Adelaide, Australia: England were 82 for four on Sunday chasing a massive 468 to win the second Ashes Test and needing a history-making miracle to avoid slumping 2-0 down in the series on the fifth day tomorrow.
No team has ever posted such a big score in a fourth innings to win in the history of Test cricket — with the West Indies’ 418 for seven in beating Steve Waugh’s Australia at St John’s in 2003 the highest.
It is an even harder task at the Adelaide Oval, where Australia’s 315 for six to defeat England in 1902 remains the best fourth-innings run chase.
England’s problems stem from losing seven wickets for 86 runs as they collapsed to 236 all out on Saturday in reply to Australia’s 473 for nine declared.
They reached the close with ailing skipper Root out in the last over of the day, leaving Ben Stokes unbeaten on three.
England are still 386 runs adrift, facing the near impossible task of batting three sessions on the final day to salvage a draw with only six wickets left and the world’s number one ranked Test batsman, Root, back in the pavilion.
