Jonny Bairstow has given England its first century of the Ashes in the final over of day three at the SCG, digging the tourists out of yet another top-order collapse in the fourth Test.
Coming to the crease with his team 4-36 after a four-wicket opening session, Bairstow and Ben Stokes went about rebuilding England's innings and perhaps a little bit of pride on a difficult tour.
Stokes (66) was clearly hampered by a side strain that stopped him from bowling in the first innings, and decided to stand and deliver against Australia's rampaging bowling attack, while Bairstow was rapped on the thumb by Pat Cummins and battled through to 100, reaching it with a typically aggressive cut shot over the top in fading late.
It was a jubilant end to the day that started late due to more rain delays, and only got worse for England when Haseeb Hameed (6) was clean bowled by Mitchell Starc.
Scott Boland then removed Zak Crawley (18) and Joe Root (0), while Cameron Green did away with Dawid Malan (3) during a spell of 70 successive deliveries without a run scored.
But uniting the attacking partnership of Stokes and Bairstow proved to be the worst thing Australia could do, just as they were eyeing off the follow-on and another potential victory by an innings.
Both players got on the counter-attack, particularly targeting Nathan Lyon (1-71 off 12 overs), putting on 128 runs for the fifth wicket — England's third-highest partnership for the series.
Stokes eventually fell to a straight one from Lyon, and Jos Buttler was gone for a duck to Cummins not long after, threatening another collapse, but instead Bairstow carried on with powerful support from with Mark Wood (39).
Wood's dismissal, a controversially successful Australian review, brought Jack Leach to the crease and the maligned spinner did as he did in Headingley two-and-a-half years ago, helping his red-headed batting partner to an important ton.
England still trails by 158 runs with just three wickets left heading into day four, but Bairstow and Stokes have rescued them from further humiliation and given them hope of at least eking out a draw in the fourth Test.
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By Jon Healy
FOURTH ASHES TEST AT THE SCG
By Simon Smale
STUMPS: England 7-258: Bairstow 103 (140), Leach 4 (15)
Well, a day that started so badly ends with some much needed joy for England there.
England went through a spell of 71 dot balls earlier today, losing three wickets in that time to be 4-36.
Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes stabilised things for England, but when Stokes departed, followed swiftly by Jos Buttler for (another) duck - as well as Bairstow copping a horrendous blow to the thumb - it felt like another collapse was imminent.
But Bairstow hunkered down and, with Mark Wood, put on a brilliant fifty partnership to once again restore some order.
It's a high point that England so sorely need and it may not mean much in the context of the series - or even the match, England are still 158 runs behind after all - but for the first time on tour, England can leave a ground with a smile on their faces.
And we will leave things here too.
From Jon Healy and me, Simon Smale, enjoy your evening and we'll see you back here tomorrow.
By Simon Smale
70th over - Pat Cummins to bowl the last of the day
Cummins will come around the wicket, looking to push across Bairstow to where two slips are waiting.
Bairstow reaches at a cut but misses! Bairstow smiles after that... Not sure why.
He pushes at another but it's fielded well by Marnus at gully!
Another really wide ball from Cummins across the face, Bairstow even took a big stride to off to try and close down that space but he wasn't able to do so!
The ring field waits...
HE CUTS AWAY FOR FOUR! BAIRSTOW HAS HIS CENTURY!
A tremendous innings from Jonny Bairstow - England's first century maker of this tour and it means so much to him. He took off his helmet and screamed in delight. All the bruises. That throbbing thumb. Nobody can begrudge him that.
He looks to the sky. The England bench celebrate. The Barmy Army celebrate. Good stuff all round.
He sees out the last two balls of the day and that's stumps!
By Simon Smale
69th over - Marnus to Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow, on 96. He cuts the first ball away square for a couple! Was never going to make the boundary.
He pulls away for a single! He's on 99!
Leach on strike, he defends the first.
Then he drives square to point, there's no run there either.
Another dot ball here. One ball to face. Don't get a single, Jack...
He doesn't! A good, solid defensive stroke ends the over.
There will be one more tonight.
By Jon Healy
The issue with the Wood dismissal
So, Mark Wood. There was a spike on snicko, but did it really marry up with the vision to be likely to have come off the edge?
It appears the ball is past or perhaps hovering over the edge here with a flat line...
And then the spike appears on the next frame (perhaps some higher-resolution cameras?) with the ball well past...
Look, maybe there was an edge, maybe there wasn't, but is that really conclusive evidence to overturn an on-field decision?
By Simon Smale
68th over - Pat Cummins to continue
Cummins aims for the stumps, Bairstow defends.
Bairstow tucks off his toes for a single backward of square.
Oh, Cummins gets one to rear up at him and hit him on the handle of the bat right in front of his face! Nasty for Leach to handle that.
He defends a slightly lower ball next up and another to end the over.
By Simon Smale
67th over - Marnus to continue
A dot and then Bairstow pushes into the off side for a single. He moves to 95.
Marnus is coming from really wide on the crease and flinging the ball across to create an angle that his leg spin will help extenuate.
Leach is showing some solid defensive shots here.
BIG SHOUT! Marnus likes this, but it was outside the line I think and a big stride from Leach might have saved him. Australia do not review. The angle would have taken it down too - and that's borne out on the ball tracking.
By Simon Smale
66th over - Pat Cummins to Mark Wood
Wood wanted another crack at captain Pat...
A bouncer, that's a wide. These tactics are not amazing from Australia. Bowling at the stumps may be profitable here.
Wood has a big swing at another short ball that flies to third man off the top edge. Just a single.
Sounded paddy there from Bairstow, and it is a leg bye as he tries the leg glance.
Big appeal! The ball ballooned up to Nathan Lyon at point! Not out is the call... Australia have reviewed.
And that's gone nowhere near the bat and it's cannoned off the helmet.
Hang on. There is a snick there is there? I'm surprised, Mark Wood is surprised but he has to go!
MARK WOOD IS OUT!
He has to go for 39 off 41, a great fight back from the bowler, but his valiant fightback ends.
BEATEN! Two slips wait and they almost had an edge go there way.
Leach cuts at a wide one and he'll get four runs! Leach is away.
A dot off the last ball ends the over.
By Simon Smale
65th over - Marnus Labuschagne, the partnership breaker, is on!
What can the ever excitable Marnus achieve here.
He gets Wood playing a defensive shot to a googly, which I guess is something of an achievement of late.
ALMOST! Wood goes hard and is so close to playing on off the inside edge! Anguish behind the stumps.
He leans back and cuts to square boundary. Only a single.
Bairstow plays a push into the off side, no run. Some respect for Marnus at the moment.
He pushes with a bit more intent next ball.
Now a full toss is pushed wide of mid off for a couple of runs to end the over.
By Simon Smale
64th over - Pat Cummins is coming back into the attack
There; a short leg, one slip and a catching leg gully?
Wood backs away to leg and has a big swing!
OH WOW! That's a brutal ball that stayed a little low and hit Wood on the box, sending the Geordie scampering and spinning backwards - blimey he did well to avoid treading on his stumps there, stick cricket style.
SHOT! Cummins bounces and Wood swivels with the hook and gets six!
SIX MORE! Mark Wood has another swing and gets another maximum backward of square leg! Great shot!
Where does Cummins go now... A slower ball bouncer! IT'S LIKE A T20 OUT THERE! Wood went early to leg and then tried to correct and slap the ball to the off side.
Wow, a trash ball from Cummins there, well wide down leg side and Rod Tucker calls it wide.
Wood hooks again! Just a single off the seventh ball of the over and he'll farm the strike!
By Simon Smale
63rd over - Mitchell Starc will continue
The hammer has come out to flatten out the landing area on the crease for Starc.
A wild full toss down leg side is glanced away for four runs. Not a great start from Starc.
A very wide, very high bouncer from Starc next that Wood tries to flick at but it's too far away from him.
Another wild, fuller delivery down the leg side that Carey does really well to take on the dive.
Not sure what's going on with Starc this over but I'm sure he's about to slam one right down the middle and split the difference from what he's served up so far...
That one was middle-ish, but Wood chopped it away off his hip square for a single.
The fifty partnership is up - those have been in very short supply for England this tour... 50 off 55 balls.
Bairstow ducks under a short one.
Now he pushes into the off side, square past point for a couple more. Two runs to end the over, Bairstow bends over and feels at that thumb again - it's brave stuff from Bairstow this. That looks so sore. Every time he swings the bat he winces.
By Simon Smale
Is this a spell of meaningful meandering?
-Mike
You know what Mike, that's a great way to describe it.
By Simon Smale
62nd over - Nathan Lyon keeps on going
Wood goes back, deep in his crease to defend.
Now he slaps the ball back down the pitch and Bairstow has to dive backwards to get back in his ground. Lyon, who fielded the ball, stepped over the stricken Englishman dismissively.
Wood will take a single this time.
Bairstow reverse sweeps to take a single and that means England have avoided the follow on.
Wood swings, barely makes contact though.
Wood tickles the ball off his pads into midwicket for another single.
By Simon Smale
61st over - Mitchell Starc will have another over.
Bairstow is back, defending. No run.
Well wide down the leg side, Bairstow chases it but doesn't make contact.
Two slips and a gully, Starc tries to get them into play with a wide tempter outside off that Bairstow does have a swing at, but mistimes it and there's no run.
He hooks now, straight to square leg for a single.
Mark Wood fronts up to Mitchell Starc, around the wicket to Wood, who drives him nicely for no run down to mid on.
Whipped nicely off Wood's legs for a single to end the over.
By Simon Smale
60th over - Nathan Lyon to resume after drinks
Wood gets one away and they'll take three runs.
Baristow, on 87 defends deep in his crease. Twice.
He has a little swing at one and will take a single down to long on. That thumb is still causing him a lot of issues.
England needs eight runs to avoid the follow on.
SHOT! Now they need four! Wood has a swing and down the ground for four runs! That's not a bad shot from the England number eight, nice foot work too.
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