England's Zak Crawley made an attacking half-century but Australia still took three of the 10 wickets it needs as another Ashes test victory looms for the hosts on the final day of the fourth test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Crawley's enterprising innings was halted at 77 after 13 boundaries when Cameron Green captured the young opener leg before wicket to reduce England to 96-3, after it had earlier lost Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan cheaply.
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England's Zak Crawley made an attacking half-century but Australia still took three of the 10 wickets it needs as another Ashes test victory looms for the hosts on the final day of the fourth test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Rain is also forecast for Sydney later Sunday.
Earlier, Hameed was dropped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Pat Cummins, but only survived a few overs more as he again edged through to Carey, who made the catch, to give Scott Boland yet another wicket in his bright start in test cricket.
Khawaja, who scored 137 in the first innings in his first appearance since the 2019 Ashes series in England, scored an unbeaten 101 off 138 balls as part of a 179-run partnership with Green, who scored 74.
Australia's Scott Boland, right, runs past England's Haseeb Hameed after taking his wicket during the fifth day of their Ashes cricket test match in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)
Captain Joe Root (13 not out) and Ben Stokes (16 not out) then combined to ease the tourists to the safety of the lunch break at 122-3, still needing 266 runs to win its first test Down Under in over a decade, and Australia requiring seven more wickets.
Australia's Cameron Green, left, celebrates the LBW decision on England's Zak Crawley during the fifth day of their Ashes cricket test match in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)
Rain is also forecast for Sydney later Sunday.
Needing to bat out the day to draw the test after being set an improbable 388 to win, the tourists lost a very defensive-minded Hameed (9) and Malan (4) in the morning session, but Crawley decided that attack was the best form of defense as he unleashed eight boundaries on his way to a 69-ball half-century.
Green eventually ended the 23-year-old opener's innings not long after the morning drinks break trapping him on the crease.
England's Joe Root is struck by a delivery from Australia's Pat Cummins during the fifth day of their Ashes cricket test match in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)
Earlier, Hameed was dropped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Pat Cummins, but only survived a few overs more as he again edged through to Carey, who made the catch, to give Scott Boland yet another wicket in his bright start in test cricket.
Spinner Nathan Lyon was introduced into the attack and in his third over found a way through Malan’s defenses to have England at 74-2 after the first hour of play.
On Saturday, Usman Khawaja’s stunning return to test cricket continued with a blistering century.
England's Zak Crawley hits a boundary off Australia's Pat Cummins during the fifth day of their Ashes cricket test match in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)
Khawaja, who scored 137 in the first innings in his first appearance since the 2019 Ashes series in England, scored an unbeaten 101 off 138 balls as part of a 179-run partnership with Green, who scored 74.
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England's Dawid Malan, back, is bowled by Australia's Nathan Lyon during the fifth day of their Ashes cricket test match in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)
Australia's Scott Boland, right, runs past England's Haseeb Hameed after taking his wicket during the fifth day of their Ashes cricket test match in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP PhotoRick Rycroft)