• England were bowled out for 592 runs on Day 3 of the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester.

  • Jonny Bairstow remained unbeaten on 99 for England.

Twitter reactions: England’s first innings end with a massive lead, but Jonny Bairstow misses his ton by 1 run – Ashes 2023
Jonny Bairstow misses on his century by one run (Image Source: Twitter)

The fourth Ashes 2023 Test in Manchester witnessed a rollercoaster of emotions on Day 3 as England put up an impressive score of 592 runs before being bowled out by the Australian side. However, more than England’s mammoth total, what stole the limelight and left fans erupting with emotions was the heartbreakingly close miss of Jonny Bairstow on his well-deserved century.

Resuming their innings on the third day at 384/4, England batters went guns and blazing to pile on the runs and establish a commanding lead over their Australian counterparts. Harry Brook (61) and Ben Stokes (51) made valuable contributions by scoring fifties for the home side, while Bairstow left everyone in awe with explosive innings lower down the order. Bairstow displayed a masterclass of aggressive stroke play, scoring an unbeaten 99 off just 81 balls and leaving the Australian bowlers struggling to find an answer. Throughout his innings, the 33-year-old exhibited exceptional timing and placement, punishing anything loose from the bowlers. He displayed an array of exquisite shots and enthralled the spectators with extraordinary batting prowess.

Soon after the exceptional batting display, Bairstow approached his century, which seemed assured as he was just one run away from reaching the three figures. However, fate had other plans as he missed the milestone by the barest margin.

It all happened in the 107th over, with Bairstow standing at the non-striker end unbeaten at 99 and Cameron Green bowling a length ball from round the wicket to James Anderson at the striker end. The ball struck Anderson’s pads, and the appeal for an LBW was upheld by the umpire. Bairstow stood helplessly at the bowling end as the replays confirmed that the ball would have gone to hit the leg stump.

The disappointment on the English wicketkeeper’s face was clearly evident, but the crowd and his teammates gave him a standing ovation for his brilliant innings.

As the news of Bairstow’s near-miss spread, Twitter erupted with an outpouring of emotions. Fans from across the world admired Bairstow’s valiant effort while commiserating with him for falling agonizingly short of a century.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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VISHWANATH HARIHARAN
Vishwanath Hariharan is Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. From breaking news stories to in-depth features and opinion pieces, he has covered a wide range of topics. Vishwanath is very fond of watching cricket. Like many others, he too grew up watching, playing, and imitating his favourite players of the game. MS Dhoni is like a demigod to him. You can connect with him at vishwanath.hariharan@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter & Linkedin.