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After posting a rapid-fire 592 for a massive first-innings lead of 275, England extended its domination when Australia was reduced to 113-4 in its second innings by stumps.
Mark Wood’s hostile pace and timely insertions into the attack made the difference as he dismissed Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head cheaply to pass 100 test wickets, and Chris Woakes bagged David Warner.
England forced the pace of its innings at 5 1/2 runs per over ahead of forecasted bad weather this weekend.
Marnus Labuschagne reached stumps on 44 and Mitch Marsh was with him on 1.
But Australia was four down and England had all the momentum from a two-day batting blitz.
Bairstow was left high and dry on 99 not out from just 81 balls. He has had an eventful series — a self-inflicted stumping at Lord’s, costly wicketkeeping errors and tussling with a Just Stop Oil protester — but put himself in the thick of things for all the right reasons with an outstanding innings.
England was 67 ahead overnight and 120 in front when he arrived at the crease, but his dominant strokeplay piled on the misery for the Australians.
Despite a ring of boundary riders trying to shut him down, he hammered four sixes and 10 fours. Bairstow’s controlled aggression was deserving of a hundred but, after expertly managing the strike for the majority of his time with the tail, he found himself stuck at the non-striker’s end after deciding against a risky second run that could have got him there.
Last man Anderson was trapped lbw by Cameron Green’s next ball, stopping Bairstow in his tracks and making him just the second Ashes batter to finish undefeated on 99, after Steve Waugh in 1995. Bairstow grinned broadly as he left the pitch and was afforded a centurion’s ovation.