England 5 wickets away from losing their urn

Michael Clarkes Australians won the first two tests with at least two sessions to spare and are favorites to clinch a third straight win to end Englands three-series hold on the Ashes.

Australia had the momentum on Day 4 after resuming on 235-3 and clobbering 134 runs in 17 overs before skipper Michael Clarke declared at 369-6,a lead of 503. Watsons 106-ball century contained five sixes and 11 boundaries before he was comically run out for 103,and George Bailey (39) plundered a world record 28 runs in the last over from Jimmy Anderson.

Its a special moment in everyones career in the Australian team, Watson said. ”We cant get in front of ourselves. We know that the English are always going to fight until the end. Were going to have to be at our best turning up tomorrow morning to get the results that we deserve.

England made a dire start to its chase with Harris bowling Cook on the first ball and the top three were gone before the tea interval,with Michael Carberry (31) out lbw and Joe Root (19) spectacularly caught behind after edging Mitchell Johnson.

England slipped to 121-4 when Kevin Pietersen (45) was caught in the deep,but Ian Bell (60) and Stokes put on 99 for the fifth wicket to prolong the innings. Pietersen batted with uncharacteristic restraint but couldnt help himself as he approached a half century and tried to hit Nathan Lyon over the long-on boundary,into the breeze,and was caught in the deep by Harris.

After Bell was caught behind off Peter Siddle,Englands Ashes defense rested primarily on Stokes,who is playing his second test and who took two wickets earlier Monday,and vice-captain Prior.

The biggest successful fourth innings chase in test cricket is 418-7 by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003. Next on the list was South Africas 414-4 to beat Australia in Perth in 2008. So only four months after winning the Ashes 3-0 on home soil,England is on the verge of going down 3-0 with two matches remaining in Australia.

Bell said Englands capitulation so far in the series has been hugely disappointing but praised the 22-year-old New Zealand-born Stokes for the character he has shown. Were still hanging in there,and thats the important thing, he said.

The fourth morning at the WACA was emblematic of the state of the competing teams. England opened with spinner Graeme Swann bowling to Watson,who hit him for 4-4-6. The bulky Australian No. 3 took 22 off another over to hit Swann out of the attack as he raced from 29 to 102 in 40 balls.

Brief scores: Aus 385 & 369/6d (D Warner 112,S Watson 103; T Bresnan 2/53,B Stokes 2/82) vs Eng 251 & 251/5 (B Stokes 72*,I Bell 60; S Watson 1/31,N Lyon 1/49)

Bailey vs Anderson: 4,6,2,4,6,6

Perth: Almost 10 years to the day after Brian Lara smacked left-arm spinner Robin Peterson for 28 runs in an over in Johannesburg,Australias freshest Test player,George Bailey,equalled the world record by mauling Englands James Anderson no less. Not only was it a record — notched during the final over of Australias second innings — but also the most runs ever conceded by a fast bowler in a Test over. Incidentally,the previous owner of this dubious record too was an Englishman — Ian Botham,who conceded 25 runs to Andy Roberts in Trinidad 32 years ago. Three sixes,two fours and a double arrived in the following sequence — 4,6,2,4,6,6. Clarke declared at the end of the over. We didnt know it was a record, Shane Watson said. Theres no doubt weve had quite a few bad experiences against Jimmy Anderson. At certain times individuals in the Australian team have been at his mercy. It certainly provided a little bit of enjoyment for us. Agencies