The Ashes 2013/14: Australia recapture the urn in Perth

Australia 385 & 369-6dec beat England 251 & 353 by 150 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Steve Smith (111)

AUSTRALIA delivered another crushing defeat in the third Test in Perth to take an unassailable 3-0 lead and regain the Ashes urn for the first time since 2009.

Mitchell Johnson inevitably dealt the final blow at 5.45am British time this morning, James Anderson fending the ball to George Bailey at short leg as England's tail struggled again following the removal of Ben Stokes.

Durham all-rounder Stokes hit a wonderful maiden Test century but, remarkably, this was England's first of the series. Australia have scored seven.

Indeed, there is a whole range of statistics which could be reeled off to show a complete disparity in quality between the two sides.

Yes, there have been three lost tosses for Alastair Cook which have resulted in the Australians' getting the advantage of batting first on some belting pitches.

But that excuse can be given little credence really, considering England's biggest failures with the bat have come in their first innings, resulting in three uphill, and ultimately futile, battles.

The bowlers, therefore, have a more legitimate excuse in that, so short have the England innings been, they have been terribly overworked on some baking hot days.

Nevertheless, Anderson and Graeme Swann are two of the most experienced squad members, and yet they currently hold monstrous averages of 58.42 and 80 respectively.

By contrast, four of the five leading wicket takers are Australian, a list headed by Johnson who has taken 23 scalps at 15.47, an average which was at one stage below nine.

Worst of all, the England bowlers have been guilty of allowing Australia to build the scoreboard pressure which the batsman have then wilted under.

They can complain of tiredness quite legitimately but it does work both ways.

For, just as Australia had been 132-6 in Brisbane and 174-4 in Adelaide, they were again struggling at 143-5 on the first day in Perth. Perhaps, we thought, England were going to get a foothold in this series, after all.

Then, Steve Smith arrived at the crease. A hitherto largely unheralded player in this Aussie renaissance, Smith went on to compile only his second Test century.

In Perth, though, this was a much more enjoyable event than his first ton, which actually came in the draw this summer at the Oval amid English celebrations of a 3-0 series victory.

How long ago those days seem now already! Smith was supported by the excellent Brad Haddin who became only the fourth wicketkeeper to score four consecutive Test half centuries - and, together, they ensured Australia recovered to 385 all out.

Despite Cook and fellow opener Michael Carberry compiling their highest stand of the series at 85, the hosts' score was still look good.

This was because England had ended day two on 180-4, still more than 200 behind having lost Cook and Kevin Pietersen before the close.

Cook at least made 72 this time, his highest score of the series. But he then cut spinner Nathan Lyon to David Warner at point in an identical dismissal to the one which had got Warner on day one.

Pietersen, who had been horribly bogged down - scoring just four runs from his first 40 balls - then launched a foolish attack on Peter Siddle, a bowler for whom he seemingly does not rate.

It was a bad mistake and he managed instead only to slog to Johnson at mid-on. Incidentally, Siddle has now accounted for Pietersen on 10 occasions, more than any other bowler.

Maybe it is time for Pietersen to show his opponent a little more respect, though this is a word which has been in short supply in this bitterest of series.

BBC correspondent Jonathan Agnew even dedicated part of his blog to criticising the poor sportsmanship which has been a common theme in the three matches so far.

The latest most blatant example coming from some England players' refusal to applaud Shane Watson's century, as is customary - but the Aussies have hardly been angels.

As mentioned by myself previously, sledging - while an accepted part of the game - is best done with genuine wit and humour rather than simply being abuse.

Back to the action anyway, and resuming on day three, England predictably repeated their previous collapses in Brisbane and Adelaide by losing their last six wickets for 61.

Stuart Broad, who is still considered by many Australians to be public enemy number one following his antics in the summer, was one of only two men to fall to Johnson on this occasion.

But, along with his lbw dismissal from a Johnson yorker, Broad also suffered a bruised toe and, attending interviews on crutches, he became almost symbolic of just how shattered and tortured England looked, both mentally and physically.

Indeed, in many observers' eyes, the third day which followed was the one in which the wheels officially came off for England.

Australia constructed a lead of 369 runs for the loss of just three second innings wickets, eventually declaring 503 ahead, as England produced a performance in the field with which even a park side would be embarrassed.

Matt Prior continued his poor form behind the stumps, as well as with the bat, as he missed a stumping from Graeme Swann's first delivery to Warner before messing up another one an hour later for good measure.

The whole innings was summed up on the fourth day, though, when there was a complete breakdown in communication in the outfield between Bell and Anderson.

As Australia attacked with rich abandon, Bailey skied one and it looked a sure wicket until both fielders hesitated and the ball fell comically between them. The sound of raucous, mocking Aussie laughter filled the Waca.

Even Anderson, a modern day legend with 336 Test wickets to his name, looked finished as Aussie new boy Bailey then took great delight in his fortune by smashing a world record 28 runs off one over.

Somehow, it actually got worse. For skipper Cook, this was meant to be a joyous celebration of 100 caps - but, instead, he was out for his first golden duck in Test cricket to a viscous Ryan Harris inswinger.

Carberry (31), Joe Root (19) and Pietersen (45) then all made starts which they could not convert before Stokes joined Bell at the crease.

The tourists' two most in-form batsmen calmed the storm a little but Bell (60) could not survive the night as he was adjudged via DRS to have edged behind off Siddle.

Resuming with five wickets left, then, Stokes stoked the dream for as long as he could, although Prior (26) had exposed the tail at the other end, edging Johnson behind to Haddin.

That was the only wicket to fall in the morning as England reached lunch on 332-6 but, within three overs of the resumption, Stokes' vigil finally ended as he also edged behind, this time off Lyon.

The fat lady could begin to warm her vocal cords for her official appearance and, indeed, England did not keep her waiting much longer.

Swann was out for four to Lyon before Johnson picked the last two wickets - of Tim Bresnan and Anderson - to make it six for the match without having hit his form of the first two Tests.

Man of the match was instead awarded to Smith for his century as Australia began their biggest Ashes party since 2007.

Of course, the 2006-07 series was Australia's last Ashes series victory - and what a thumping it was!

A 5-0 whitewash as the careers of Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne ended on the highest of highs.

Now, current skipper Michael Clarke has not been shy in voicing his aim to repeat the feat which is rated as low as 13/8 with some bookmakers.

For England, the inquest has already begun with former captain Geoff Boycott demanding coach Andy Flower immediately reviews his position, rather than waiting until the end of the series.

BBC Sport chief sports writer Tom Fordyce has penned a front-page article on 'Ten reasons why it went wrong for England' while the Guardian has a similar review from Vic Marks.

At the Telegraph, another former England bowler-turned-journalist Derek Pringle has also suggested Flower must consider his position, while the newspaper scores the series on a session-by-session basis as 31-8 to Australia.

My thoughts are still slightly fogged by the late nights and early mornings but cautious instinct suggests Flower should not be forced into anything too drastic in terms of his own position given his previous success.

At the same time, the coach and his skipper Cook need to be ruthless and mix it up for the last two Tests, regardless of whether it works or not.

Drop the under-performing Pietersen and Prior for Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow. Replace Swann and even Anderson (or Broad, if injured), and put some faith in the giant attack of Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin.

After all, this trio of tall pacemen when including Chris Tremlett, was something which was much hyped before the series began.

Since Tremlett struggled at Brisbane in the first Test, though, the whole idea and therefore much of England's preparation seems to have been ditched.

These are just some ideas off the top of my head and, shorn of some of England's stars of the modern day, it would likely be perceived as a weaker team which would lose 5-0.

But, when the current XI look like being whitewashed anyway, something simply must be done.

Yes, the series may be over and the Ashes sadly back Down Under - but the selection for the fourth Test in Melbourne will still be a source of some fascination as an England fan.

It begins, as is traditional, in the early hours of Boxing Day.

THE ASHES 2013/14

21-25 Nov	FIRST: Australia 295 & 401-7d beat England 136 & 179 by 381 runs	Brisbane
5-9 Dec	SECOND: Australia 570-9d & 132-3d bt England 172 & 312 by 218 runs	Adelaide
13-17 Dec	THIRD: Australia 385 & 369-6d beat England 251 & 353 by 150 runs	Perth
26-30 Dec	FOURTH TEST	Melbourne
3-7 Jan	FIFTH TEST	Sydney

CENTURIES
148 Michael Clarke (Australia)
124 David Warner (Australia)
120 Ben Stokes (England)
118 Brad Haddin (Australia)
113 Michael Clarke (Australia)
112 David Warner (Australia)
111 Steve Smith (Australia)
103 Shane Watson (Australia)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
7-40 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
6-81 Stuart Broad (England)
5-42 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)

Ashes 2013: England retain urn after rainy draw

Australia 527-7dec & 172-7dec drew with England 368 & 37-3 Scorecard
Man of the match: Michael Clarke (187)

ENGLAND secured the Ashes for a third successive series after the third Test at Old Trafford petered out to a rain-affected draw.

Leading 2-0 from the first two matches, the hosts required only a draw from any of the last three games to keep the urn in English hands.

And, while England were reduced to 27-3 at one stage on the final day, persistent rain after lunch prevented any further play.

Eventually, at 4.40pm, the match was abandoned and declared a draw. Australia's fine efforts in the third Test had ultimately been for nought. England had retained the Ashes.

Of course, Australia had come into the contest on the back of heavy criticism following their massive defeat at Lord's - but they have, in fairness, done much to defy their critics by dominating this Test throughout.

It helped that skipper Michael Clarke won the toss for the first time in the series and, on a good pitch, he compiled his personal best Ashes score of 187.

Plenty of others in the Aussie top order contributed too. Opener Chris Rogers hit a chanceless 84, Steve Smith made 89, while a positive flurry by Mitchell Starc (66 not out) and Brad Haddin (65 not out) took Australia to 527-7 declared.

For once, the England were on the back foot and the seam attack had looked toothless as local lad James Anderson remained wicketless with figures of 0-116 in the first innings.

Meanwhile, Stuart Broad (1-108) and Tim Bresnan (1-114) could only tale one scalp apiece. At least, Broad could take personal enjoyment from his wicket after bowling Clarke for his 200th Test success, the second youngest Englishman to reach that mark after Sir Ian Botham.

However, it was Graeme Swann (5-159) who impressed most with the ball, taking his 17th five-for in just 55 Tests, including the prize wicket of David Warner.

Warner, of course, had quite literally hit the headlines before the series by getting involved in altercation with young England opener Joe Root in a Birmingham pub during the ICC Champions Trophy.

The Aussie was subsequently suspended and only regained his place in the Test side after scoring 193 for Australia A against South Africa A in Pretoria.

To the delight of the Old Trafford crowd, Jonathan Trott caught Warner out cheaply at first slip after a deflection off wicket-keeper Matt Prior's gloves.

Warner was not convinced, and he reviewed the decision on the basis that he considered the inside edge of his bat hitting his pad to be the only impact.

He was wrong and thus, if anything, increased his pantomime villain persona - but this was a truly rare instance so far of the review system being used correctly.

Yes indeed, the decision review system has endured another difficult Test match, with Usman Khawaja particularly unlucky to miss out on the Aussie run fest.

Khawaja was out for a solitary run, adjudged to have been caught behind off Swann - and, while there was a noise, it was clear from the replays that it was bat on pad.

There was also being nothing on HotSpot - and yet still third umpire Kumar Dharmasena refused to overturn the incorrect on-field ruling - leading to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to state on Twitter that it was "one of the worst umpiring decisions" he had ever seen.

From then on, the luck seemed to run against England with Smith lucky to escape on at least two separate occasions, both of which ended up as failed reviews for the hosts.

And it would eventually get to the present scenario where, clearly, neither side seems to have much confidence in the system.

For instance, when nightwatchman Tim Bresnan was given out, caught behind early in the England reply, the ball had actually come off his thigh pad rather than his bat.

Nevertheless, the Yorkshireman declined to ask for a review, presumably concerned that it would be a wasted effort and the on-field decision would not be overturned.

Resuming day three on 52-2, things got worse for England before they got better, with Jonathan Trott (5) out cheaply and captain Alastair Cook caught behind down the leg-side off Starc before lunch. 

Cook had made 62 but England were listing badly on 110-4 before the in-form Ian Bell joined Kevin Pietersen at the crease. 

The pair put on 115 for the fifth wicket to bring the follow-on target into sight - but there was a late sting in the tale of day three as Bell (60), Pietersen (113) and Bairstow (22) all fell before stumps. 

Requiring 34 more runs at the start of day four to avoid the follow on, England surpassed their target with ease following a flurry of boundaries off Broad's bat. 

It was lovely, positive cricket from Broad, alongside Matt Prior, and it only came to a halt when the former surprisingly decided to walk on being caught behind off Nathan Lyon. 

In a strange turn of events, Swann also walked off after being caught behind off Peter Siddle, leaving Prior to farm the strike with number 11 Anderson. 

Prior did this expertly, even if he did incur the wrath from parts of the Old Trafford crowd for turning down some obvious singles. 

But, while it was hardly exhilarating stuff, it was effective - and England had reached a total of 368 when Prior was eventually caught by Warner off the bowling of four-wicket Siddle. 

That was still 159 behind - but the onus was now very much back on Australia as they raced against the time and the Manchester weather.

Opting to promote Warner in place of Shane Watson as an opener, the Aussies set about making some quick runs to set up a declaration. 

The tourists duly scored at almost five an over and, despite regularly losing wickets, had reached 137-5 for a lead of 296, as the players took a slightly early tea due to a shower. 

Skipper Clarke should have perhaps taken that as a warning sign and made a positive declaration there and then but he did not and he may now live to regret that.

After all, there would ultimately only be 39 more deliveries after the interval - though this was sadly partly down to England's cynically slow over rate and also due to some more bizarre decision-making from the umpires. 

This time, the controversy arose from a recent change in laws by cricket's governing body, the ICC, regarding bad light. Previously always subject to the batting team's perspective, now it is the umpires who are the sole arbiters of what constitutes bad light.

In Manchester, the on-field pair - Marais Erasmus and Tony Hill - decided that, as England captain Cook had refused to bring on his spinners, it was too dangerous to play. This was despite a lack of rain and the presence of four towering floodlights.

Clarke was furious, well aware that any time spent off the field of play equated to the Ashes slipping away from his team.

And, in fairness, he found an unlikely ally in the home crowd at Old Trafford, which was, after all, hosting its first Test match for over three years following a £32m redevelopment.

The players would never make it back out of the pavilion on day four - and, with fewer than 21 overs managed on the final day, the Aussies' hopes of getting back in the series were literally washed away.

England have retained the Ashes, then, and - impressively - have now taken them on four of the last five occasions.

But this was easily the most underwhelming success, due to the very nature of it.

On the back foot for much of the last five days, it was never going to be particularly gratifying to secure the Ashes with a draw, particularly one which had more to do with the weather than a battling batting performance.

Also, it must be said that England hardly endeared themselves to the neutral with their intentional go-slow tactics in the Australian second innings.

Of course, that does not detract from the fact that Australia would have done exactly the same if the roles had been reversed - but such tactics undoubtedly damage the spirit of the game and it is the paying public who lose out most.

Still, the verdict of The Sun's chief sports writer Steve Howard was unnecessarily harsh. Seemingly forgetting that England put themselves in such a strong position by winning the first two Tests through their own hard work, Howard was particularly scathing that the Ashes had been won with a draw (£).

It will certainly be interesting to see if he holds the same opinion if England resume their recent dominance and win the next two Tests in Chester-le-Street and at the Oval to take the series 4-0.

I will be at the fourth Test on Saturday and, while it is technically a dead rubber in terms of the Ashes, home fans have every right to expect an improved performance.

The urn may be staying at home for a little while longer yet - but, as BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew has noted, England's work is far from done.

THE ASHES 2013
FIXTURES

10-14 July	First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs	Trent Bridge
18-21 July	Second Test: England 361 & 349-7d beat Australia 128 & 235 by 347 runs	Lord's
1-5 August	Third Test: Australia 527-7dec & 172-7dec drew with England 368 & 37-3	Old Trafford
9-13 August	Fourth Test	Riverside
21-25 August	Fifth Test	The Oval

CENTURIES
187 Michael Clarke (Australia), third Test
180 Joe Root (England), second Test
113 Kevin Pietersen (England), third Test
109 Ian Bell (England), first Test
109 Ian Bell (England), second Test

FIVE-WICKET HAULS (~ 10 wickets in the match)
5-44 Graeme Swann (England), second Test
5-50 Peter Siddle (Australia), first Test
5-72 Ryan Harris (Australia), second Test
~5-73 James Anderson (England), first Test
~5-85 James Anderson (England), first Test
5-159 Graeme Swann (England), third Test

The Ashes 2010/11: England sadly go down without a fight

Australia 268 & 309 beat England 187 & 123 by 267 runs

ENGLAND lost their last five wickets within an hour on the fourth day of the third Test as Australia romped to a series-levelling victory.

The match had already been lost yesterday but this morning represented the tourists' last chance to salvage any pride from Perth.

Instead, they only served up a pathetic surrender, losing their remaining quintet of batsmen for just 42 runs in 50 minutes.

England resumed in wretched shape on 81-5 with a 309-run deficit, but there was hope that Ian Bell and Matt Prior may add some respectability to the scorecard.

That hope was ultimately misplaced but only after nightwatchman James Anderson was first to be out on three, having his stumps splattered by the excellent Ryan Harris.

Harris ended up taking his Test-best figures of 6-47 and brought the downfall of Bell by trapping him plumb lbw on 16 with England on 111-7, an apt score for the superstitious among us.

Harris then removed England's last recognised batsmen in Prior for 10 but he was aided by a fine slip-catch by Mike Hussey and a terrible shot selection by the Sussex man.

The hero of the second day and man of the match, Mitchell Johnson, was next to strike as Graeme Swann got a horrid inside edge to be bowled on nine.

And finally Finn was caught by Steve Smith off Harris again for two, the wicket at least preventing a prolongation of the agony.

Australia have been excellent - and with Johnson (9-82) and Harris (9-106) taking 18 of the 20 wickets between them, the hosts seem to have found their best bowling attack.

By contrast - from the moment they let Australia wriggle off the hook on 69-5 - England have been atrocious in this Test.

Even when Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook gave them a decent start, the batsmen could still only muster 187 to concede an 81-run innings deficit.

Only Bell, who hit a defiant 61 in trying circumstances with the tail, could be excused as Johnson ripped through the batting order to take 6-38.

The swing which Johnson had magnificently generated left optimistic England fans hoping Anderson could drag the tourists back into the game by producing a similar spell.

But it never happened, nor did it ever look like happening.

Whether it was his 20,000-mile round-trip to Britain for the birth of his child, or - probably more fundamentally - the decision by England to use just three seamers, Anderson toiled.

He was not the only one. While young Finn continued to take wickets, he also went at more than four-and-a-half runs per over as Australia built their lead.

Just as Bell had been the exception in the batting, Chris Tremlett is one of the few players in the England line-up to emerge with credit, taking a five-for in his first Test match for three years.

However, by the end of day three, Tremlett's efforts counted for nought as England collapsed hopelessly to 81-5 and outlandish hopes of an extraordinary win were crushed.

On day four, England surrendered swiftly, making a mockery of their reputation for being stubborn, built on the back of Test-saving antics in the 2009 Ashes first Test, the subsequent tour of South Africa and in this series in Brisbane.

It should also be remembered, though, that Strauss' men are an inconsistent side, capable of going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

That 2009 Ashes victory included a horrific innings defeat in the fourth Test and a heavy beating in the One Day series while the South Africa tour also included a bad innings defeat.

England's valiant recoveries from such setbacks have earned them deserved praise in recent times but this will really hurt, simply because it was so unexpected.

And so, where do the tourists go from here?

Well, apart from the obvious answer - Melbourne, the management team will surely have a frank debate over how best to use the bowlers.

Bell is also likely to be moved up the order at the expense of Collingwood to prevent England's best stroke-maker from being saddled with the tail.

Whether Bell's promotion over Collingwood coincides with a personnel change to bring in an extra bowler remains to be seen but, whichever eleven players line up at the MCG, the England team and its supporters must not lose heart.

England, as a unit, should not be judged decisively on this performance, just as fans - including yours truly - should not get carried away, as I did, by big wins like the one in Adelaide.

Basically, the series is tied at 1-1 with two matches to play. Victory in either Test would retain the Ashes, bringing them back from Australia for the first time since 1986-87.

And, despite the performance in this match, that objective remains realistic but it would help if England regain the momentum early on Boxing Day in Melbourne.

That is easier said than done in front of almost 100,000 baying Aussies and it seems more likely that this series is being set up for a cracking finale in Sydney.

--
EARLIER REPORTS
Day three: Hussey crushes England as Aussies scent victory
Australia 268 [Johnson 62, Hussey 61, Haddin 53] & 309 [Hussey 116, Watson 92; Tremlett 5-87] v England 187 [Bell 53, Strauss 52; Johnson 6-38] & 81-5

MIKE HUSSEY became the first man to score six successive Ashes half-centuries as Australia crushed England on the third day of the third Test at the Waca in Perth.

Hussey hit 116 to make his second century of the series, putting Australia into a huge lead of 309 runs and on the edge of a series-levelling victory.

England have only successfully chased targets of more than 300 on three occasions in history and they will not going to improve on that statistic in this match, falling to 81-5 at the close.

Earlier, Australia resumed on 119-3, already a lead of 200 runs, and the hosts continued to dominate in the opening session.

In that session, the Aussies added 92 runs for the loss of just one wicket. It was opener Shane Watson who fell, having made 95 - the 14th time out of 16 he has made a half-century without going on to make a ton.

And perhaps it is his frustration at this poor conversion rate which explains why he petulantly refused to leave the pitch for a while, even after being given out by the video referral he had requested.

However, on two other occasions in the session, the Aussies used the review system to better effect, overturning poor umpiring decisions to give Steve Smith and Hussey out.

Smith is a skittish player in contrast to Hussey's obdurate calm, and the former only just survived a confident lbw appeal from James Anderson after lunch.

But, while Hussey approached his century, Smith added 36 from 62 balls before giving Watson a lesson in etiquette by walking after nicking Chris Tremlett behind to Matt Prior.

Hussey was then joined at the crease by his favoured batting partner Brad Haddin but the wicket-keeper did not last long this time, making just seven before an inside edge carried a Tremlett delivery onto the stumps.

And Western Australian Hussey continued to lose partners on a regular basis for the rest of the innings.

Mitchell Johnson was next to go for just one run, having been caught at extra cover by Ian Bell off Paul Collingwood's part-time spin.

Then Ryan Harris continued his woeful form with the bat. He also departed for a solitary run - again caught by Bell, this time off the bowling of Steven Finn - meaning he has scored 0, 0, 3 and 1 in his last four innings.

It is a small wonder how Harris bats ahead of Peter Siddle who contributed 35 not out in the first innings and another eight runs in this effort.

Anderson was the man to take the scalp of Siddle, aided by Collingwood in the slips for his 200th Test wicket.

But, sadly, the landmark will be tarnished by one of England's worst all-round performances in recent years.

That same sentiment applies to Tremlett who took his first Test five-for by eventually removing Hussey after the Western Australian attempted a slog to deep square leg.

By then, of course, Australia looked to have done enough, barring an extraordinary effort by England and yet there were still some who thought that the tourists might yet pull this off.

The dreamers pointed towards recent high fourth-innings scores in Perth and noted England's determination in securing draws at Cardiff in 2009 and twice in South Africa.

The realists realised that, given England's first innings performance, knocking off the runs to win this time would easily rank above those escapes and so it is even more unlikely.

England's top-order, which had looked so secure in Brisbane and Adelaide, proved the realists right - and the rest of the final session was punctuated by the clatter of wickets.

Cook was first to fall, lbw to Harris on 13, oddly opting not to review the decision even though the ball looked a bit high.

Strauss followed three overs later for 15, edging Johnson to Ponting at slip to leave England on 37-2.

Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen then attempted to bring some stability to the innings but a succession of maidens built pressure and Pietersen's patience snapped.

A poor shot from Pietersen edged to Watson at first slip and KP was gone for just three runs off 23 balls.

At least Ben Hilfenhaus will be pleased - Pietersen's folly gave him his first wicket since Strauss wafted at the third ball of the series in Brisbane.

Worse was to follow for England just before the close. First, Trott edged Johnson to Ricky Ponting for 31 - and, as if the prove the momentum has indeed swung behind the Aussies, Ponting fumbled his catch but Haddin snatched the rebound.

Then, to the last ball of the day, Collingwood nicked Harris to Smith at slip for 11, leaving England with the proverbial mountain to climb, still 228 behind on 81-5.

It seems to me that the tourists are still shell-shocked at the speed of the turnaround in events.

Having dominated the final two days of the first Test in Brisbane, and enjoyed a thumping win in Adelaide, England won the toss here and had the Aussies in all sorts of trouble at 69-5.

But a failure to finish the hosts off has cost England dear and Strauss' men then compounded that error by collapsing twice in the first innings to end up 187 all out.

Of course, Johnson got the ball to swing and bowled an incredible spell but England's last hope rested on Anderson responding in kind.

Unfortunately, the Burnley Express could not deliver and questions are now sure to be raised about his decision to make two 24-hour trips to England and back to see the birth of his daughter.

However, a more pertinent point lies in England's decision to use just four front-line bowlers, a tactic which has particularly exhausted the fast bowlers.

Tremlett, to his credit, has done extremely well as a replacement for the injured Stuart Broad but it has become evident that the latter's absence is a major blow.

With Broad out, the tourists were understandably wary about weakening their batting line-up further but more faith should have been invested in an in-form top-order.

The top-order is no longer in form and England will leave Perth, not only defeated, but also in a right quandary.

It looks at this stage as if England should field an extra bowler. It would ease the workload on the likes of Anderson and Finn, and increase England's chances of finishing off the Aussies properly if they collapse to 69-5 again.

But the management team favours stability and an additional bowler will increase the length of the tail, further weakening the batting line-up after its worst performance of the tour so far.

Regardless, the very fact that there is any debate is evidence of a big momentum shift - Australia are cock-a-hoop and England are under pressure.

Day two: Australia roar back into Ashes contention
(Close): Australia 268 [Johnson 62, Hussey 61, Haddin 53] & 119-3 [Watson 61*] v England 187 [Bell 53, Strauss 52; Johnson 6-38]

MITCHELL JOHNSON produced a spell of Ashes magic as Australia roared back into contention on the second day of the third Test in Perth.

Johnson swung the ball magnificent to take 6-38 as England collapsed from 78-0 to 98-5 and eventually 187 all out, a significant first innings deficit of 81 runs.

Opener Shane Watson then hit an unbeaten 61 to guide Australia to 119-3 at the close, already a lead of exactly 200 runs.

But, undoubtedly, the day belonged to the oft-maligned and undeniably mercurial Johnson.

Dropped after a nightmare first Test of this series in which he failed to take a wicket or score any runs as well as dropping an easy catch, Johnson is perhaps fortunate that Australia played even worse in the second Test to lose by an innings.

However, he repaid the faith of the selectors who recalled him with figures at one stage on day two of 4-7 off 23 balls in a remarkable spell.

England resumed on 29-0 and reached the relative comfort of 78-0 having survived the first hour with just one scare.

The scare came early in the day when a chance offered by captain Andrew Strauss off Ryan Harris dissected wicket-keeper Brad Haddin and Watson in the slips.

But that was nothing as compared to the ferocious swing with which Johnson bowled when he was belatedly brought on by Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting.

Alastair Cook fell in Johnson's first over for 32, driving outside of off-stump but ending up floating a catch to Mike Hussey.

And Johnson then got two wickets in his next over as both Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen were victims of lbw to a swinging ball, falling for four runs and a duck respectively.

When, shortly afterwards, Johnson claimed a third lbw scalp in Paul Collingwood, courtesy of excellent use of the video referral system, England were struggling at 98-5.

That is because Strauss had departed just one over earlier on 53, having nicked a seemingly innocuous Harris delivery behind to Haddin.

With Stuart Broad out injured, England's tail had lengthened and the tourists' last hope of restoring parity to the first innings scores lay with Ian Bell and Matt Prior.

In fairness to the pair, they took England well beyond lunch and, with Bell dominating the strike, they looked to be edging Strauss' men back into the contest.

But then Siddle struck to bowl Prior for 12 and, in doing so, he took his first wicket in this series since first day of the first Test in Brisbane where he enjoyed his 26th birthday with a hat-trick.

Bell continued gamely to stave off the inevitable by protecting new man Graeme Swann from being on strike against Johnson as the Aussies looked to excavate the tail.

Instead, it was Harris who was next to cause havoc, inducing Swann to nick one behind to Haddin for 11 shortly before Bell edged an away-swinger to second slip for England's top individual score of 53.

Bell's departure left England on 186-8 with James Anderson and Chris Tremlett at the crease, and Steven Finn still to bat.

It came as no surprise then that only one run was added for the last two wickets - indeed only six runs had been added for the final four.

Johnson feasted himself on the carcass of the England innings, bowling Tremlett for two and removing Anderson for a duck after he had edged to Watson at first slip.

The conclusion of England's innings resulted in an early tea with the bowlers well aware that the onus now rested on them to take quick wickets to force a similar Aussie collapse.

Finn began his task none too badly, delivering a good length ball to Philip Hughes who found Collingwood at third slip for just 12 to leave Australia on 31-1.

Shortly afterwards, Ponting had also failed for a second time, out for just one run when video evidence showed the skipper had grazed a glove behind to Prior off Finn.

Ponting was furious with the decision but should concede that it was given by the third umpire with the benefit of hot-spot and other video footage.

The trio of disappointing Australian batsmen was complete when Tremlett bowled Michael Clarke for a below-par score of 20.

With the loss of Clarke, Australia were 64-3 and England were just about keeping themselves in the match.

In the last hour, though, it got away from the tourists again as Watson - who had survived a couple of early scares - and the indefatigable Hussey scored 55 runs without being parted.

England had started this match so well, winning the toss and reducing the Aussies to 69-5 as they looked for a victory which would retain the Ashes by Christmas.

But, now, the tourists would do well to avoid losing this match. With three days of the match left, there is plenty of time for Australia to increase their lead further and for an on-song bowling attack to dismiss England again.

England's only hope rests with the Perth pitch which has unusually become flatter throughout the course of recent Test matches.

Two years ago, South Africa successfully chased down 414 at the Waca to win by six wickets. It looks at this stage that England may have to match that feat.

Day one: England pick up from where they left off in Adelaide
(Close): Australia 268 [Johnson 62, Hussey 61, Haddin 53] v England 29-0

CHRIS TREMLETT took three wickets in his first Test innings for three years as England continued their excellent form on the first day of the third Ashes Test in Perth.

Tremlett, who replaced the injured Stuart Broad, finished with 3-63 as Australia were bowled out for 268 - having been 69-5 at one stage.

England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and took a calculated risk by putting the hosts in on a grassy wicket in Western Australia.

It paid off as Australia's top order batsmen, totally shorn of confidence after the defeat in the second Test in Adelaide, failed again.

Philip Hughes' first appearance in this series for the Aussies proved to be a brief one.

Hughes, the replacement for injured opener Simon Katich, made just two before being clean-bowled by Tremlett.

England's reserve had got the better of Australia's substitute in his first over. It was as if nothing had changed from 10 days ago in Adelaide.

Not wanting to be outshone, James Anderson struck next, extending Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting's barren run by removing him for just 12.

However, most of the credit will rightly go to Paul Collingwood for his sensational one-handed catch at second slip - a perfect demonstration of England's top class fielding.

Ponting may reflect that he was the victim of an audacious slip catch but perhaps the worst thing that can be said about his vice-captain Michael Clarke was that his wicket was no surprise.

Clarke is dreadfully out-of-form and he was dismissed here for just four after a tentative prod to Tremlett was edged behind to wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

Shortly afterwards, with just over an hour of play gone, Australia were close to tatters at 36-4.

Opener Shane Watson was trapped plumb lbw by Steven Finn and wasted a review more in hope than expectation. His request was typical of the Aussies' increasing desperation.

But, by then, local man Mike Hussey was at the crease and, after Watson's wicket, he calmed the situation down somewhat to build a slow partnership with another new selection, Steve Smith.

The pair reached lunch without further loss at 65-4 but then Smith put the hosts back under immense pressure straight after the interval, edging a wide Tremlett delivery to Strauss in the slips.

However, Hussey remained unmoved, and he was joined in the middle by Brad Haddin with whom he had shared a massive 307-run partnership in the first Test in Brisbane. How long ago that feels now!

Hussey and Haddin constructed another decent partnership here, considering the circumstances, adding 68 runs for the sixth wicket.

But, while both men played themselves in, neither progressed to a particularly big score.

Hussey was out for 61 midway through the afternoon session as Swann picked up his first wicket of this Test courtesy of a huge edge to Prior and the decision referral system which showed it.

Haddin lasted beyond tea but was out for 53 when a mis-timed drive off Anderson flew to Swann who took a good catch above his head at second slip.

At this stage, Australia were on 189-7 with just the tail remaining, and the chance of a score significantly greater than 200 looked over.

But Mitchell Johnson, recalled to the team after his first Test nightmare, repaid some of his dues by batting with the tail to top-score in the innings with 62.

The same could not be said of Ryan Harris who last week became only the second ever Australian to be out first ball in both of his innings.

Harris lasted a little longer this time but he was still out for a measly three runs off just five balls when Anderson bowled him off his pads to pick up his third wicket.

Peter Siddle, who finished 35 not out, put up more resistance with Johnson until the latter tried one too many ultra-attacking shots, pulling a Finn ball to Anderson at square-leg.

And then Siddle added 35 for the last wicket with Ben Hilfenhaus to haul the hosts beyond 250 and keep them still with a chance of winning this match.

For the first time in this series, the Aussie tail wagged but concerns remain stark for the under-pressure Ponting who has now had his future publicly questioned by his predecessor Steve Waugh.

Ponting's top-order, of which he is a member, were out-thought by England again while his bowlers failed to threaten as Strauss and Alastair Cook safely negotiated the remaining 12 overs.
The bowlers may have added respectability to the Aussie score but if they cannot make inroads into England's batting line-up then those efforts will have been for nought.

Meanwhile, England can take pleasure from the fact that day one belonged to them again - the only disappointment being that the Aussies had not been bowled out even more cheaply after such a strong start.

However, Strauss and his men know that a good batting performance throughout day two and into day three would put them on the edge of retaining the Ashes.

England's fate is very much in their own hands.

The Ashes - Third Test: Aussies regain form to save the draw with ease

Australia 263 & 375-5 drew with England 376
Scorecard

AUSTRALIA secured the draw with ease by batting out the whole of the final day of the third Test at Edgbaston.

Michael Clarke (103 not out) and Marcus North (96) shared a huge partnership of 185 runs to keep the series at 1-0 to England.

The hosts had done well to arrive on the final day with genuine hopes of forcing a victory out of a match which lost six sessions to rain.

The Aussies resumed on 88-2, still 25 behind, and they lost another two wickets in the morning session to keep England's chance of victory alive.

Shane Watson reached his half century an hour into the day's play. But he departed just three runs later in the next over when he nicked an edge behind to Matt Prior off a full delivery from James Anderson.

And when Mike Hussey, who also made a cool half-century after his duck in the first innings, was caught by Prior off the bowling of Stuart Broad, there were still 20 minutes until lunch.

Australia were, in effect, at 50-4 and on shaky ground as England sensed the chance to go two up with two to play.

When North joined Clarke at the crease, however, neither batsmen panicked and they were soon each hitting some shots to compile a big score.

England's bowlers struggled for the swing which put the Australians in trouble in the first innings though it could have been so different if captain Andrew Strauss had held onto a catch from Clarke just after lunch.

As it was, that dropped catch was just about the last opportunity on a disappointing final day as the Aussie batsmen expertly relieved the pressure and reached 293-4 at tea, a lead of 180 runs.

After tea, there was one final late wicket when North fell four runs short of his ton, attempting to drive a slower ball from Broad, only to be caught magnificently by Anderson.

Play continued for less than an hour after that as Graham Manou (13 not out) assisted man of the match Clarke who reached his century before the captains agreed on a draw at 1750BST with 13.4 overs remaining.

So ultimately the weather was the key factor of this Test. Play did not start until after tea on the first day and the second day was cut short before a complete washout on the third.

By then, England had manoeuvred themselves into a good position after seven wickets fell on the morning session of day two with Australia all out for 263.

On Sunday, a good day of positive batting from England, especially by the ailing and wicketless Andrew Flintoff and Prior, gave them a lead of 113 runs and set up an unlikely push for victory.

But, if anything, the momentum then shifted in favour of the Aussie batsmen after several - Watson, Hussey, Clarke and North - used the time to play themselves into form.

Indeed, the Aussies ended up with a handsome enough lead of 262 with five wickets still remaining at close.

And they could easily argue that, had there been more time in the match, they would have put pressure on England's chase in the second innings.

Strauss should not feel too downhearted, though. England controlled most of this game and at least put themselves in a position where they could not lose it with a day left.

Looking forward, England know that a win at Headlingley will give them an unassailable 2-0 lead and a return of the Ashes urn.

The majority of the pressure remains with the Aussies.

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EARLIER CLOSE OF PLAY REPORTS
Day Four (close)
Australia 263 [Watson 62; Anderson 5-80] & 88-2 v
England 376 [Strauss 69, Bell 53, Flintoff 74, Broad 55]

ANDREW Flintoff has given England the chance to pull off victory with a fine batting display on the fourth day of the third Test at Edgbaston.

Flintoff scored 74 as England established an innings lead of 113 runs before the wickets of Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting fell to leave the Aussies still 25 behind on 88-2 at close.

After play was abandoned on day three without a ball being bowled, on top of a rain-affected opening two days, this match looked like it would simply amble to a tame draw.

But some positive batting by Flintoff, aided by Matt Prior, has put England in with an outside chance of an unlikely win and, importantly, batted Australia out of the game.

England resumed on 116-2 but the tourists enjoyed the best of the curtailed morning session which began at midday and lasted only an hour.

Skipper Andrew Strauss added only five runs to his overnight 64 before he snicked a ball by Ben Hilfenhaus behind into the hands of Graham Manou.

Then, two balls before lunch, Paul Collingwood irresponsibly edged straight to Ponting at second slip as Hilfenhaus struck again.

The momentum looked as if it was going to stay with Australia after the break.

Ian Bell, who had previously survived two strong lbw shouts for his 53, was not reprieved for a third time as Mitchell Johnson took his first wicket of the innings.

But Bell's departure brought Flintoff to the crease alongside Prior and the pair proceeded to take the game away from the Aussies completely with a free-scoring partnership of 89.

Prior was eventually out caught by sub fielder Philip Hughes after a sloppy shot off the bottom of his bat to an average-looking ball by Peter Siddle on 41.

And, although England also lost Flintoff by tea, most of the damage had been done by then with the hosts enjoying a lead of 53.

Flintoff departed in a most anti-climatic manner which was completely out of keeping with the rest of an innings which featured 10 fours and a six.

Nathan Hauritz spun a ball which spat and turned slowly off the pitch to Flintoff who could only glove it to Michael Clarke at first slip.

After tea, Stuart Broad batted well with the tail as England took their lead beyond 100.

Graeme Swann provided some assistance for Broad before he was out for 24, caught by Marcus North off Johnson's bowling.

James Anderson could not repeat his past heroics but still managed to score a single run before being caught by Manou off Hilfenhaus.

Thus, Anderson preserved his remarkable record of never having been out for a duck in Test cricket in 52 innings.

Finally, Graham Onions helped Broad achieve his half-century before the Notts all-rounder hit a return catch to Siddle on 55 to end the innings.

The Aussie openers took the crease under pressure with a deficit of 113 runs but Shane Watson and Katich started intelligently to reach 47-0.

Katich then suffered a moment of madness and snicked a full delivery from Onions behind to Prior.

When skipper Ponting was magnificently bowled moments later by the spin of Swann for just five runs, Edgbaston erupted and an Aussie collapse was in the air.

Better still, the out-of-form Mike Hussey was next to the crease, on a king pair.

On his first ball, delivered by Onions, he got a nervous inside-edge which looped up off his pad and only just evaded the Durham seamer's hands.

But after that Hussey settled and, along with Watson, guided Australia to 88-2 at stumps.

Their unbeaten 36 partnership has once again made the draw the firm favourite but Ponting will be well aware that his men are not out of the woods.

He knows that another inspired bowling performance, akin to the morning of the second day when seven wickets fell, could yet give England a 2-0 series lead.

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Day Three (close)
Australia 263 [Watson 62; Anderson 5-80] v England 116-2 [Strauss 64*]. No play at all possible on day three.

PERSISTENT rain at Edgbaston meant no play at all was possible on the third day of the third Test which now looks destined for a draw.

England had hoped to capitalise on their excellent day yesterday when they reached 116-2 at close of play after a brilliant morning session of seven wickets helped restrict Australia to 263 all out.

James Anderson took 5-80 and Graham Onions 4-58 as the seamers looked to have swung the match in England's favour.

Despite the early loss of Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara, skipper Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell had guided the hosts to a healthy position when bad light stopped play.

But the chances today of England establishing an innings lead, or alternatively, of an Aussie comeback, were thwarted by wretched weather.

Once again, huge puddles covered the outfield and, after several inspections, the umpires abandoned the day's play at 1430BST.

Expectations that this match can be anything other than a draw have been severely dampened.

Although brighter weather is forecast for the final two days, it would require an extraordinary effort by either of the sides.

England would need to score quickly enough to build up an innings lead before bowling out Australia cheaply for a second time and knocking off any runs required.

The Aussies are in an even tougher position and are in desperate need for a session akin to England's morning yesterday.

Ricky Ponting's men need to take the eight remaining first innings wickets as quickly as possible before batting positively for the rest of day four and some of day five.

The tourists would then need to dismiss England again in little more than two sessions to come back and level the series at 1-1.

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Day Two (close)
Australia 263 [Watson 62; Anderson 5-80] v England 116-2 [Strauss 64*]

SEAMERS James Anderson and Graham Onions put England into a healthy position as Australia capitulated on day two of the third Test at Edgbaston.

Anderson picked up his seventh five-for in Tests and his first against Australia to finish with figures of 5-80.

He was ably assisted by Durham bowler Graham Onions who took 4-58 in an amazing morning session in which England took seven wickets.

With the ball swinging, the impact was immediate and Onions made the vital early inroads to claim two wickets in the opening two balls of the day.

First Shane Watson, who was brought in for the out-of-sorts youngster Philip Hughes, was out lbw for a handy knock of 62.

Then, Mike Hussey suffered the first golden duck of this Ashes series after offering no shot to a straight ball that hit off-stump.

Michael Clarke survived the hat-trick ball and, along with Ricky Ponting, set about attempting to rebuild the Aussie innings.

But their stand of 37 for the fourth wicket came to an end when Ponting nicked a thin edge behind to Matt Prior on 38.

Once Clarke had also departed on 29 to a plumb lbw off Anderson's bowling, the blip became a collapse more often associated in the past with England.

Marcus North offered little before Prior made an outstanding full-stretch catch as Anderson's swing caused all sorts of panic from the Aussie batsmen.

He then became the second England bowler of the day to put himself on a hat-trick when he trapped Mitchell Johnson for a second golden duck of the innings.

Like Onions, the Lancastrian was unable to oblige with the hat-trick ball but struck again in his next over, the last before lunch.

Anderson splattered the stumps of Graham Manou, a late wicket-keeper change after Brad Haddin broke a finger in the warm-up, to leave the Aussies reeling on 203-8 at lunch.

Matters got little better for the tourists after the break.

Matt Prior took his third catch of the innings as Peter Siddle nicked an outside edge to another brilliant ball which viciously swung in from Anderson.

A stand of 34 for the last wicket by Nathan Hauritz and Ben Hilfenhaus offered some resistance.

But it was all brought to an end when Graeme Swann, who took the only wicket on day one, took an easy catch at gully after Hilfenhaus edged a full delivery from Onions.

Australia had resumed on a comfortable 126-1 after only 30 overs were bowled on the opening day due to torrential rain before the match which had covered the outfield in water.

But, within a session and a half, Anderson and Onions looked to have changed the course of the match completely.

Predictably, England suffered an early set-back in their reply when Alastair Cook was out for nought, caught behind by Manou after playing a loose shot to Siddle.

The hosts reached tea with no further loss on 56-1 and skipper Andrew Strauss looked particularly composed as he compiled 64 not out by close.

But the Aussies struck early in the final session when Ravi Bopara played an inside edge onto his stumps off Hilfenhaus for another disappointing score of 23.

That wicket brought Ian Bell to the crease. The Warwickshire batsman was always likeliest to replace the injured Kevin Pietersen and survived a big lbw shout to reach 26 not out when bad light stopped play.

A further 19 overs were lost in the final session of day two and the start of play was delayed again on the third day as more rain fell over Birmingham.

And so, despite the efforts of Anderson and Onions, the poor weather makes a draw the firm favourite.