Another Usman Khawaja has set Australia well on the way to taking a 4-0 Ashes lead in the SCG Test, giving England a formidable victory target of 388 runs heading into day five.
England openers Zak Crawley and Haseeb Hameed knocked 30 runs off the chase in an awkward period before stumps after Pat Cummins declared with Australia 6-265 midway through the final session.
With his unbeaten 101 paired with a first-innings 137, Khawaja became just the sixth Australian batter this century to score two tons in the same Test, continuing a remarkable return to the national side after two-and-a-half years on the outs.
He was backed up well by all-rounder Cameron Green, who had his first big innings of the series, belting 74 to help set up the evening declaration.
England started the day at the crease trailing by 155 runs, and Australia took the final three wickets inside the first hour of play, taking a 122-run lead into the second innings.
Australia's attempt to build the lead got off to a rough start when David Warner (3) nicked off to Mark Wood in the sixth over, while Marcus Harris fell to spinner Jack Leach for 27, wasting another start.
Marnus Labuschagne (29) was also out to Wood in the first over after lunch, bringing Khawaja to the crease, and he was joined by Green when Steve Smith (23) missed a straight one from Leach, with Australia suddenly in a little bit of trouble.
But Khawaja looked in total control once again, and while Green started as scratchily as he has done all series, the pair settled into their work after tea.
Perhaps concerned about a meandering over rate or the health of his fast bowlers with Ben Stokes unable to contribute with the ball, England captain Joe Root bowled himself and Jack Leach for most of the final session.
Khawaja and Green balanced accumulation and aggression to set up the declaration without throwing away important individual scores.
Khawaja made it to his half-century and continued on his merry way to his second ton of the match, attacking the spinners to great effect. At the other end, Green took the attack to Wood, uncorking some powerful pull shots to notch the second half-century of his young career.
Aware that Cummins would declare when the lead hit 400, Green tried one aggressive shot too many and skied a Leach ball into Root's hands. Leach took the wicket of Alex Carey with the next ball and, with no other batters apparently padded up and Leach on a hat-trick, Cummins settled for a 387-run lead.
Khawaja led the way off the field, raising his bat with a spot in the XI for the fifth Test now surely secured.
Look back at how day four unfolded in our live blog.
Live updates
By Jon Healy
FOURTH ASHES TEST AT THE SCG
By Simon Smale
STUMPS: ENGLAND 0-30 (Trail by 358 runs): Crawley 22 (32) Hameed 8 (34)
Well, that was a thoroughly entertaining day of Test cricket, unspoiled by any weather interruptions too, which is always a bonus.
England's openers had to dig deep there, but dig deep they did, making it through to the close with their highest opening partnership of the series so far of 30, in quite tough, testing conditions with a wearing pitch offering variable bounce and gloomy conditions under lights.
Their work is not even close to being done though, and you'd think they'd have to go quite deep into tomorrow if England are to have a chance to survive.
Will England chase down the 388 runs they need? Surely not, but if they can bat all day and get a draw then that would be a huge boost to a team that was in danger of being blown away entirely on the morning of day three.
Today was another day for Usman Khawaja though. Another Test match ton, his second in the only two innings he has played in this series - another wonderful achievement for the Queensland captain.
Surely Australia can't drop him now? That will likely be a discussion for another day, perhaps tonight in Dean Bilton's analysis of the day's play, which will be live on the ABC website soon enough, or perhaps even tomorrow, when Jon Healy and me, Simon Smale will return for the conclusion of this gripping Test match.
Enjoy the rest of your evening wherever you are, and we'll catch you back here tomorrow.
Audience comment by Mike
Thanks blog team, my prediction for tomorrow is intermittent cricket with befuddling rain delays.
Audience comment by Old timer
5 days straight for you 2 guys now. Hope you're up to it. Thanks heaps for an entertaining day. Thank you Ussie and thank you Jack.
By Simon Smale
11th, and final over of the day - Pat Cummins
Cummins flings the ball outside off, which Hameed leaves alone.
He leaves the next one tight, a big exclamation from bowler and slips. That was close, but the noise is as much about getting into Hameed's head as anything.
Hameed defends with a straight bat back down the pitch.
The umpires have come together... I guess they're talking about the light. They aren't going to go off, but they're concerned. It's gloomy out there.
Hameed tucks it off his hip and will take a couple of runs down backward of square.
Hameed fends the ball to the leg side and scampers off strike to a ball that leaped up at him. He did well to handle that.
Crawley too defends into the square leg area.
That's stumps as the ground staff sprint onto the field.
By Simon Smale
10th - Scott Boland to bowl it
Five minutes remaining in the day.
EDGED! OVER THE SLIPS! Four runs! An impossible ball to play, flying up off a length, it hit the shoulder of the bat and raced away to the rope, despite teasing David Warner all the way.
He leaves the next.
Zak Crawley will try and take as much time as he can here, he delays Boland as a punter walks up the steps next to the sight screen.
He defends the next, then a tight leave.
Crawley leaves and then Boland jogs back to his mark. He wants to get another over in.
GREAT TAKE FROM CAREY DOWN THE LEG SIDE! There was no touch of the bat, just pad, but Carey has possibly saved it so Australia can have another over.
By Simon Smale
9th over - Pat Cummins has spun himself around
We're about ten minutes to the close...
Hameed gets a single first up.
Crawley defends, then lets the next fly past unimpeded through to Alex Carey. That absolutely flew off the pitch. Amazing carry through to the keeper above his head.
Crawley shimmies across a little but then lets the ball go through to the keeper.
He leaves the next too.
Crawley drives to mid off, Nathan Lyon doesn't field cleanly so they take a single.
Audience comment by Tosh
It would be good to see England make this total.
1. It would make for an intensely exciting final day
2. Test cricket is in danger of dying if it continues to be so uncompetitive - that would bea real tragedy
By Simon Smale
8th over - Scott Boland comes in again
Hameed defends the first.
The clouds are really rolling in, the lights are on... Ideal Boland conditions.
EDGED! Soft hands from Hameed and it bounces through to Steve Smith at second slip!
Hameed gets a stride in to push a defensive shot back down the pitch.
He defends off the back foot now, back down the Boland.
Hameed gets a single to mid on, Cummins runs and tries to pick up and thrown but misses and then hops away uncomfortably... He looks like he's OK. Marnus sprinted to catch up with the ball but they only take one because Crawley had run through.
Crawley then defends the last.
Boland is so metronomic. TV just showed a graphic of where he pitched every ball that over. Every one was virtually exactly the same. Amazing.
By Simon Smale
What's the longest these English openers have batted for & their highest partnership for this Ashes series please?
-StevoR
Hameed and Crawley have opening scores of 4, 7 and 22.
England's highest opening partnership of the series is 23 (Hameed and Burns in the second innings in Brisbane.
By Simon Smale
7th over - Mitchell Starc continues
Hameed with another tight leave to open up the over, as Starc pushes one across his bows.
Another across the face of Hameed, although that one died a little on the way through to Carey.
Hameed defends, Starc prowls about looking a bit frustrated. He keeps going over on his landing foot...
Starc is dealing with the landing pad issue by going around the wicket.
A full toss! Hameed drives straight to mid off so can't capitalise.
Now Hameed drops one down in front of him at short cover and sprints through for a single.
Hameed having to play at all of these balls angled into him from Starc, while he left a few outside off.
SHOT! Crawley just clips it square of his pads and that's four runs!
By Simon Smale
Simon ! Check out the weather radar - quick !
-Old timer
By Simon Smale
6th over - A change, Scott Boland replaces the skipper
Crawley just pushes to mid on from the first ball as Boland instantly finds his line and length.
He defends the next as well back down the pitch.
Clouds are coming in, and there's some serious rain out towards the Sydney CBD, which is not that far away...
Crawley leaves outside off but great carry and movement off the deck! Amazing wobble and carry to Carey.
A short leg is coming in, Harris putting the helmet on.
Crawley fends downward towards gully where Cam Green makes the stop.
Crawley defends the last. A well-negotiated over.
By Simon Smale
5th over - Mitchell Starc to continue
Leg side from Starc, Crawley glances down to fine leg for a single.
Hameed, yet to score from 13 balls (Crawley is on 13 from 12) waits and lets the ball fly past the outside of off stump.
He leaves another, the fall flying past with good carry to Carey, Hameed getting the bat and hands high and well out of the way.
Hameed fends into the on side to a full ball that's pitched on middle and leg, fielded at mid on for no run.
Wide outside off and Hameed drives into the covers! Two runs, off the mark on his 17th delivery. He played that on the stretch, a long way from his body, but made good contact.
He leaves the last.
By Simon Smale
4th over - Pat Cummins to Zak Crawley
Crawley plays a defensive shot with the ball right under his nose, very solid.
SHOT! DRIVEN BEAUTIFULLY TO LONG OFF! What a stunning shot that was. Perfect front foot drive, not a huge step, just easing into it. Great watch.
Now he drives into the on side, a slight misfield there and England will run two. Positive here from England, they'll need to be careful...
A bit edgy from Crawley and the ball squirts past point for a couple more. He pushed at that one.
Now he taps off his pads square for a single.
Hameed with a solid defensive stroke to end the over.
By Simon Smale
3rd over - Mitchell Starc waits at the end of his run up
Crawley leaves outside off. And again.
Crawley helps the next off his hip with his glove for a single to fine leg. That ball leaped up a little there on the opener.
Hameed with a solid, textbook defence back down the pitch.
And again, this time chopping back down on the ball that kinda looked like it came back at him a little, playing the ball late under his eyes.
Hameed pushes at the next a little, leg side, but gets it onto the deck well.
Another over down.
By Simon Smale
2nd over - Pat Cummins into the attack
Crawley gets a nice one on his pads first up, and tucks it away for a single.
Hameed leaves one that nipped back at him, it was a good leave but an early indication of the movement that can be extracted off this pitch still.
Clouds are coming over the SCG, replacing the blue skies of earlier. Sounds about right, England are batting, after all...
Hameed plays with an angled bat to mid on, no run.
Compared to the hostile atmosphere of day two and at the MCG, there is no noise apart from the Barmy Army. I know Aussies aren't the most vocal of supporters, but there is a real potential to have the game won in this period and the atmosphere is very, very flat.
Hameed defends to short leg, who throws the ball back at the stumps, but Hameed was well home.
Now he's rapped on the pads! BIG APPEAL! Looked like it was going down leg to me, and they don't review. Another big deviation back into the right handed batter.
Audience comment by longingforgifs
I love all the little mind games that come into play in Test cricket. Like leaving someone hanging on a hattrick! The 'when do they declare' must be some kind of torture to the following team.
By Simon Smale
1st over - Mitchell Starc will take the new ball
Short leg, fine leg, three slips, Crawley waiting and leaving outside off.
It goes without saying that England can't afford to be any wickets down tonight if they are to have a sniff, but I think they could lose as many as three here in this period if they aren't careful...
Crawley pushes into the off side and will take a single to get off the mark and open England's account. 386 runs to get. LOL!
There was some movement into Crawley off that ball too from Starc, early swing out the hand.
Hameed defends solidly for his first ball.
Now he leaves angled across him by Starc, well outside off though.
Hameed sways out the way of a riser and then leaves outside off to end the over.
The Barmy Army in fine voice, exactly the kind of support that England need at this late stage. It must give them a little bit of heart knowing that they're still there in full voice.
