Jonny Bairstow hits unbeaten ton as England rally in fourth Ashes Test

England ended day 3 of the the Fourth Test of the 2022 Ashes series on 285-7 after a resilient batting display, including a gusty century from Jonny Bairstow.

The 32-year old chipped in with an unbeaten 103, which saw England avoid the follow-on and now trail by 158 runs.

Ben Stokes and Mark Wood also impressed with the former - while dealing with a side strain which was causing clear discomfort - hitting a dazzling 66, and Wood’s cameo contributing 39 from 41 balls in a strong partnership with Bairstow.

Play at the Sydney Cricket Ground had been delayed by two hours due to persistent rain , and England made an poor start when the match resumed - losing three wickets in just 53 balls.

Things picked up when Bairstow and Stokes came to the crease, with the former’s century providing one of the few bright spots in a so far dismal series for England.

Despite still trailing by some way in the match, the determined performance from the English batsmen has given them hope of drawing the Test, with unsettled weather likely to see further delays on the final two days of play.

At last, there was some positive reaction from the support, but not everybody was entirely happy that it has taken this long to see something positive from the tourists.

England fan reaction to Bairstow century

“Proper fighter if only we had some more with some fight” @ads9742

“Well done Jonny. He’s had a lot of stick, but has always been one of our best batsmen. You know there’s a good score in him...unlike most of the others”@Mr_Me55y

“Give him the gloves, arm band and get him a cold one. What a guy” @ TigerTowns88

“Well done Jonny! Finally something for us to be proud of. Well played”@fulham_pat

Although it was a pleasing moment, Bairstow’s century was not enough to placate all of the English fanbase who are still don’t believe there is much to be happy about.

“Although it was a brilliant innings by Bairstow they can’t use this to hide the fact we were pathetic again in the top 4, along with Buttler failing again with another duck. Things seriously need to change!”@JohnD1968

“Give it a couple of poor innings and he’ll be dropped again. He’s batted at 3,4,5,6,7 & 8 in his test career. Ridiculous, always the fall guy. I admire his resilience in wanting to keep playing test cricket. He could have easily told em to stuff it and focus on the white ball.” @AndrewP88825994

“Yes it’s great but yet again the openers have failed to set a good foundation for the rest of the team to build on!! Buttler no contribution with the bat again!! It’s time to drop these people and bring in others who will perform as expected, not keep letting the team down!!”@desai_naina

“Bairstow and Stokes have proved that runs can be made and time at the crease taken. It makes the mindset of other players questionable.” @JohnYboyee

“I’ve said it time after time. How Buttler keeps his place as keeper and Bairstow gets dropped all the time is beyond me. Surely now they have to but Bairstow at 7 for JB and bring Pope or Lawrence back at 6.”@dcfcwilliam

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