Another defeat looms large

The Adelaide crowd really appreciates an entertainer. Slater was finally out to a good in-swinging yorker from Gough; an important breakthrough as England needed to slow Australian progress. The 12th man, Ben Hollioake helped the cause with a brilliant diving catch to get rid of JustinLanger. Hollioake had looked lively in the field, moving quickly to save singles and then anticipating well to complete the dismissal of Langer after Peter Such had beaten him in flight.

Hollioake8217;s mobility showed up the lack of athleticism in most of the other England fielders and he definitely livened up the look of the team. Despite the quick loss of wickets, Mark Waugh played with more confidence in the second innings, suggesting he was starting to put the bookie affair8217; controversy out of his mind while he was out in the middle. He was much more relaxed and commenced his scoring with a magnificently timed shot through mid-wicket. That was a signal that the old Waugh had returned. His rehabilitation was also helped by his captain who extended the innings long enough to allow Waugh to reach the half-century.

As well as helping Waugh, Taylor probably also wanted to grind England into the turf so there was no way back for them in the series and there were a lot of war weary soldiers as the touriststrudged off the field to don the pads. In addition to batting with more confidence Mark Waugh displayed more thought for his art than his close mate, Ricky Ponting.

With Gough obtaining late and sharp swing with the old ball, Waugh declined the invitation to hit his favourite shot through the on-side, working on the premise that it could be dangerous. The more impetuous Ponting couldn8217;t resist the temptation and paid a heavy price as Gough fooled him with one that held its line instead of swinging down leg side. Ponting was bowled as he hit across the delivery and the chasing pack of Australian batsmen is now snapping at his heels. On previous occasions when Ponting has been dropped he8217;s had good reason to curse the selectors, but on this occasion if it happens he8217;ll only have himself to blame.

England don8217;t have the luxury of having batsmen to replace a number of their inept willow wielders, so I don8217;t know which way their selectors are going to turn. Mark Butcher, who has declined badly since his firstTest century and a jumpy Michael Atherton were quickly sent packing and once again it was left to Mark Ramprakash and Nasser Hussain to provide some stability. They are two of the better players and will definitely be the nucleus of a new batting line-up when England starts to make some changes.

However, Hussain finally fell to Colin Miller when he switched to around the wicket and nightwatchman Dean Headley quickly followed. Miller has had a successful game and will make it harder for the selectors to rush Shane Warne8217;s return. As for England, the only return they8217;ll be thinking about is the journey home as this is shaping as a long and fruitless summer for Alec Stewart8217;s badly burnt sausages.

SCOREBOARD

Australia 1st innings: 391

England 1st innings: 227

Australia 2nd innings: M Taylor lbw Such 29, M Slater lbw Gough 103, J Langer c sub B Hollioake c Such 52, M Waugh not out 51, S Waugh c Hick b Headley 7, R Ponting b Gough 10, I Healy not out 7. Extras lb12, nb6, w1: 19.Total for five wickets declared, 98 overs: 278.

Fall Of Wickets: 1-54, 2-188, 3-216, 4-229, 5-268.

Bowling: Gough 22-2-76-2, Mullally 16-6-18-0, Headley 18-1-78-1, Such 29-5-66-2, Ramprakash 12-1-27-0, Hick 1-0-1-0.

England 2nd innings: M Butcher c Healy b Fleming 19, M Atherton c M Waugh b Miller 5, N Hussain lbw Miller 41, M Ramprakash batting 43, D Headley c M Waugh b Miller 2, A Stewart batting 0. Extras lb4, b3, nb5: 12. Total for four wickets, 51 overs: 122

Fall Of Wickets: 1-27, 2-31, 3-120, 4-122.

Bowling: McGrath 10-0-22-0, Fleming 14-2-40-1, Miller 13-1-36-3, MacGill 12-4-14-0, S Waugh 2-1-3-0.