England v Australia 3rd Test: Hosts on 156-3 as Joe Root leads 359 chase to win

England v Australia third Test scorecard

Australia 179 & 246: Labuschagne 80, Wade 33; Stokes 3-56, Archer 2-40, Broad 2-52

England 67 & 156-3: Root 75*, Denly 50; Stokes 2*; Cummins 1-33, Hazlewood 2-35

England need 203 runs to win

Australia set the winning line at a distant 359 in the third Specsavers Test - 27 more than any other England side have ever managed - and hoped to reopen the fault lines that saw the hosts skittled for a paltry 67 in their first innings on Saturday.

England might have been suffering deja vu at 15 for two but Root showed steel, determination and leadership as he reached 75 not out in a stumps total of 156 for three.

England's innings has started well, with openers Roy and Burns surviving a difficult four overs before lunch. However both then fell immediately after the interval. With England on 15 Burns went first for seven, then Roy quickly after for eight, leaving England 15-2 and facing a defeat in three days to allow the tourists to retain the Ashes.

Root arrived at the crease having failed to score in each of his last two knocks but channelled the old-fashioned virtues that his side have too frequently neglected as he dropped anchor for five hours deliveries and 189 deliveries.

His primary foil was Joe Denly, who survived an uncomfortable start to his innings to make 50 in a vital third-wicket stand worth 125.

Root will begin again on day four alongside his deputy, Ben Stokes, with England needing another 203.

The stakes are simple - achieve a remarkable result and the series will be squared at 1-1 with two to play, fall short and Australia keep the urn.

England's highest chase of 332 for seven dates back to 1928 but Leeds has more recent history for fourth-innings drama - with the West Indies hunting down 322 in 2017 and Mark Butcher leading his country to 315 in the 2001 Ashes.

Earlier in day three Australia were bowled out for 246 after just under 90 minutes of play at Headingley, England claiming the last four wickets for 75 runs.

Jofra Archer, having recovered from an attack of cramp, dismissed tailenders James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon to take his match tally to eight for 85 in just his second Test appearance, while Ben Stokes dismissed Pat Cummins and top-scorer Marnus Labuschagne was finally run-out for 80.

Joe Root's side would need to make the second-highest chase on English soil to square the series 1-1 and stand a chance of reclaiming the urn in the final two matches, but given their shambolic 67 all out on Friday, that seemed an enormous ask.

England's chase might have been a little lower were it not for some errors in the field, four overthrows from Rory Burns, four runs when Chris Woakes mis-read the bounce at fine leg and a dropped catch from Jonny Bairstow to reprieve Labuschagne on 60.

That was the fourth reprieve of his fortune-filled innings - two more drops and one authentic dismissal from a no-ball - and he was also forced to undergo two concussion tests on Saturday after being hit by a pair of bouncers.

But he kept on fighting, scrapping his way to the top score of the match.

He was the penultimate wicket to fall, Joe Denly fumbling his pick but then shuttling in a fine throw to Bairstow to leave him short of his ground.

Archer earlier had Pattinson caught at slip, Root's 100th take in Tests, and clean bowled last man Lyon.

Earlier Stokes had earned one final reward for his 24.2 over stint at the Football Stand End - interrupted only by four Archer deliveries the previous evening - with Pat Cummins caught off the shoulder of the bat.