Adelaide ready for Sunday party

England were left facing the prospect of another heavy loss after the third day of the second Ashes Test on Saturday as Australia underlined...

England were left facing the prospect of another heavy loss after the third day of the second Ashes Test on Saturday as Australia underlined their total domination with bat and ball.

The English, demoralised by Ricky Ponting’s 154 and a 210-run first-innings deficit, closed the day in deep trouble at three for 36 on a pitch starting to favour the bowlers. Facing a daunting rearguard action, they lost opener Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain inside 12 overs.

class="linkwht">SCOREBOARD

England (1st Innings): 342
Australia (1st Innings): J Langer c Stewart b Dawson 48, M Hayden c Caddick b White 46, R Ponting c Dawson b White 154, D Martyn c Hussain b Harmison 95, S Waugh c Butcher b White 34, D Lehmann c sub (Flintoff) b White 5, A Gilchrist c Stewart b Harmison 54, S Warne c &b Dawson 25, A Bichel b Hoggard 48, J Gillespie not out 0; Extras (b1, lb17, w7, nb18): 43. Total (for 9 wkts decl): 552
Fall of wickets: 1-101, 2-114, 3-356, 4-397, 5-414, 6-423, 7-471, 8-548, 9-552
Bowling: Caddick 20-2-95-0, Hoggard 26-4-84-1, Harmison 28.2-8-106-2, White 28-2-106-4, Dawson 37-2-143-2
England (2nd Innings): M Trescothick lbw Gillespie 0, M Vaughan batting 17, M Butcher lbw McGrath 4, N Hussain b Bichel 10; Extras (lb4, nb1): 5.
Total (for 3 wkts): 36
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-17, 3-36
Bowling: McGrath 4-1-14-1, Gillespie 5-1-17-1, Warne 2-1-1-0, Bichel 0.2-0-0-1.

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England could not have made a worse start to their reply when Trescothick was trapped leg before wicket to the ever dependable Jason Gillespie for an eight-ball duck and number three Mark Butcher went for four, facing just four deliveries as McGrath struck him on the pads.

They were also lucky not to lose first-innings centurion Michael Vaughan after he was dropped at short leg by Darren Lehmann.

Vaughan made it through to stumps on 17 but England, still 174 runs behind, will need a miracle to save them from going 2-0 down with two days left. (Reuters)