Ben Stokes keeps England alive, but Australia close in on Ashes
Rookie cracks maiden 50 as visitors were 251 for five at stumps on day four
Rookie Ben Stokes kept England's faint hopes alive with his maiden test half-century as the visitors fought to save the Ashes series against a rampant Australia yesterday.
Set an improbable 504 to win, England were 251 for five at stumps on day four, still 252 runs behind with just five wickets in hand on a heavily cracked Perth pitch.
Stokes, playing his second test, was providing resistance on 72, with wicketkeeper Matt Prior on seven and all of England's top order back in the pavilion.
Australia will be heavily favoured to mop up England's tail on the final day and regain the famous Ashes urn for the first time since 2007 after their big wins in Brisbane and Adelaide.
Hats off to Australia, they have batted better than us, they've caught better than us and they have bowled better than us
But senior England batsman Ian Bell said all hope was not yet lost. "We are still hanging in there, that is the important thing," Bell said. "We need to take tomorrow as deep as we can and keep playing some shots.
"The two guys that are out there now need to bat until lunch and we need to keep fighting."