Skip to content

Day four recap

We bring you all the best action, reaction, opinion and video from the day four of the first Ashes Test

Image: Late wickets from Graeme Swann put England in control at Trent Bridge

It certainly did not come easy but, by the close, England bowled themselves into a position of real supremacy on day four of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Latest Cricket Stories

Hundred hero

He put in the hard yards on Friday as he stood firm to amass 95 crucial runs to put England into a position of power. On Saturday came the glory for Ian Bell as he completed a century many are calling his greatest ever in Test cricket. England's No.5 has now reached three figures no fewer than 18 times in the five-day format, but his latest will live long in the memory especially, as now seems likely, if it helps England to victory at Trent Bridge. "You talk about it in the dressing room and it means a lot to everyone in the 11. It's a real proud moment."

Ever the optimist

Things may look bleak for Australia, but don't expect Michael Clarke to throw in the towel. The Australian skipper remained pointedly upbeat when talking to Sky Sports at the close of day four and insists his side are still more than capable of pulling off what would be a remarkable success. The tourists require another 137 runs on Sunday from their final four wickets, but Clarke was only too happy to talk up their chances. "I think the other boys left to come in can certainly play handy roles so I'm still confident if we can start well tomorrow morning we can still win this Test match."

Reverse psychology

It's proved a major talking point throughout this Ashes contest and the past few series. England, and Jimmy Anderson in particular, have proved the masters, although Australia now seem to be catching on... but what exactly is 'reverse swing'? With this art-form of bowling likely to prove absolutely crucial this summer, the Sky Sports experts have stepped in to explain what goes into making the ball reverse.

As it happened

You can relive all the best action from the second day by reading our interactive commentary from Trent Bridge. You can also view a gallery of the day's best images here.

Around Sky