-109-3

Pat Cummins 29-1-117-3

Mitchell Marsh 12-1-42-0

Steve Smith 1-0 -11-0

from The Tribune http://ift.tt/2DBaHkR