Australia survive West Indies scare

Australia 275 for 8 (Ponting 79, Johnson 73*, Miller 2-24) beat West Indies 225 (Dowlin 55, Fletcher 54) by 50 runs.

On paper it looked like being a mismatch. On paper, it appears Australia had an easy 50-run victory. In reality there were several nervous periods for Ricky Ponting's men throughout a game they were expected to win comfortably. In the end, the target of 276, set up by strong batting from Ponting and Mitchell Johnson, was too big for a second-string West Indies outfit. But not by much. Ponting will demand more discipline from his bowlers against India and Pakistan after they lacked incision against a starless West Indies top order. West Indies showed plenty of fight, first through the middle overs with the ball and then through Andre Fletcher and Travis Dowlin with the bat. They were 124 for 1 during the 25th over and on a pitch that had dried out and lost some of the demons from earlier in the day, an upset could have been on the cards. Fletcher worked hard and showed uncharacteristic restraint to post his second half-century in one-day internationals. He was scratchy early but worked his way into the game, using his sheer strength to thump four fours and a six, before the chasm in experience - the 11 West Indies players entered the game with a combined 117 ODI caps compared to Australia's 927 - began to show. An outrageously poor piece of running cost Fletcher his wicket when he pushed Brett Lee to mid-off, took off slowly and rather than diving to try and make his ground, jumped in the air outside his crease as he wrongly anticipated Johnson's throw missing. The Australians saw Fletcher's carefree - or careless - attitude to crease management on his ODI debut last year, when he was run out strolling aimlessly out of his ground, and he clearly hasn't learnt his lesson. That was followed by an unfathomable decision to promote the wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, fresh from his golden duck on debut against Pakistan, to No. 4 with Dale Richards injured and unable to bat. Walton improved - he made a second-ball duck to James Hopes this time - but his horrid attempted slog that was edged back onto the stumps when so fresh to the crease reeked of inexperience and panic. These things can happen with young players but West Indies needed everything to go their way to beat Australia and they quickly moved from a position of potential to a state of vulnerability. Dowlin (55), though trying admirably, just couldn't score his runs quickly enough and was caught top-edging Lee. Nor was there fast scoring from the captain Floyd Reifer, who at 37 appears to have reflexes just a fraction too slow for international cricket. Reifer's only experience against any Australian side came in 1990, when he played against a touring Australian youth team that featured the likes of Damien Fleming and Michael Bevan, and the current selector Jamie Cox. Against the speed of Lee and Johnson, he was unable to do much but defend and made 28 from 56 balls. He couldn't follow the earlier lead of Fletcher and Dowlin, who rotated the strike so well that until Fletcher's run-out they had managed 24 singles from the previous 33 balls. Two consecutive sixes from Darren Sammy off Johnson gave Australia another fright when the equation came in to 66 required from 50 balls, but when Sammy was caught on the boundary their momentum disappeared. It was a shame that West Indies' chase petered out like that, for they had provided a much greater contest than anyone anticipated. But the longer the format the more likely the best team will win; were it a Twenty20 contest anything could have happened. Australia began the match as almost unbackable favourites, fresh from a 6-1 win over England, and facing a team that is the cricket equivalent of an office full of temp workers. Less than a week after playing in Durham at the end of a four-month tour, this was effectively Australia's warm-up match for their next games against India and Pakistan. Things didn't begin well for Australia when they were sent in and Shane Watson was bowled by a cracking late inswinging yorker from Kemar Roach with the first ball of the match. A spicy Wanderers pitch added some heat to what could have been a lifeless encounter and Roach, Sammy and Gavin Tonge enjoyed hitting the cracks.

Several balls jagged sharply back or found extra bounce from a good length and one steep riser from Sammy surprised Ponting so much that he dropped the bat when the ball rapped him on the hands. It was more of a concern for Tim Paine (33), who stayed with Ponting for an 85-run second-wicket stand but was much less fluent than his captain. Ponting latched onto anything wide from the seamers and twice Roach went for 17 off an over, straying to leg too often. The West Indies fast men needed to do more early damage in the wickets column given the uncomfortable bounce, and it was left to the spinner Nikita Miller to peg things back. Australia had reached 148 for 3 in the 31st over when Miller turned one past Ponting, who was stumped by Walton, and Miller then spun one through Cameron White's defences to clip the off stump. A superb 10 overs from Miller earned him 2 for 24 without conceding a boundary, but when the fast men returned the danger for Australia eased. The key for Australia was Johnson's late unbeaten 73. His fierce, clean hitting brought back memories of his highly entertaining 96 in the Test against South Africa at the same venue this year, when he sent several Paul Harris deliveries into the stands. This time, he had the benefit of gaps in the outfield as Australia took the batting Powerplay from the start of the 45th over and added an incredible 69 in those five overs. Johnson cleared the boundary three times and finished with his highest ODI score as he and Lee posted a 70-run stand. It was enough to give Australia 275, thought not without their murmurs of worry. They experienced further palpitations during West Indies' innings before getting across the line. A sharper effort will be required against India and Pakistan.

Paine sets up crushing victory

Australia 296 for 8 (Paine 111, Hussey 65, Anderson 4-55) beat England 185 (Hopes 3-32) by 111 runs.

Tim Paine's maiden one-day international century and two spectacular, direct-hit run-outs from Ricky Ponting sent England tumbling to their third heaviest all-time home defeat and a sixth consecutive loss to Australia. In a thoroughly dispiriting display, England were bundled out for 185 in pursuit of the tourists' 296 for 8, allowing the Australians a chance at an unprecedented seven-game series whitewash and moving them into a first-place tie with South Africa atop the ODI rankings. England seemed resigned to another punishing outing when Paine and Michael Hussey combined for Australia's highest third-wicket partnership (163) in limited overs matches against England. That sentiment was mercilessly driven home when Ponting capitalised on the confused states of mind of England's middle order to gun down Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara during the fielding Powerplay; dismissals from which they would never rebound. England's run-chase began disastrously when Andrew Strauss was incorrectly ruled out for the second successive match by Asad Rauf, but the hosts had only themselves to blame thereafter. Prior was caught off-guard at the non-striker's end by a sublime Ponting turn-and-throw at extra cover, while another mix-up from the combustible duo of Owais Shah and Bopara led to the latter's demise six balls later. Bopara's departure rounded out a depressing sequence in which England lost three top-order wicket for 15 runs in the space of 26 deliveries, and when Eoin Morgan fell with the England total on 100, another home defeat seemed assured. The 111-run loss was England's heaviest home defeat in eight years, and 11th worst in their 517-game ODI history. It was, by some distance, the nadir of England's already lamentable series, and will prompt much soul-searching barely a week out from their Champions Trophy opener against Sri Lanka. Earlier, Paine and Hussey posted Australia's highest third-wicket partnership against England to lead the tourists to a near run-a-ball total from their 50 overs. Paine notched his maiden one-day international century in just his seventh match, while Hussey blasted a brisk 65 as part of a 163-run stand that eclipsed the previous record set by David Boon and Allan Border in Sharjah 22 years ago. Australia's prospects of a sixth consecutive victory over England were significantly boosted by the contributions of Paine and Hussey, although James Anderson (4 for 55) ensured the tourists did not have it all their own way. Anderson, clearly rejuvenated after his enforced two-match break, removed Shane Watson and Ponting early and bowled Callum Ferguson with the first delivery of his third spell to apply a degree of restraint to Australia's total. But the afternoon belonged to Paine. Called in as a late replacement for the injured Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper-batsman displayed temperament far beyond that of a man playing just his third week of one-day international cricket during a 148-ball innings of 111. He batted methodically in the tense, early exchanges, relying on cover and square drives for the bulk of his runs before expanding his repertoire to include a deft reverse sweep off Graeme Swann and a series of well-struck cut-shots. Patience and placement were his major weapons, although Paine did dip into the power reserves on occasion, most notably when he dispatched a Dimitri Mascarenhas slower ball over the long-off rope. Paine was ably supported by Hussey, who operated on a higher gear to his younger partner throughout his 69-ball stint in the middle. Hussey weathered a testing period early before hitting the accelerator to bring the previously subdued Trent Bridge crowd to life. Glides behind square were complemented by withering blows in front of the wicket - his sixes of Ryan Sidebottom and Mascarenhas a highlight - as Australia's third-wicket partnership swelled to 163. Hussey's dismissal to Swann sparked a nervous period for the tourists during which they lost 3 for 17 in 24 deliveries. However, a late surge from James Hopes (38 off 22 balls) and Cameron White (35 off 23) allowed the Australians to take 54 runs from their final Powerplay. The pair combined for a sixth-wicket stand of 53 from 27 deliveries.

Ponting Leads Australia To 5-0

Australia 302 for 6 (Ponting 126, Clarke 52) beat England 299 (Morgan 58) by four wickets. Ricky Ponting has already suffered the ignominy of surrendering the No. 1 Test ranking on this tour, but his final week in England may yet witness Australia's return to the summit of the 50-over game. Ponting produced his highest ever ODI total against England - a breathtaking innings of 126 from 109 deliveries - that provided the platform from which Australia launched a successful assault on England's intimidating 299. Nothing short of a 7-0 series whitewash will allow Australia to usurp the top-ranked South Africans entering the Champions Trophy, and Ponting's 27th career ODI century delivered them to within two wins of the feat. Australia's fifth consecutive victory over England was sealed when Mitchell Johnson blasted Ryan Sidebottom for a straight six with four wickets in hand and 10 balls remaining, however it was the imperious batting of Ponting that will be remembered as the tide-turner. The designated rest period has clearly done Ponting no harm. From the outset, his was an innings of sublime timing and intimidating power that England's bowlers could do little to repel. At one point, Ponting cuffed a Sidebottom delivery over the press box, but his most entertaining sequence came when he pounded consecutive sixes off Adil Rashid, who had the dubious honour of taking the second ball. Ponting's only moment of trepidation came on 35 when, facing Dimitri Mascarenhas, Matt Prior removed the bails with his foot in motion behind the crease. The third umpire, Nigel Llong, found in his favour, however, allowing Ponting to resume his third-wicket stand with Michael Clarke, which produced 123-runs. The Australians suffered a pair of setbacks when Tim Bresnan removed Tim Paine and Shane Watson, the latter for a well-struck 36 from 34 deliveries. But their exits drew Ponting and Clarke to the centre, and both appeared in an ominous mood from the outset. While Ponting powered out of the blocks, Clarke began his innings watchfully before steadily accelerating as the evening progressed. His penchant for scoring runs this series has not been in question, although his ability to do so quickly has emerged as a discussion point, particularly with the Twenty20 captaincy up for grabs. A return of 52 from 64 balls might not have ended the debate, but it did represent a higher gear than those which he has operated on thus far in the series. England were left to rue a poor fielding display that undid much of their earlier work with the bat. Australia's final pair of Cameron White (24 not out from 15 balls) and Johnson (18 not out from 12) were too often allowed charity runs in the closing overs, turning a potentially tense finale into a relatively docile stroll. Earlier, Eoin Morgan's flashing blade propelled England to their highest total of the series, and with it their best chance yet of ending Australia's fortnight of dominance. Morgan's frenetic innings of 58 from 41 deliveries featured an array of dazzling strokes, including powerful sixes to bring up England's 200 and his own half-century. England seemed set for another middle order stammer when Owais Shah departed in the 39th over with the total at 192 for 5, however Morgan's late-innings partnerships with Mascarenhas and Stuart Broad provided the hosts first with ballast, and later authority. The Dublin-born left-hander made his move between the 38th and 42nd overs during England's batting Powerplay, at which time the hosts advanced their total by 45 runs, then proceeded to frustrate the Australians with powerful and occasionally improvised strokeplay, such as his stunning reverse sweep to the boundary off Nathan Bracken. Bracken exacted revenge with his next delivery, though not before Morgan, who was dropped on 38 by juggling Michael Hussey at deep square-leg, had accelerated to his highest one-day international score since shifting allegiances from Ireland. At the time of his departure in the 48th over, England were well on course for a competitive total, and when Rashid blasted three boundaries from Johnson's final over, a intimidating score was in the books. England's middle-order resurgence may not have come in time to save the series, but it will provide team management with a sense of optimism ahead of the Champions Trophy. Too often England's batsmen have been contained and subsequently dismissed by Australia's bowlers over the past few weeks, but on an ideal batting surface the hosts managed a display befitting of an international-standard limited-overs side.

Lee Shines As Australia Seals Searies

Australia 221 for 3 (Clarke 62*, Paine 51) beat England 220 (Strauss 63, Lee 5-49) by seven wickets. Brett Lee has wanted to prove a point in this series after missing the Ashes and did so in emphatic style as he claimed 5 for 49 to set up Australia's crushing seven-wicket victory, which gave them an unassailable 4-0 lead. After England folded to the pace of Lee for 220, Tim Paine made his first international half-century to set up the chase, then Michael Clarke helped himself to an unbeaten 62 as Australia cruised home with 38 balls to spare. England were still handily placed on 146 for 3 when Lee, who removed Joe Denly in the fifth over, returned for a one-over spell before the mandatory ball change at 34 overs. His first delivery was a pinpoint yorker that was too much for Matt Prior, he finished with a wicket-maiden, and from there the innings nose-dived. However, it was Lee's last spell that was the most destructive as England's last five wickets fell for 20. Lee was just too quick for four batsmen as he demolished the stumps with searing yorkers to complete the ninth five-wicket haul of his career. Nathan Hauritz also deserves huge credit for claiming two key wickets, including Strauss, and conceding just 23 runs from his 10 overs. In a pattern that has become eerily predictable, Andrew Strauss shone at the top with a neat 63, but once again his colleagues couldn't follow suit. It was thrilling to watch Lee in full flow, an absent phenomenon during the Ashes series, as he uprooted the stumps of Luke Wright, Stuart Broad and Adil Rashid in the space of 15 balls. England's frustrations nearly boiled over when Owais Shah swung a full toss from Shane Watson to midwicket and stood his ground, believing the ball had been above waist height. Replays showed it was marginal, but England are far from a happy bunch. There was barely a need for Australia to break sweat during their chase, although Watson's habit of falling lbw continued when he played across a delivery from Tim Bresnan. Paine cashed in on a couple of long hops from Rashid, who was introduced inside the Powerplays and struggled with his length to begin with, while Ricky Ponting eased back into his day job with two boundaries off Bresnan during a second-wicket stand of 57 in nine overs. At times England's bowling was as ordinary as the batting, but to Rashid's credit he recovered somewhat from his loose start and removed Paine via a top-edged sweep. Ponting enjoyed what was little more than an extended net following his three-week lay-off - an ideal way to get himself back into the groove ahead of the Champions Trophy - until he drove Bresnan to cover, but Clarke eased to his half-century from 66 balls in the glorious late-summer sunshine. Australia didn't bother to knock the runs off especially quickly on their last appearance at Lord's for the summer and the batting Powerplay was unused. The ground has brought mixed memories this year, but they will be back again in 2010 when they face Pakistan in a Test. The pattern of England's efforts in this series has been uncanny - and not in a good way. Strauss dominated the scoring at The Rose Bowl, before he fell for 63 off 72 balls, and it was an almost identical situation here as he reached a 48-ball half century having won his fourth toss of the series. However, with Hauritz doing an impressive job in stifling the scoring rate - he had already removed Ravi Bopara - Strauss felt the need to try and increase the tempo, but only managed a thick outside-edge to short third man when England needed him to stay and score a hundred. As he has done throughout the summer, Strauss looked in complete control. He took three fours in four balls off a wayward Nathan Bracken and had just the one awkward moment against Lee, when he got into a tangle against a short ball and gloved the delivery just wide of a diving Paine. Bopara, demoted to No. 3 with Denly's recall, was also playing comfortably in a second-wicket stand of 67. However, Hauritz's introduction slowed England's progress and he made the breakthrough in his third over when Bopara was struck in line with off stump while sweeping to complete another unfulfilling innings. England couldn't get Hauritz away - he conceded just a single boundary in his 10 overs - but again there was a lack of intent and the pressure told on Strauss as the run-rate dropped from over five to nearer four. In a smart piece of captaincy from Ponting, Hauritz was removed from the attack after nine overs to allow Lee a dart before the ball was changed at 34 overs with the result being Prior's demise. Paine pulled off a swift leg-side stumping to remove Eoin Morgan and though ideally two batsmen need to set when the batting Powerplay is taken, England had little option to call theirs soon after Wright arrived as his role in the side is to hit boundaries. It started brightly as the first two overs brought 21, but Lee soon found his range and England were blown away. In every sense.

Cameron White's Maiden International Hundered Helps Australia Complete Hatrick

Australia 230 for 4 (White 105, Clarke 52) beat England 228 for 9 (Strauss 63, Watson 3-36) by six wickets.

Cameron White scored his maiden international hundred, and Michael Clarke signed off as captain with a sheet-anchor 52 from 92 balls, as England's under-performing batsmen were taught an object lesson in how to pace a run-chase in the third ODI at the Rose Bowl. Chasing 229 under the floodlights after losing the toss for the third time in the series, White and Clarke added 143 for the third wicket to steer Australia to a comfortable six-wicket victory with nine balls remaining, and secure a virtually unassailable 3-0 lead with four matches of the NatWest Series still to come. Though England's bowlers put up something of a fight with the ball, the match was lost during another inadequate performance from the batsmen, in which Andrew Strauss, once again, was the only redeeming feature. Australia lost both openers early in their chase, and at 56 for 2 after 15 overs, it looked as though they might be forced to struggle for the ascendancy. But whereas England's batsmen produced five partnerships worth between 34 and 41 runs - a stat that perfectly encapsulated the wastefulness of their performance - the Aussies needed just one hefty alliance to make the game safe. For differing reasons, White and Clarke had plenty to prove in tonight's contest - the return of Ricky Ponting for Saturday's fourth ODI will require White to relinquish his No. 3 spot, and Clarke to hand back the captaincy. But both men ensured that the skipper will return to a steady ship after silencing a full house at The Rose Bowl with a performance that was light on fireworks but brimful of determination. Clarke contributed a solitary boundary to a stay that spanned 30 overs, which also happened to be his last shot before being bowled by Graeme Swann one ball later, and while questions remain about his lack of impetus in the middle-order, tonight is not the night for quibbling. Instead, it is a night for White to celebrate his arrival on the international stage. Having never batted higher than No. 5 before this series, today's 116-ball hundred followed on from his maiden half-century in the first match at The Oval, and whereas England's skittish batsmen have continually found new and innovative ways to squander their promising starts, he belied his reputation as a biffer to set himself a platform and, then, crucially, to build on it. His only error with the bat came on 92, during Australia's Powerplay, when Tim Bresnan fluffed a skier at long-on - and while the bowler, James Anderson, was not best pleased at that let-off, Anderson himself had earlier been guilty of letting White off the hook with two run-out chances - the first an underarm shy from five yards that somehow missed the stumps with the batsman on 46, and later a failure to break the stumps with White on 70, and floundering for the crease having worked a single into the leg-side. There was no panic at any stage of Australia's performance, however. They claimed the Powerplay at 154 for 2, with 66 balls of the chase remaining and 75 runs still needed, whereupon White drilled Sidebottom over mid-on for their first six of the series. His own contribution ended with nine runs still required, when he scudded a Luke Wright slower ball to mid-off, but Callum Ferguson and Michael Hussey ensured there were no late dramas. And so England were left to rue another day in keeping with their performances all year, in which their fortunes were dictated entirely by their captain. Having won his third toss of the series under overcast skies, Strauss might well have been tempted to bowl first, were it not for the memory of the failed run-chases that England compiled in the first two matches at The Oval and Lord's. This time, he took it upon himself to set the agenda personally, and at first he did so to fine effect. Though he did not open his account until his 11th delivery of the innings, he then climbed into Brett Lee with three fours in a row - a pull, a cut and a drive, the three staples of his international diet - en route to a 60-ball half-century.

At the other end, Ravi Bopara showed signs of his returning confidence when he drilled the first ball of Nathan Bracken's third over over long-on for six, and at 40 for 0 after seven overs, England were looking in command of their destiny. But then, however, it all started to go wrong. Bopara attempted a repeat stroke, but picked out James Hopes at full stretch running back towards the pavilion, and in the very next over, Matt Prior sized up a violent pull shot to get himself off the mark, but he fizzed a simple chance straight to Hopes once more, this time off the bowling of Mitchell Johnson. Owais Shah, under pressure again thanks to his haphazard running in the second ODI, was adjudged lbw, somewhat unluckily, as replays suggested that Johnson's delivery would have slipped past the off stump. And then, in a lapse in concentration that has been an unfortunate part of his otherwise excellent form in this series, Strauss worked Hauritz in the air with a flick of the wrists, and Clarke swooped low at midwicket to send him on his way. At 98 for 4, Australia were firmly in the ascendancy. Collingwood, charged with raising the tempo as well as providing mature support to the tyro Eoin Morgan, then produced arguably the most culpable dismissal of the lot, as he attempted to biff Shane Watson's medium pace over the leg-side field, but succeeding only in scuffing his drive to Bracken at mid-on for 28 boundary-free runs. And when Luke Wright scorched to short extra cover, it was left to Morgan to cobble together a defendable target. He added 36 in seven overs with Bresnan, including a rare six as Hopes was punched over the top, but the decision to call for the Powerplay in the 42nd over once again scuppered all England's momentum. On 43, Morgan was suckered by a slower-ball full toss from Lee, and patted a tame drive to Johnson at wide mid-off, before Swann played across the line to a wicket-to-wicket delivery from Shane Watson to be adjudged lbw for 3 from three balls (188 for 8). As England dribbled through their allocation, it wasn't until Bresnan cleared his front leg to smash consecutive fours off Watson with three balls of the Powerplay remaining that they managed so much as a boundary in their five sloggable overs. Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom ensured that the innings was not a total surrender by hauling England through their 50 overs in a ninth-wicket stand of 40, with both men posting their highest scores in ODI cricket before Sidebottom holed out to White off Watson's final ball of the innings. Nevertheless, their modest achievements were a further indictment of the failings higher up the order. Only an inspired performance with the ball would have enabled England to escape. And sure enough, White and Clarke ensured it did not materialise.

Johnson Helps Australia Secure Second Successive Win

Australia 249 for 8 (Ferguson 55, Johnson 43*) beat England England 210 (Collingwood 56, Lee 2-22) by 39 runs .

Already, two matches into this series, a pattern is developing as Australia claimed a 2-0 lead with 39-run victory at Lord's. Once again they were put into bat and managed only a par score as Callum Ferguson top-scored with 55, but then restricted a run-chase that England should have knocked off with ease, especially after reaching 74 without loss. England were guilty of repeating the same mistakes from The Oval as a number of their top-order made starts, but only Paul Collingwood passed fifty as he forlornly tried to hold the chase together. The key performance in many ways, though, was Mitchell Johnson's late assault with the bat after Australia had slumped to 208 for 8 in the 46th over. They didn't look like using up their allocation, but Johnson swung powerfully to club 43 from 23 balls and add 41 off the last 4.2 overs with Nathan Hauritz. It should have been negated by the solid start between Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara, but four wickets in 32 balls including two in four by Shane Watson, either side of a fly-past by an RAF Lancaster Bomber, derailed England's chase. And whereas on Friday they managed to get close thanks to the lower-order, this time the chase limped along. While Collingwood, who reached 4000 ODI runs when he had made 14, had Graeme Swann for company in an eighth-wicket stand of 36 there was still a chance, but Swann's mow across the line off a slower-ball from Nathan Bracken signalled the end. It was another example of an England batsman picking the wrong shot at the wrong time. The asking rate wasn't out of control with the Powerplay still to come, but by the time Bracken finished a double-wicket maiden, which also included Ryan Sidebottom's scalp, the game was up and the batting option hadn't been used. Of further frustration for England - as they lost all ten wickets for 136 - was that they were comfortably ahead of Australia's comparison well into the final 10 overs. Strauss had been quickest out of the blocks as he showed the adaptability that is now part of his batting and he and Bopara then began to feast on some loose offerings from James Hopes. However, Watson's introduction changed the game when Bopara walked across his stumps and was struck in front of middle. Watson, who struggled with the ball during his brief spells in the Ashes, celebrated with vigour and was at it again when Prior drove loosely without much footwork. Strauss's demise came two balls after a fly-past from a Lancaster Bomber that brought the Lord's crowd to their feet as it flew in over the Nursery Ground, then turned and made a return pass. The event was to commemorate 65 years since Lord's was handed back after being used as a RAF receiving base in World War Two. The players came onto the balcony to watch, and Strauss was soon rejoining them as he tried to work Hauritz into the leg side and chipped a gentle leading edge back to the bowler. Owais Shah announced his intentions by coming down the pitch and hammering Hauritz over wide mid-off for an authoritative boundary. But the combination of Collingwood and Shah at the crease did suggest some chaos with the running, with one of team's quickest alongside one of the slowest. Collingwood played the ball to the off side and wanted the single but saw Shah hesitate. That caused Collingwood to stutter and by the time both began running it was far too late, with Shah being the casualty. It adds to the lengthy list of run-outs Shah has been involved in and it is a significant problem. To Collingwood's credit he refocused well, but couldn't find anyone to stay with him. Eoin Morgan was pinned lbw by Johnson and Luke Wright, with time to build an innings, wafted at the hostile and accurate Brett Lee before Tim Bresnan fell to a weak cut against Johnson. There are plenty of Australians with points to prove in this series, Lee and Johnson being two of them, and so far that is a major difference. Australia had also stumbled after a solid opening stand, but had enough in the tank to stage a recovery. Bresnan, recalled after Stuart Broad was ruled out with a stiff neck, broke the first-wicket partnership of 62 when Watson drove to cover where Wright held a sharp, mid-air catch. Then it was Wright the bowler who took charge as Tim Paine pulled a short ball to deep midwicket where Morgan, playing as extra batting cover in place of Adil Rashid, steadied himself well under a spiralling catch. Wright, showing the pace he has added this season, then had Michael Clarke caught behind top-edging a pull. The innings was steadied by Ferguson and Cameron White as the pair added 59 before Bopara had White caught behind first-ball. Swann ensured that Australia's middle order struggled to find momentum when he removed Michael Hussey with one that straightened a fraction, and also trapped Hopes on the sweep. However, Ferguson remained and notched another half-century, to continue a prolific start to his international career, until playing round a straight ball to give James Anderson his first wicket since August 3. England should have aimed to bowl Australia out, but instead they lost some intensity in the closing overs as Johnson freed his arms and those runs proved the difference. There isn't much between these sides, but at the moment it's enough.

Australia Win In Tense Finish

Australia 260 for 5 (Ferguson 71*, Collingwood 2-47) beat England 256 for 8 (Bopara 49, Shah 40, Johnson 3-24) by 4 runs.

The ECB has taken it upon itself to destroy 50-over cricket, and it really does have a point. For 92 out of 100 overs, this was as awful as any international contest can be. But then suddenly, after six hours of ennui, the contest blazed into life under the Oval floodlights, as Luke Wright and Adil Rashid slashed and carved England to within a six-hit of an incredible and scarcely merited victory. In the end, however, it was left to Ryan Sidebottom to complete the heist by smashing Nathan Bracken out of the ground, but his swing-from-the-hip merely dribbled out to mid-off. And though it may be churlish to say it, the wave of anticlimax that swept the ground was entirely fitting. Australia duly won by four runs, their stodgy innings of 260 for 5 proving sufficient to overcome England's clumsy run-chase on a pitch hewn from the finest suet. Callum Ferguson's career-best 71 not out was the decisive innings of the day; Mitchell Johnson's 3 for 24 were the stand-out figures. But until Wright's uncompromising 38 from 27 balls (which ended when he was run out off a no-ball), Owais Shah's dismissal was set to be the most apt summary of the contest. He reached 40 from 48 balls before treading on his stumps while setting off for a single, and as he departed at 161 for 4 in the 38th over, so England's hopes appeared to go with him. Forget all the criticism that flew in Surrey's direction for the surface they served up for last month's Ashes decider. At least it could be said that that track had been designed with entertainment in mind. This, on the other hand, was designed for cricketing euthanasia. The slow and low surface encouraged neither attacking bowling nor calculated strokeplay, and it wasn't until desperation set in with 82 runs needed from 48 balls that the slogging began and the murmur in the crowd rose even an octave above cocktail party level. Briefly, it was as if we were back at the ICC World Twenty20. And maybe that is the point. Australia were made to flap in those closing overs. Michael Clarke, standing in as captain for the resting Ricky Ponting, juggled his field and his bowlers in equal measure, but - as had been the case all through the day - the extra pace of the seamers proved to be the only surefire way of getting the ball off the square. Bracken's final two overs were swiped for 23, while Brett Lee, who produced an energetic new-ball burst to account for England's captain, Andrew Strauss, was edged through third man for two fours from consecutive deliveries to reduce England's requirement from 27 in 12 balls to 19 in 10. But 13 from the final over proved to be beyond the scope even of the nerveless Rashid, who pulled a handsome four through square leg to raise the crowd's hopes, but was ultimately stranded at the wrong end on 31 not out. Earlier, Rashid had been the pick of England's bowlers as well, conceding 37 runs in ten overs of flighty and accurate legspinners. He joined forces with Paul Collingwood's offcutters to stymie Australia's run-rate, after Shane Watson and Cameron White had overcome the early loss of Tim Paine to add 82 in 15.5 overs for the second wicket. A brace of run-outs did not help their cause, least of all that of White, who had just posted his maiden ODI half-century when he was beaten by a bullet throw from the deep by Graeme Swann that Matt Prior gathered well in front of the stumps. That left all eyes on the captain, Clarke, whose one-day form has been under some scrutiny of late, as the youthful dasher has given way to a more watchful - and consequently stodgy - cricketer. His 45 from 72 balls was a case in point. His strokeplay was as elegant as ever, but he continually picked out the fielders as he was restricted to just three fours in his innings, and having dallied until the 43rd over to call for Australia's batting powerplay, he was caught slashing to point off Collingwood two balls later. Hussey, returning to the scene of his career-prolonging century two weeks ago, provided spirited support to Ferguson as Australia added 47 in five overs for the fifth wicket. But his cameo came to an end when Sidebottom yorked him for 20 from 15 balls, leaving James Hopes to partner Ferguson through the remaining 16 deliveries of the innings. England's initial response was (with the exception of a skittish Strauss) cautious, as they waited for their scoring opportunities, and picked off just seven fours in the course of the first 25 overs. Ravi Bopara produced his most composed performance since the World Twenty20 to keep the chase on course, but the spinner, Nathan Hauritz, changed the tone of the innings when he had Bopara's partner, Prior, caught in the gully off a reverse sweep for 28. At the halfway mark of the chase, England had reached 102 for 2 in pursuit of 261, with Bopara unbeaten on 46 from 80 balls. He was unable to make it to his half-century, however, as Hauritz dragged him out of his crease to be stumped for 49. Shah then started brightly by cracking two fours in a lone and exploratory over from Lee, but his running between the wickets - never a strong point - was an accident waiting to happen as Collingwood was sent sprawling for his crease twice in consecutive deliveries. In the end, he was forced so far back into his crease by Johnson that his heel demolished his leg stump, and that was the end of that. Collingwood never found his timing - at least, not until he was roundly booed by a frustrated crowd for playing out two dot balls in a row midway through the 40th over. One delivery later, he absolutely lambasted a delivery that was fractionally short in length from Johnson, but Watson at midwicket timed his leap to perfection to intercept the shot. Collingwood was gone for 23 from 47 balls, and so too, it seemed, was the match. Wright and Rashid had other ideas, but their enterprising late efforts could not mask the paucity of the overall contest.

Rain Interupts First T-20

Match abandoned Australia 145 for 4 (White 55, Collingwood 2-20) v England 4 for 2 . Just when Australia thought they had a chance for a modicum of Ashes revenge, rain thwarted a fiery start by Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson at Old Trafford. The pace pair ripped out England's latest Twenty20 opening duo - Joe Denly first ball on debut and Ravi Bopara - to reduce them to 4 for 2 in the second over chasing 146. Australia's total was better than it appeared on a tricky, two-paced surface where only Cameron White excelled with a powerful 55 from 36 balls. However, after seven balls of the run chase, rain, which delayed the second innings, returned with vengeance and didn't relent. When it had done, for a brief period, the Australians looked primed to make their mark. Lee steamed in from the Stretford End and claimed Denly with his first ball at England's new opener. It was a short ball, something the tourists had been practicing, and Denly could only splice a catch to square leg. At nearly 90mph, it was considerably quicker than anything he'd faced against Ireland. Denly had a poor day after also dropping White at backward point on 12. Lee followed the wicket with a no-ball to Jonathan Trott, but the free hit was edged towards the slips and Trott could barely get bat on ball for the rest of the over. At the other the end the pace was no less extreme from Johnson and Bopara's poor international form continued when he flayed loosely outside off and sent a high catch to first slip. Both openers will get another chance on Tuesday - weather permitting - and England need to settle on a first-wicket combination. This is their 13th pair in 21 Twenty20 innings - it was certainly unlucky for Denly and Bopara. But that was that, as far as this match was concerned. A dull, cold, wet day in Manchester can be a fairly grim place and even during the action that did take place the Twenty20 atmosphere was subdued. That was partly down to the scoring-rate, as Australia laboured at around a run-a-ball for three quarters of their innings before White's 55 increased the rate in the last five overs. In total Australia managed just six fours in their innings alongside White's three sixes as England exploited a two-paced surface with clever changes of pace. The final five overs brought 52 thanks to White's hitting and some scampering, although the last two only cost 14 and Michael Clarke finished on a very un-Twenty20 27 from 34 deliveries. Stuart Broad made the initial breakthrough with the first ball of his second over when Watson spliced a pull to midwicket where Bopara - not always the safest fielder - took the catch on the edge of the circle. Paul Collingwood rotated his seamers in short spells, but it was the introduction of the captain himself that had the biggest impact. Operating in cutter mode, and finding considerable turn, Collingwood trapped David Warner leg before as he swung across the line, although the batsman was unlucky as the ball pitched outside leg stump. Two balls later David Hussey, who slammed 111 against Scotland, had a charge at his second ball and was smartly stumped by the increasingly impressive Matt Prior. White finally added to the boundary count when he drove Collingwood inside-out through cover and he was given a life in the next over as Denly, on debut, spilled the fairly straightforward chance at backward point off Anderson. White was the only batsman to look comfortable in the conditions and began to open his shoulders during the final five overs. A powerful pull over deep midwicket off Broad brought up the 100 with the first six of the innings and he followed that by depositing Graeme Swann over long-on. He saved the sweetest of his strikes to reach a 33-ball half-century as he flicked Ryan Sidebottom onto the committee balcony. Sidebottom produced an excellent final over, but didn't hide his annoyance when Luke Wright missed the simple catch at long-on off Adam Voges from the penultimate ball. His anger towards team-mates' mistakes has been an issue before, and time away from the team hasn't dulled his passion. The real frustration, though, was the weather. Everyone will try again in two days.

Australia Fall From No.1 To No.4 In Test Rankings

Australia's 2-1 Ashes defeat, confirmed with a heavy 197-run loss at The Oval on Sunday, has cost them their No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings. They have slipped to fourth, with South Africa now the No. 1 Test team in the world, followed by Sri Lanka and India. It is the first time the Australians have lost their grip on the top spot since 2003, when the ICC introduced its current ranking system. The defeat has cost them eight points but despite the series result they remain ahead of their arch rivals England, who are in fifth place. England gained six points but are still 11 behind Australia. Australia were in danger of losing their No. 1 ranking towards the end of last year, when they lost a home Test series to South Africa 2-1. A consolation win in the third Test in Sydney ensured they retained top spot and they also held on thanks to their follow-up series victory in South Africa.

Gloriouse England Take Ashes

England 332 and 373 for 9 dec beat Australia 160 and 348 (Hussey 121, Ponting 66, Swann 4-120) by 197 runs.

Amid scenes of delirium unwitnessed in South London since the unforgettable summer of 2005, England's cricketers reclaimed the Ashes on a tumultuous fourth afternoon at The Oval, as Australia's brave resistance - led by a century of incredible mental fortitude from Michael Hussey - was unpicked, wicket by wicket, minute by minute, until, at 5.47pm, and with an expectant crowd willing on the moment of glory, Hussey prodded Graeme Swann to Alastair Cook at short leg to spark the celebrations into life. At the moment of victory, all of England's players rushed into a huddle on the edge of the square - all except for one, that is. In his moment of Test retirement, Andrew Flintoff's first instinct was to seek out and console the crestfallen centurion Hussey, whose 121 from 263 balls had given his side a hope of salvation, but whose careless running between the wickets during a fraught afternoon session had been the single biggest factor in their demise. By calling for the single that led to the run-out of his captain and resistance-leader Ricky Ponting for 66, Hussey is unlikely to recall this particular innings with any fondness whatsoever. Inevitably, it was Flintoff who stole the show from the Australians. He could not be the tub-thumping batsman of old in this series, while his bowling - though thunderous at Lord's - faded cruelly as the concerns about his right knee began to mount. But as a presence, and as a man who can make things happen on a cricket field, his spell has scarcely diminished. In a moment that is sure to be replayed for years on end, he gathered a firm clip from Hussey, steadied himself as Ponting hesitated fatally, then unleashed a fast, flat, unerring swing of the arm that plucked out the off stump with Ponting a foot short. Though the decision went to a replay, Flintoff was in no doubt. He raised his arms in his now-habitual Kodak pose, and waited to be enveloped by his jubilant team-mates. It was a moment eerily reminiscent of Gary Pratt's series-turning shy at Trent Bridge in 2005, when Ponting once again was the fall guy, and it uncorked the tensions in the crowd as surely as the champagne was uncorked in England's dressing-room some three hours later. It brought to an end an unnerving stand of 127, and it shattered Australia's collective will. Five balls later, their batsman of the series, Michael Clarke ran himself out for a duck after a clip off the pads ricocheted to Andrew Strauss at leg slip, and Australia could not recover their poise. Though Hussey was badly dropped by Paul Collingwood at slip on 55 off Swann, in Swann's next over, Marcus North dragged his back foot out of the crease as he swung at a big ripper, and Matt Prior, having gathered well high to his left, flicked off the bails almost as an afterthought. Their target of 546 had become a distant figment of their imagination, and at 236 for 5, their only remaining hope was to bat out the final four sessions of the series. Brad Haddin chose pugnacity as the means to reboot Australia's innings, and he signalled his intent with two fours in his first nine balls, including a fizzing cover-drive as James Anderson overpitched. But Anderson might have dismissed him three times in a single over, including a regulation clip to short midwicket that was spilled by the substitute, Graham Onions. As he and Hussey took their seventh-wicket stand to 91, an ever-anxious crowd began to shuffle in their seats. On 34, however, his luck finally ran out, as he advanced down the track to Swann and picked out Strauss with a lofted flick to deep midwicket. It was to be the game-breaking moment. Strauss, usually the coolest of characters in the field, celebrated euphorically as The Oval erupted once more, and seven balls later, the end truly was nigh. Steve Harmison - hitherto muted on a pitch that did not suit his style - extracted enough life for Mitchell Johnson to fence to second slip, where Collingwood, to his relief and joy, finally held on. Then, when Peter Siddle played around his front pad to lob a simple chance to mid-off, Harmison had his second scalp in the space of 12 balls.

That quickly became three in 13, as Stuart Clark fenced nervily to Cook at short leg, and though Hilfenhaus averted the hat-trick with a stabbed defence straight back down the track, there was no longer any way to stem England's tide of emotion. With Harmison stalking to the crease with a predatory menace unseen in Ashes cricket for four long years, the crowd finally dared to proclaim the Ashes were coming home. Fifteen balls later, they were. Some six hours earlier, England's day of destiny had dawned with more than just a frisson of anxiety in the air, thanks to the ease with which Australia's openers had pushed along at four runs an over on the third evening of the match. But Swann soothed the nation by claiming the initial breakthrough at the end of his second over, tweaking a succession of sharply spinning offbreaks past Simon Katich's edge, before nailing him plumb lbw with the arm-ball. Swann bounced for joy in the middle of the pitch as a massive roar of relief and ecstasy erupted from the stands, but almost immediately the fervour morphed into a respectful standing ovation for the incoming Ponting, in his 136th Test and almost certainly his last in England after four memorable Ashes tours. Before he had faced a delivery, however, England had struck again, as Broad this time hurried Shane Watson on off stump and beat the inside-edge of his defensive prod. Watson did not seem best amused at the decision, but replays suggested there was nothing wrong with the appeal at all. For all of Watson's impressive form in five innings at the top of Australia's order, it was nevertheless the fourth time this series he had fallen in such a manner. Food for thought as he works on his new career as an opener. At 90 for 2 and with a jittery Hussey at the crease, England swarmed onto the offensive, with Swann camping four men around the bat at all times and at one stage sending down 28 dot balls in a row as Hussey prodded and smothered with desperate determination. At the other end, Ponting's eagerness to play the pull was tempered by his wariness of the vagaries of the wicket, although whenever he was tempted, he executed the stroke with the mastery that has made it his calling-card for the past decade. In the first over after lunch, Ponting laced a first-ball full-toss from Broad through the covers for four, then tickled Swann around the corner to bring up a battling and brilliant half-century from 76 deliveries. Broad subsequently received a warning for running on the pitch to deepen the crowd's growing concerns, who had just seen Collingwood at slip parry a rare Ponting edge with his left boot. But then up popped Flintoff, and once he'd had his say, there was no holding back the inevitable.

Trott's Brilliance Sets Australia A Record Beating Task

England 332 and 373 for 9 dec (Trott 119, Strauss 77, Swann 63, North 4-98) lead Australia 160 by 545 runs. Jonathan Trott entered Ashes folklore with the innings of an instant veteran, as England's batsmen sauntered into a position of insuperable dominance on another enthralling day at The Oval. His 119 from 193 balls was the 18th century by a debutant in England's Test history and the first against Australia since Graham Thorpe in 1993, but in terms of the occasion, it ranked among the finest of all time. His efforts enabled Andrew Strauss to declare on 373 for 9, with 21 overs of the third day remaining, and Australia's target an unassailable 546. Trott had been a controversial selection for such a pressure-cooker contest, but to give the selectors credit where it is due, the skill, determination and confidence of his performance made the men around him in England's middle-order look like the international novices. His nerveless shot selection, at an even tempo of roughly a run every two balls, provided the scaffolding for a series of carefree cameos at the other end - including a farewell frolic from Andrew Flintoff, and a spanking 63 from 55 balls from Graeme Swann, whose confidence could hardly be higher going into the defining fourth innings. The Oval pitch, the subject of much controversy overnight, carried on producing wild puffs of dust from almost every delivery, but as England's tail clubbed a supine attack to all corners of South London, the heat went out of the debate about its merits. In fact, England's progress seemed at times almost too comfortable for their series prospects, as Australia's bowlers abandoned any hope of salvaging their team's situation and instead settled for damage limitation with a view to batting out for the draw. Nevertheless, the steep bounce that the part-time spinner, Marcus North, continued to extract was enough to confirm the suspicions that batting last, with men packed around the bat, will be a fraught experience. North, who came into the game with just two Test wickets to his name, emerged as the unequivocal pick of the attack, with 4 for 98 from 30 testing overs. Tea England 332 and 290 for 7 (Trott 83*, Swann 34*) lead Australia 160 by 462 runsJonathan Trott produced the innings of an instant veteran to build on Andrew Strauss's first-session 75, as England cemented their dominance of the fifth and final Test with an improbably serene day's batting at The Oval. By tea on the third afternoon, Trott had moved to within 17 of a debut century to rank, in terms of the occasion, among the finest of all time, as England's lead grew to a hefty 462 with three wickets still in hand, and seven sessions of a warp-speed contest still lying ahead of them. Trott had been a controversial selection for such a pressure-cooker contest, but to give the selectors credit where it is due, the skill, determination and confidence of his performance made the men around him in England's middle-order look like the international novices. His nerveless shot selection, at an even tempo of a run every two balls, provided the scaffolding for a series of carefree cameos at the other end - including a farewell frolic from Andrew Flintoff, who clubbed four fours in an 18-ball 22, before holing out to long-on to depart to an emotional ovation. The Oval pitch, the subject of much controversy overnight, was still producing wild puffs of dust from almost every delivery, but the surface itself remained as true as could be expected in the circumstances. At times England's progress seemed almost too comfortable for their series prospects, as Australia's bowlers abandoned any hope of salvaging their team's situation and instead settled for damage limitation with a view to batting out for the draw, but the steep bounce that the part-time spinner, Marcus North, continued to extract was enough to confirm the suspicions that batting last, with men packed around the bat, will be a fraught experience. In the course of Trott's 168-ball stay, his most palpable moments of alarm came from his first two deliveries of the morning, first when Peter Siddle believed he had made the breakthrough with an off-stump lifter (umpire Asad Rauf correctly ascertained that the ball had flicked only the thigh pad on the way through to Brad Haddin) and then when Trott followed up that escape with an awkward spoon into the covers off a leading edge. With impressive ease, however, he put those dramas out of his mind, perhaps sensing that he'd experienced the most capricious deliveries that could come his way. He added 118 for the fourth wicket with Andrew Strauss, whose unflappable composure served as a moist flannel on his country's fevered brow, as he left the ball with nerveless certainty outside off, and demanded that Australia's bowlers bowled to his strengths rather than probe for non-existent weaknesses. The pair ensured there would be no continuation of the late-evening hiccup that had taken a layer of sheen off England's remarkable second day, as set out their stall to bat through the day, before upping the ante in the final half-hour before lunch. Strauss was looking a dead-cert to claim his, and England's, second hundred of the series when he lashed Stuart Clark for three fours from nine balls faced, but with four balls remaining before the interval, he was lured by a ball of fuller length from North, who extracted enough rip off the track to find the edge to slip. Matt Prior, for once, played only a minor role in England's momentum shift - although he did manage to send Ricky Ponting into the lunch break with a mouthful of blood after drilling the ball into his face at silly mid-off. Three overs after the break, he called for a crazy single after picking out the dead-eyed Simon Katich in the covers, and was run out by a distance for 4. Nevertheless, his departure ensured that the crowd got one last glimpse of the man they really wanted to see, and when Flintoff clubbed his second delivery violently through midwicket for four, it was abundantly clear how he intended to pace his final Test innings. Three more boundaries followed, each greeted with rapture, but alas the magic could not last. On 22, Flintoff came down the track once more to launch North into the Harleyford Road, but Siddle steadied himself on the long-on ropes to pouch a simple catch. The Aussies stood in the middle to applaud Flintoff back to the pavilion as he saluted all corners of the ground, while down the steps - replacing him in every sense - came the man of the moment, Stuart Broad. He did not disappoint either. Feeding off Mitchell Johnson's renewed erratic line and length, he dabbed the first of his five fours through backward point, then climbed into North in a violent over containing three further biffs down the ground, the first of which went arrow-straight back over the bowler's head to land just inside the boundary's rope. He eventually took one swipe too many, and picked out Ponting in the covers, but Graeme Swann carried on in the same aggressive vein, feasting on a series of overpitched deliveries to rush to 34 not out at tea. At the other end, however, Trott just trotted along, a man seemingly in control of his, and England's, destiny.

Watson and Katich Battling To Put Australia Ahead

Australia's openers stood firm during a torrid 20.2-over session on the second morning at The Oval, employing luck and skill in equal measures to chisel their way to 61 for 0 in the first innings, having earlier dismissed England for a decent but insubstantial 332. Nevertheless, with England's seamers finding uneven bounce with the new ball, and Graeme Swann ripping the ball prodigiously out of the footholds, batting is unlikely to get any easier as the match wears on.

Watson, with three consecutive half-centuries to his name since his recall at Edgbaston, reached the interval on 30 not out, but he was by some distance the most fortunate of the two batsmen, as he survived three vociferous lbw appeals in the space of seven deliveries from James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff, who once again shared the new ball. If the first two were rightly adjudged to be zipping over the top, the third - from Flintoff - would have demolished leg stump, and given England their first breakthrough in the sixth over of the innings.

But Watson survived, and duly began to thrive. He clipped Flintoff's next delivery firmly through midwicket for four - the only boundary he conceded in a typically miserly six-over spell that went for seven runs - and had reached 17 from 42 balls when he dispatched Steve Harmison's first delivery with dismissive ease through backward square leg - a shot of such authority to a rank long-hop that Harmison's short leg fled from the scene after a solitary delivery.

At the other end, Katich danced and shimmied at the crease, particularly against Flintoff, for whom he kept altering his guard to cope with his differing lines from over and round the wicket. He climbed into a brace of leg-stump deliveries from Anderson to whip and clip him for two boundaries in an over, and had reached 26 not out before a rain-shower sent the players scurrying to the pavilion with a couple of minutes to go before the scheduled lunch break.

Earlier, Australia's seamers had required just 32 balls to claim the final two wickets of England's first innings, but not before Stuart Broad and Harmison had combined in a handy tenth-wicket partnership of 24. Broad was the last man to fall, caught at second slip by Ricky Ponting for a hard-hitting 37, a continuation of his impressive recent form with the bat. Two balls earlier, he had pulled Ben Hilfenhaus superbly through square leg for his first boundary of the morning, but Hilfenhaus responded with a full-length slower ball, to secure his third wicket of the innings.

Hilfenhaus's most notable dismissal, however, came from the ninth delivery of the day, when he curled a good-length delivery into Anderson's back pad, to send him on his way, lbw for 0, his first Test duck after six years and 54 Test innings. The end of Anderson's remarkable run left him fourth in the all-time list of duckless Test batsmen, behind Clive Lloyd, Aravinda de Silva and AB de Villiers, who holds the record with 78 fail-free innings in a row.

Harmison came to the crease averaging an incongruous 119 in Tests at The Oval, after a solitary dismissal in six previous innings, set about demonstrating that that was not entirely a fluke, with three further boundaries to hoist that mark to 131.

Australia level Series With A Demolishing Win

Australia 445 (North 110, Clarke 93, Ponting 78, Broad 6-91) beat England 102 and 263 (Swann 62, Broad 61, Johnson 5-69, Hilfenhaus 4-60) by an innings and 80 runs.

Australia required a session and six overs on the third day at Headingley to wrap up a thumping innings-and-80-run victory against England, and so draw level at 1-1 in the Ashes with just the fifth Test at The Oval to come in a fortnight's time. Mitchell Johnson had the honour of sewing up the contest with his fifth wicket of a resurgent performance, when he bowled Graham Onions for a duck to confirm his return to his best and most hostile form, and underline the fact that Australia have suddenly emerged as firm favourites to complete their 10th Ashes victory in their last 11 contests.

It was not, however, a day that went entirely to plan for Australia, who were frustrated - not for the first time in the series - by England's tail, not least Stuart Broad, who added a boundary-laden 61 from 49 balls to his earlier six-wicket haul, as he became the first England cricketer to achieve such an Ashes double since Darren Gough at Sydney in 1994-95.

On Saturday evening, Board had promised to provide late-innings resistance for England's beleaguered cricketers, and he was true to his word as he and Graeme Swann compiled a spirited and thrilling eighth-wicket stand of 108 in just 12.3 overs. The tempo of the stand, at more than eight-and-a-half runs per over, was the second fastest for any partnership over 100 in Test cricket, behind Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns at Christchurch in 2001-02, and then as now, it was glorious in its futility. It could not save England from a hefty defeat, but it might just preserve a modicum of their self-respect.

Such a prospect didn't seem to be remotely on the cards when James Anderson fell meekly to the third ball of the morning, immediately after cutting Hilfenhaus to the boundary, thus extending his "duckless" streak to 54 Test innings. Anderson hung out his bat limply to a shorter delivery and edged to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Head down, shoulders slumped, and reeking of the bad body language for which Justin Langer has taken him to task in today's leaked dossier, Anderson took an eternity to trudge from the playing surface. It was an image that summed up England's match.

Matt Prior did what he could to stem the tide, slashing Mitchell Johnson behind square three times in two overs to rattle along at the run-a-ball tempo that makes him most comfortable. But no sooner had Broad nudged a leg-bye to take England past their heaviest home defeat of all time (an innings and 226 runs against West Indies in 1973), Hilfenhaus lured Prior with a perfectly pitched outswinger, which Brad Haddin scooped one-handed in front of first slip, to leave his team just three wickets from victory.

That, however, was the cue for England to raise their game, somewhat belatedly given the match situation. Initially Swann endured a torrid time at the crease, inside-edging Hilfenhaus millimetres past his leg stump, then wearing a Peter Siddle bouncer on the point of his elbow before pulling him inelegantly, and with eyes wide shut, through midwicket for another chancy boundary. But at the other end, Broad grew into his role of chief resistor, and four fours in a single over from Stuart Clark - three intended, one fortuitous - saved England from another unwanted notch in the record books, their heaviest home Ashes defeat, an innings and 180 runs at Trent Bridge in 1989.

Siddle responded to Clark's indignity with a hot-headed over that went for 17, including back-to-back bouncers that soared away for five wides each, and was concluded with a larruped four straight back down the ground, as Broad - who by now had exceeded his father's highest score in a home Ashes Test (37 on this very ground in 1989) - motored towards his second half-century in consecutive matches.

Now it was Swann's turn to get properly stuck into the action. For the second over running, Clark was clobbered for 16 in an over with three more fours, including a perfect pull shot that bisected the field at midwicket. A flat-batted smear off Siddle followed three balls later, whereupon Broad climbed into the biggest and most extravagant thwack of the day, a full-blooded swing that climbed high and handsomely towards Johnson on the long-off boundary, who could only parry a tough chance over the ropes for four.

Six balls later, and Broad once again took the aerial route, straight through the fielder's hands, as he connected with a pull off Clark and left Simon Katich sprawling as he sprinted round to intercept at backward square leg. But the fun could not last forever, and Siddle was the man to make the breakthrough, as Broad failed to get on top of another energetic swipe, and Shane Watson clung on gratefully at deep midwicket. He departed to a standing ovation from a newly invigorated Barmy Army, who had been understandably subdued for much of the morning, but found their voice as the run-rate climbed.

With the duck-happy Steve Harmison now joining him at the crease, Swann decided it was not the time to stand on ceremony, and an effortlessly timed pull through backward square sailed all the way for six to bring up a richly deserved half-century, from only 53 balls. Harmison chimed in with a slashed four over the slip cordon to get his innings up and running, as England went to the break still trailing by 98 runs, but with their morale lifted for the first time in the game.

After the resumption, however, the end came swiftly. Swann's uncompromising performance came to an end when he swished outside off to Johnson and was adjudged caught-behind for 62 from 72 balls, whereupon Onions - on a king pair after his first-innings extraction - was struck on the gloves first-up by a ball that very nearly dribbled onto his stumps. In the event, he survived just seven deliveries as Johnson nipped one off the seam to peg back his off stump, and Australia march south to London with their morale sky-high.

Clarke and North put Australia safe

After a rain-affected draw at Edgbaston, in which England's push for victory fell as flat as the fifth day pitch, the question now stands: who takes the momentum into Headingley? The temptation is to give the nod to England given their 1-0 series advantage and flashes of brilliance between the spells of drizzle in Birmingham. But, on closer inspection, the matter may not be so clear-cut.

Australia will take tremendous confidence from their second-innings batting performance, in which three batsmen passed 50 and one, Michael Clarke, a stoic century in his 50th Test to limit England to just five wickets from 112 overs. Shane Watson's returns of 62 and 53 in his first Test as opener will prove particularly encouraging as will the final-day efforts of Michael Hussey (64) and Marcus North (96), both of whom were in need of a confidence boost.

The Australians will also be buoyed at the possibility that Mitchell Johnson's nightmare might just have been confined to the month of July. Johnson is clearly not back to his wrecking-ball ways from South Africa, but he did manage to make the necessary adjustments to his wrist position to allow him to rediscover the at-the-body line and subtley swing that has made him so effective in past series.

England clearly have grounds for optimism, too. Were it not for the five-and-a-half sessions lost to rain, bad light and the water-logged outfield, they might have better capitalised on their 113-run first-innings advantage. That lead was established after James Anderson and Graham Onions befuddled Australia's batsmen with prodigious aerial movement on Friday, and with Headingley considered among the better swinging grounds in the country, England will hope to probe Australia's barely-healed wounds from Friday.

The hosts will also be satisfied by the manner in which they covered for Kevin Pietersen, but Andrew Flintoff is looming as a major concern. The England allrounder, who is understood to have had two further pain-killing injections to his troublesome right knee prior to this match, fell awkwardly on his left ankle when delivering the final ball of his 13th over. Flintoff required the better part of 30 seconds to climb back to his feet and appeared in significant discomfort, but managed to bowl two more overs in the session. His condition will be monitored with only three days between the third and fourth Tests.

Australia signed off the match with Clarke notching his second century of the campaign and usurping Strauss as the highest run-scorer in the series. For the satistically inclined, it also took his Test average above 50 for the first time since 2005 - and this, in his 50th Test. The pragmatists, however, will note that his unbeaten 103 was not so much important for the runs scored, but rather the 192 balls it soaked up, denying England any chance of forcing a result.

Unlike the draw in Cardiff, where every ball of the final session was an angst-ridden affair, the Edgbaston Test concluded in anti-climax with part-timers Paul Collingwood and Ravi Bopara in operation and Australia's batsmen scoring at will. Clarke was fortunate to have survived a Stuart Broad delivery that clipped the bail and a subsequent catch off a Bopara no-ball, but eventually raised his 12th career ton with a pull to the boundary and look to the dressing rooms, whereupon he was summoned in by Ricky Ponting.

Clarke had earlier combined with North for a 185-run fifth-wicket stand that effectively ended England's hopes for victory. Despite the heavy overhead conditions, neither Anderson nor Onions could convince the suddenly stubborn Duke to swing, making life easier for the Australian batsmen.

The brisk tempo of previous sessions was absent, as Australia's batsmen sought to grind the life out of the match. First Watson and Hussey, then Clarke and North, batted with patience and caution in their attempt to deny England an inflated series lead ahead of the Headingley Test. Watson and Hussey showed steely intent from the outset and weathered painful blows to the body from Flintoff, remaining unflustered in this most pressurised of situations. Flintoff attempted to engage both batsmen in verbal jousts but both quelled their aggressive instincts and refused to bite. Theirs was a mission of survival and both succeeded in navigating a path through a testing first hour of play.

Flintoff, for all his intimidatory powers, strayed short too often while Swann failed to settle upon a consistent length - but given the respective situations in which Watson and Hussey found themselves at the crease, both could have been well pleased with their morning contributions.

Having previously batted no higher than No. 6 in Test cricket, and with a sub-five average opening for Queensland, Watson was in the crosshairs of both a sceptical Australian public and England's bowlers from the moment he marked centre on Thursday. He did not disappoint. His fluent first innings total of 62 was complemented by a redoubtable 53 in the second; the latter innings terminated when Anderson, in his first over of the morning, found the outside edge with a delivery that subtly straightened.

Hussey, desperate to atone for his first innings duck, played a more aggressive hand, striking six boundaries to advance to his second half-century of the series. But, like Watson, his stay at the crease would end soon after his arrival at the milestone.

Stuart Broad's introduction to the attack in the 51st over might not have done much for his confidence, but the allrounder immediately took the attack to the Australians with an angling delivery that brushed the outside edge of Hussey on 64. The dismissal brought the Edgbaston crowd momentarily back to life, however all were promptly subdued as Clarke and North carried their bats deep into the final session.

North was the only other batsman to fall on the final day, to a brilliant, diving catch by Anderson in the gully off the bowling of Broad. Anderson's spectacular effort denied North a third Test century from five matches, but could not revive England's hopes of victory.

Lee is ready to go

Brett Lee is adamant he is fit enough to lead Australia's Ashes fightback at Headingley on Friday despite concerns within the team over his ability to last the match. Lee missed the opening three Tests with a side strain but has bowled for the past eight days and believes he has done enough to demand selection.

When asked if he was ready to play, Lee was blunt: "Yes, 100%." And have you done the work? "Yes."

He spoke minutes after Shane Watson said Lee would need a warm-up game before appearing in a Test and Jamie Cox, the selector on duty, must have reservations about the fast bowler appearing in such a crucial contest. Australia have to win at Headingley to have a chance of taking the series and retaining their No. 1 ranking, which will drop to four if they lose.

After improving his output over the past week, Lee, who has been given a medical clearance, does not understand the fitness concerns. "Hopefully I've done everything I can to prove that I'm ready to go," he said. "I'm confident if I was called upon tomorrow I'd be ready to get through. I was out there today charging in, bowling rapid, and am really happy with the way I've gone."

At the start of the tour there were serious questions over Lee's place in the side following a long recovery from ankle surgery, but he showed he was still Australia's leading man with seven wickets in Worcester during the final warm-up before the opening Test. However, his plans were crushed when he suffered the side problem and had to watch Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle struggle while England took a 1-0 lead.

"Honestly, it's been really, really difficult," he said of watching. "I love playing cricket and would love to be out there. Sitting on the sidelines [was hard] when I was ready to play the first Test. Unfortunately I've had two muscle strains in 18 to 20 years of cricket. It's just happened at the wrong time." If Lee is picked, it will increase pressure on Siddle and Johnson, while Stuart Clark is also being considered following Australia's problems over the past two matches.

Lee bowled with menacing intent for more than an hour on Wednesday and struck Michael Hussey on the side of the helmet with a fearful blow. His speed increased as the session progressed in an encouraging return to full training duties.

"I've been bowling for two weeks, and bowled eight days straight," he said. "Most days have been bowling back-to-back, morning and afternoon sessions. Today I bowled pretty much a full session and my pace felt really good. I'm 100% ready to go."

Lee was spotted on Tuesday in a private session under the supervision of the coach Tim Nielsen, the bowling coach Troy Cooley and the physiotherapist Alex Kountouris. His comeback has provided Australia with a full complement of fast bowlers to choose from for the first time this series.

Shane Watson, who will open in the fourth Test and provide some back-up overs, has his doubts over Lee. "Coming back from a side injury, or any injury in general, you normally need at least one game under your belt to have a big crack in a game before a Test match or a real big game," Watson said. "I know from my experience that you're not absolutely fully confident you are able to get through it until you do get through a big game. I think at the moment that there's probably less chance of him being picked because of that reason."

Lee has endured a frustrating month on the sidelines, undergoing several different rounds of treatment on the affected rib area, including one involving a laser. Wednesday's net session at Headingley provided him with an avenue to channel his pent-up aggression, and Australia's batsmen were hurried throughout.

"He bowled at full pace, which is not the nicest thing to face in the nets when the nets aren't super flat," Watson said. "It's great for him to see him charging in. Obviously he's still maybe a game away to get under his belt before he might be in calculation for selection, but it's great to see him out there firing." Lee thinks much differently but will have to wait to learn whether he adds to his 76 Tests and 310 wickets.

Australia losing grip on top-ranking

Australia stand to lose substantially more than their aura over the next month. An Ashes series defeat would precipitate a stunning fall from grace by relegating Ricky Ponting's men to fourth place on the ICC Test ladder behind South Africa, Sri Lanka and India. A drawn series will place them second after Graeme Smith's men.

Either rain or England could seal Australia's demise in the coming weeks. The tourists require victory at both Headingley and The Oval to retain their No. 1 Test ranking, but a bleak weather forecast for Yorkshire could greatly reduce their chances of forcing a result in the fourth Test.

Not since 2003, when South Africa held the ICC Test mace for a four-month period, have Australia occupied a place anywhere other than the pinnacle of Test cricket. South Africa made clear their intentions to recapture the No. 1 ranking when they defeated Australia in a Test series for the first time in 16 years last summer, but Australia's stirring riposte on South African soil provided them with a degree of breathing room.

Australia have won just five of their past 14 Tests, three of which were against the South Africans, and their inability to register a victory in the first three Tests of the Ashes series has drawn Smith's side to within two points of the top ranking. Mickey Arthur, who so very nearly engineered Australia's overthrow earlier this year, was adamant his side was worthy of recognition as the world's premier Test side, even if rain proves the deciding factor.

"I have been following the rankings a little bit, and I don't think we would be out of place at all (with the No. 1 ranking) if that was to happen," Arthur told Cricinfo. "We have played some very solid cricket over the past 18 months. We defeated England, Australia and Pakistan away, and we are certainly proud of that. But whatever happens, I think what is clear is that there is very little now between us, Australia, India and even England. That's healthy for the game."

Arthur has been underwhelmed by Australia's performances over the course of the Ashes, having previously predicted them to comfortably account for England. The South African coach queried the move to overlook the dependable Stuart Clark for the first three Tests of the series, and expressed surprise at Australia's general inability to combat pressurised situations.

Like Andrew Strauss, Arthur feels the Australians have lost their aura, but warned England against underestimating them in the final two Tests of the Ashes series.

"I do agree with Andrew in that the Australians have looked susceptible when placed under pressure," Arthur said. "With Australian sides of old, you could try and place all the pressure in the world on them and they would come through it unscathed more often than not. This younger side has shown the odd crack in those situations, and we saw that when we won many of the big moments when we played them in Australia. The aura has gone a little bit.

"Their bowling attack has disappointed me. I'm not surprised that they have tried to stick with the fast bowlers who did the job in South Africa, but I was at the move not to play Clark, especially with (Mitchell) Johnson and (Peter) Siddle leaking runs. They have needed someone to do that holding job, and Watson looks a little undercooked to me to be doing that. It wouldn't surprise me if they had a big think about it going into the last few Tests."

In other ranking developments, Michael Clarke has risen two places to third spot among Test batsmen following consecutive Ashes centuries, while Ricky Ponting has slid to ninth.

The only change in the Test bowling top-ten was Stuart Clark's slip to No. 5, with Makahya Ntini taking the fourth spot. Mitchell Johnson, despite his struggles in England, remains the third ranked Test bowler, and second in the all-rounder category.