Australia on brink of 4-0
Nathan Lyon was spinning Australia toward an emphatic victory in the final Ashes Test as beleaguered England unravelled on a torrid day in Sydney on Sunday.
The Australians amassed a massive 303-run innings lead in blistering heat and then reduced the battle-weary tourists to 93 for four at the close with a day to play.
Compounding England's woes was a finger injury for skipper Joe Root, his team's last major hope of staving off a 4-0 series rout on Monday's final day of the Test.
Root was unbeaten on 42 at the close with Jonny Bairstow not out 17.
Australia called a halt to their epic first innings at 649 for seven, and soon had England in trouble after the tourists had been cooked in the field for more than two draining days.
Mark Stoneman was leg before wicket to Mitchell Starc for a duck and lost a review in the process, and Alastair Cook was bowled for 10 when a sharp Lyon turner hit the top of off-stump in the off-spinner's first over.
Cook, who became during his innings only the sixth batsman to score 12,000 Test runs, finished the series with 376 runs at 47.
Shaun and Mitchell Marsh earlier became the third set of brothers to score centuries in the same innings for Australia.
The Marsh boys joined Greg and Ian Chappell and Steve and Mark Waugh to score brotherly centuries for Australia, while it was the eighth time overall it had happened in Test cricket.
Mitchell Marsh almost spolied his century in all the excitement as he embraced his brother mid-pitch before he had completed the second run scrambling back to his crease to avoid being run out.
"That was my fault," admitted Shaun. "I think emotions sort of got the better of me and I just wanted to give him a hug. I saw him starting to celebrate and I lost all concept of where the ball was and what was happening with the ball. He pushed me off him and said 'you better get down the other end.'
"Thankfully, it all worked out and I was just really happy for him."
Mitchell added: "My take was I pretty much went for the high five and Shaun went for the hug and we were somewhere parked in the middle and had a quick split-second level of panic and hugged again after that."
Social media went into overdrive after footage of Australia skipper Steve Smith was shared around, with many agreeing it was a classic moment of the summer.
Mitchell Marsh was bowled next ball by Tom Curran for 101 off 141 balls with 15 fours and two sixes. The century came after his 181 in the third Test in Perth.
He was the third centurion of the massive Australian first innings total, following Usman Khawaja's 171 on Saturday.
Shaun Marsh was eventually dismissed after lunch, run out for 156 by Stoneman's direct throw from the covers.
He batted for 403 minutes and faced 291 balls for his second century of the series and his sixth in 28 Tests.
SCORES IN BRIEF
ENGLAND: First innings 346
AUSTRALIA: First innings 649 for 7 decl (Warner 56, Khawaja 171, Smith 83, S Marsh 156, M Marsh 101, Paine 38 not out, Cummins 24 not out; Moeen 2-170)
ENGLAND: Second innings 93 for 4 (Vince 18, Root 42 not out, Bairstow 17 not out; Lyon 2-31)
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