Yorkshire duo Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow added 128 for the second wicket as England Lions took control on the third day against Australia A at Old Trafford.

The Lions took a first-innings lead of 38 which had been extended by the close to 196 as they finished on 158-3 and will hope to build a substantial advantage before unleashing spinners Simon Kerrigan and James Tredwell once more on the final afternoon.

Lancashire's Kerrrigan marked his four-day debut for the Lions by taking 6-59 as Eoin Morgan's team seized control.

Well supported by Kent's Tredwell, who took 3-93, Kerrigan ripped through the tourists' middle and lower order batting to bowl Ed Cowan's team out for 277.

Yet at lunch there had been no sign that Kerrigan was about to produce the third-best bowling figures by a Lions bowler since 2007.

At the first interval, Australia A were well placed at 207-3, despite having lost Cowan, caught by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter off Tredwell for 99, and Michael Klinger, taken at bat and pad by Root for 66.

Shortly after the break, Kerrigan had taken 0-35 in 13 overs; he then claimed six wickets at a cost of 24 runs in 73 deliveries as the Australian batsmen wilted before his precocious combination of bounce, deviation and flight on a turning pitch.

First to go was Tim Paine, whose edged cut was superbly caught by Bairstow at slip. Tredwell then bagged the last of his three wickets when Joe Burns was bowled for seven playing no stroke, but from then on it was the Kerrigan show.

Bowling from the Pavilion End on his home ground, the 23-year-old had Peter Forrest lbw attempting a sweep and he then removed two Test players with successive deliveries.

Mitchell Johnson was caught at short-leg by Root for a single and Nathan Lyon was lbw on the back foot when completely deceived by a quicker ball.

That meant that Australia A had lost four wickets for two runs in 23 balls, while Kerrigan had taken 3-2 in ten deliveries.

From 231-8, Cowan's lower order recovered briefly with Tom Cooper making 26 not out and Jon Holland contributing a useful 17, but Kerrigan was not to be denied.

Holland was stumped by Kieswetter and Jackson Bird was caught at slip by Bairstow to end an innings in which Australia A had lost their last seven wickets for 63 runs in 24 overs.

But the suffering was not over for the tourists.

Although makeshift opener Morgan was out for nought when he pulled Bird straight to Liam Davis, the Yorkshire pair of Root and Bairstow made the Australia A bowlers suffer in the Manchester heat.

Root made a high-class 70 before he sliced Holland to Davis at backward point, and Bairstow was unbeaten on 73 at the close.

Samit Patel, who didn't get a bowl in the Australia A innings, was caught at slip off Lyon for 12.