Ashes 2017: James Anderson insists England are still in the game despite Australia's dominance in Perth

James Anderson has insisted that England are “still in the game” at Perth, as bad weather allowed them to keep their grip on the Ashes for one more day. England will go into the fifth day of the third Test at the Waca on 132-4, still 127 runs behind and with a whole day to bat. And Anderson said that it would be a day for showing “the fight we have in the team” after a series in which virtually all the crucial passages of play have gone Australia’s way.

“It was a long day,” said Anderson, who bowled 37.3 overs in Australia’s marathon first innings of 662-9 declared. “It’s been a long few days. We’re still fighting, we’re still in the game. We have a lot of hard work to do, we’ll keep believing and come in tomorrow with a good attitude, and show the fight we have in the team.”

The cracks in the Perth pitch are beginning to open up, with one outrageous delivery from Mitchell Starc hitting a crack and bowling James Vince. But Anderson said: “If you get a good ball, you get a good ball. James Vince got a ball that’s unplayable. You have to hope that the balls that hit the crack miss the stumps and the edge, and we get some luck and fight through the day.”

More rain is forecast for Perth on Monday morning, which may help England’s chances of batting at least two sessions to save the game. And Anderson said that England’s plight would focus minds. “We are in a position where if we lose tomorrow, the series is gone,” he said. “So we have to give it everything to try to stay in this game and this series.”

Meanwhile, Australia’s Josh Hazlewood said that Australia would try to “finish England off” on day five. “We’re still pretty confident,” he said. “We’re in a great position and obviously, the first hour of the first session is pretty important. We’ve obviously taken the tail wickets quite quickly in the last two Tests, so hopefully we can do that again tomorrow.”