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Version 3 Version 4
England facing Melbourne struggle England slump again in Melbourne
(about 3 hours later)
England faced a battle to avoid another heavy defeat in the fourth Ashes Test after reaching lunch on day three on 28-0, still 232 behind in Melbourne. England were facing another heavy defeat after slumping to 90-4 at tea on day three of the fourth Ashes Test.
Sajid Mahmood finished with 4-100 and Steve harmison dismissed Andrew Symonds (156) as Australia were out for 419. Stuart Clark bowled Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, Glenn McGrath trapped Ian Bell lbw and Paul Collingwood drove Brett Lee to short extra-cover.
Shane Warne made an entertaining 40 not out and England were lucky early on when Alastair Cook survived a confident leg-before appeal from Glenn McGrath. Andrew Strauss battled away for an unbeaten 31 but his team need another 170 to make Australia bat again.
McGrath was impressive and Australia remain firm favourites to go 4-0 up. The hosts were dismissed for 419, with Sajid Mahmood taking 4-100 and Steve Harmison removing Andrew Symonds (156).
They resumed on 372-7, with England desperate for quick wickets. Resuming on 372-7, Symonds added only two to his overnight score before getting a thick edge behind trying to play an expansive drive off Harmison.
It went to plan for them when Symonds got a thick edge trying to play an expansive drive off Harmison and was caught behind. Shane Warne was determined to enjoy himself in his last Test and thrashed six boundaries in an entertaning unbeaten 40 off 54 balls.
Warne was determined to enjoy himself in his last Test in his home town and the seamers obliged with plenty of poor fare for him to gobble up. Mahmood bore the brunt of his strokeplay before having Clark and McGrath caught close in, while Chris Read finished with six catches.
Mahmood was square-cut and pulled before a half-volley and long-hop from the Lancastrian were carved away through the covers and mid-wicket. The enormity of England's task soon became apparent, however, with McGrath consistently making the ball move away off the seam from just outside off-stump.
The inconsistent Mahmood finished with decent figures Clark did the early damage with two wickets to rock the tourists
Mis-hit shots dropped just short and wide of fielders to add to England's frustration before Mahmood enticed Stuart Clark and Glenn McGrath into nibbling away outside off-stump. Cook passed 1,000 runs in his first calendar year of Test cricket but should have been out before lunch when the veteran seamer rapped him on the pad with a straight delivery that held its line.
Chris Read finished with six catches and Mahmood with decent figures but it needed the visiting batsmen to pull out something special. South African umpire Rudi Koertzen somehow ruled in his favour but McGrath's fellow metronome Clark accounted for him soon after the interval.
Brett Lee immediately found some swing, while McGrath consistently made the ball move away off the seam to make life tricky for them. A lazy drive from the young left-hander caught the inside edge before the ball crashed into middle-stump.
Cook played the first aggressive shot in the fifth over to pull Lee for three before caressing him away through the covers for three more to achieve 1,000 runs in his first calendar year of Test cricket. McGrath then nipped the ball back into Bell to win only the second lbw verdict of the match, although there was some doubt whether the ball would have gone on to hit the top of the stumps.
Andrew Strauss clipped McGrath through mid-wicket for three and cracked Lee through the covers too to confirm batting was far from impossible on this MCG track. Pietersen came in at four, not his preferred five, and was soon trudging back to the pavilion after Clark bowled a beauty which jagged back in and went through a big gate.
But Cook should have been given out lbw when McGrath rapped him on the pad with a straight delivery that held its line. Collingwood played sensibly to lead a brief rally with Strauss until he also drove loosely and left his side with a mountain to climb.
South African umpire Rudi Koertzen, not for the first time in the game, mistakenly ruled in favour of the batsman and the openers went off relieved. It could have been worse had Hayden held on to a difficult chance at gully off Strauss, and had Lee hurled the ball in more accurately from long-leg with the opener yards short.