Unplayable delivery provides blueprint for final day

While Steve Smith has been the architect of incredible Ashes series with the bat, it’s spearhead Pat Cummins who has provided the blueprint for how Australia must bowl on day five if they are to win the fourth Test and retain the urn.

Australia require eight wickets on the final day to win the fourth Test and take a 2-1 series lead with one Test to play. And nobody knows the Old Trafford pitch and conditions better than Smith, who has spent 11 hours at the crease in scoring 211 and 82, in addition to 114 overs in the field.

And from his time out in the middle, Smith says the ball from Cummins that shaped in, decked away and clipped the top of off stump to dismiss England captain Joe Root late on day four for a golden duck is the exact area Australia's quicks must hit to have success on Sunday.

"I found when I first went out to the middle, when you bowl a good length, there was enough up and down and sideways movement," Smith said after play.

"My first 20 or 30 balls (in the second innings), I felt pretty vulnerable when they were bowling that good length.

"Patty hit it beautifully tonight. I think that ball to Root is a blueprint of what we need to do tomorrow, first thing in the morning, and the quicks to keep hitting that top-of-the-stump length and let the pitch do its thing.

"Mix in with a good bouncer to play with their feet, and maybe get a bit of up and down (bounce) as well."

A victory in Manchester would see Tim Paine's side achieve the first of two goals they set for themselves at the start of the series; retain the Ashes they won 18 months ago in Australia, with the other being to win the series for the first time since 2001.

Australia came incredibly close to achieving their first target in the third Test at Headingley, but a series of missed chances - from dropped catches to missed run out to DRS dramas - and a brilliant century from allrounder Ben Stokes saw England snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

While that loss hurt the Australians, former captain Ricky Ponting says the visitors should not be spooked by the events at Headingley, given the state of the pitch and game situation at Old Trafford.

But before the Australians think about breaking an 18-year-old drought, they first must win in Manchester, and Smith says that starts with soaking in the occasion before getting down to business.

"It's just about relaxing and going out and just enjoying it and hopefully executing our skills well enough to bowl England out tomorrow," Smith said.

"For us it's pretty clear what we need to do tomorrow; quicks hit the good length, 'Gazza’ (Nathan Lyon) hit the rough as much as possible and when he bowls to the left-handers, just pitch it on the stumps and try and hit the stumps as much as possible and bring lbw and caught behind the wicket into play."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia won by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England won by one wicket at Headingley

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval