Ashes on the Brink as Day Five Begins with Australia Closing In at Adelaide
So here’s where things stand right now with the Ashes, and it really does feel like we’re watching the final moments of this series unfold. Day five of the third Test at the Adelaide Oval has begun, with the first ball scheduled for 10:30am local time, and Australia are just four wickets away from sealing the Ashes yet again. England, on the other hand, are staring at a mountain that feels almost impossible to climb.
Coming into this final day, the situation has been set up very clearly. England need 228 more runs to pull off what would be a world-record fourth-innings chase in Test cricket. Australia need just four wickets to wrap up the match and take an unassailable 3–0 lead in the series. It’s one of those classic final-day equations where, on paper, anything is possible, but in reality, one side holds almost all the cards.
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Play has been started with Nathan Lyon taking the ball, and that decision alone tells you how confident Australia are. Lyon’s spell late on day four was devastating, and the damage done then is still hanging over England this morning. What had briefly looked like a competitive chase was torn open when key wickets fell in the evening session, and from that moment, Australia were placed firmly on the cusp of victory.
There has been some talk about whether weather might interfere with the start time, but only light morning showers have been forecast. Nothing significant is expected to delay play, which means Australia should get a full opportunity to finish the job. In other words, England can’t really rely on the clouds to save them.
To be fair, a sliver of hope still exists for the visitors. Jamie Smith and Will Jacks are at the crease, and both have shown they can score runs when conditions allow. If they somehow manage to put together a rapid partnership early in the day, pressure could be applied. But that hope is thin, especially against an Australian attack that has looked relentless all series.
What makes this moment even more striking is the pace of it all. If Australia do close this out today, it will go down as one of the quickest Ashes victories ever in terms of balls bowled. After all the hype around England’s aggressive “Bazball” approach, the uncomfortable truth has been exposed: no matter how England choose to play, Australia have simply been better.
So as the clock ticks past the 10:30am start time and the final day unfolds, everything points toward a familiar ending. The Ashes are there for Australia to take, and unless something extraordinary happens, Adelaide is about to witness yet another chapter of Australian dominance being written.
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