England build on lead

Ian Bell returned to form and Joe Root again proved a thorn in Australia's side as England left their arch-rivals needing to set a new record of 412 to win the first Ashes Test at Sophia Gardens on Friday.

The most either side have made to win in the fourth innings of an Ashes Test was Australia's 404 for three at Headingley back in 1948 when Arthur Morris scored 182 and Donald Bradman, widely regarded as cricket's greatest batsman, an unbeaten 173.

If Australia -- who have two days to get the runs albeit on a pitch of increasingly variable bounce -- succeed it will be the third-highest fourth innings total to win any Test and highest in England.

West Indies made 418 for seven against Australia in St John's, Antigua in 2002/03 and South Africa scored 414 for four, also against Australia, in Perth in 2008/09.

Bell and first-innings century-maker Root both made valuable scores of 60 off 89 balls apiece.

England had talked about wanting to play "aggressive" cricket in the build-up to this match but many pundits questioned whether their batsmen could do that against Australia's pace attack.

Yet Friday's third day saw England maintain a brisk of run-rate of just above four an over.

Bell's fifty was just what the experienced batsman needed after his previous nine Test innings had yielded just 56 runs in total.

"It's been a while so it's nice to get a few," Bell told Sky Sports.

"I've had to work very hard but today it felt just how I wanted it to be," he added.

Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon took four for 75 as England were dismissed for 289 in their second innings having piled up 430 in their first when Root, dropped on nought by wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, made 134.

"We learnt from bowling in the first innings," said Lyon. "To take 10 wickets in just over two-and-a-half sessions is a pretty good effort."

England were wobbling at 22 for two when Bell came in on Friday after skipper Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance had fallen either side of lunch.

The 33-year-old Bell, appearing in his 111th Test, had struggled since making 143 against the West Indies in Antigua in April.

But he reeled off four fours in his first 13 balls faced on Friday including a textbook cover-drive boundary off left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc, who appeared to be struggling with an ankle injury.

SCORES IN BRIEF
ENGLAND: First innings 430 (Ballance 61, Root 134, Stokes 52, Buttler 27, Moeen 77; Starc 5-114, Hazlewood 3-83, Lyon 2-69)
AUSTRALIA: First innings 308 (Rogers 95, Smith 33, Clarke 38, Voges 31, Watson 30, Haddin 22; Anderson 3-43, Broad 2-60, Wood 2-66, Moeen 2-71)
ENGLAND: Second innings 289 (Lyth 37, Bell 60, Root 60, Stokes 42, Wood 32 not out; Johnson 2-69, Hazlewood 2-49, Lyon 4-75)