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The first Ashes Test at Gabba is heading towards a draw as England openers – Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook put up a tremendous show on the fourth day’s play. The openers put up 188 runs for the 1st wicket and England ended Day 4 at 309 for 1 which has taken them to an overall lead of 88 runs.
While Strauss got stumped off North after a 224-ball 110 (with 15 fours), Cook got an unbroken stand of 121 runs with Jonathan Trott who got an unbeaten 54. England have already batted out 101 overs losing only one wicket.The irony was that Andrew Strauss survived an lbw shout in the very first ball of the innings on the third day evening by a whisker when Umpire Aleem Dar gave him not out when he offered no shot and got hit by an inswinger which was in line of the middle stump. The bounce of the Gabba pitch saved Strauss and England from bagging a pair and also a disastrous start of 0 for 1 like in the first innings.