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England lead by 105 at lunch

England are 105 runs ahead against Australia at lunch on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test.

England have a 105-run lead against Australia at lunch on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia started the day on 164-9, 91 runs behind the tourists. They increased that to 181 without further loss as Brad Haddin claimed his half-century with a single to long-on.

The hosts' innings finally came to an end when James Anderson fired in a bouncer, and the ball hit Haddin's bat and helmet before looping up to Jonathan Bairstow, who took his fourth catch.

By now England's lead was 51 runs, and Alastair Cook got off the mark immediately with three runs to leg-side and secured seven runs from the first over.

The solid start continued, with Cook looking to attack the Australian bowlers. The captain then grabbed three runs with a flick off the hip to become just the sixth man to pass 8,000 runs in Test cricket for England.

Meanwhile, Michael Carberry was industrious, but finally showed his attacking intent with a cut to the boundary for four.

As much as the home side tried, they could not grab a wicket before lunch as England strode off 105 ahead, with Cook nine short of his half-century.

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England's James Anderson leaping into the air after bowling the Australian captain Michael Clarke for 10 runs on the second day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test match against Australia in Melbourne on December 27, 2013
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