Fiery England turn the Test around

The situation today would have looked even bleaker for England if McGrath hadn't blotted his copybook just ever so slightly by dropping a onehanded catch at mid-on when Alec Stewart miscued a pull against Brett Lee.

Stewart, who had made three at the time, was able to reach 46 before gifting McGrath a fifth wicket by guiding a delivery into second slip's hands.

That was the Australian ace's 20th five-for at this level and with Warne having claimed his hundredth Ashes victim, the visitors didn't know who to congratulate more.

Apart from Stewart's defiance, only Marcus Trescothick's second half-century of the series brought some light relief for England.

But even that innings ended in anticlimax. For just when the home side needed something truly substantial from their left-hander, he snicked an attempted forward defensive against Gillespite to be caught behind for 69.

Calamity had come in the form of Atherton's dismissal when he was wrongly given out, caught in the slips for a second ball duck, off his armguard.

But is doubtful whether even England's stand-in captain could have made a real difference today. He had done his best early on by winning the toss, thereby ending a run of nine consecutive-losses, and had no hesitation in choosing to bat first on a pitch already heavily cracked.

But, thereafter, all the news was good for Australia.

Mark Butcher, trying to play to leg, found himself squared up by a cracking delivery that moved off the seam, leaving Ricky Ponting to hold a low catch at second slip and reducing England to 30 for two.

A brief break for rain did nothing to settle home nerves. Trescothick eased the tension with several meaty pulls and Mark Ramprakash looked like keeping him company for some time until reaching his unlucky number.

The former Middlesex batsman fell on 14 for the the fifth time in six Ashes innings by pushing stiffly at a delivery from Gillespie outside off stump. Adam Gilchrist gleefully pouched the edge. Undeterred, Trescothick completed a 75-ball half-century that included nine fours.

Gillespie did for him, though, then back came McGrath to remove Ian Ward and Craig White in consecutive overs. Ward edged a beauty that left him late while White, having already been dropped in the slips, prodded a simple catch to short leg.

Alex Tudor, passed fit this morning, soon became Warne's 99th Ashes victim when he was hit on the boot and adjudged lbw. The 'honour' of being scalp No 100 fell to Robert Croft, though, with a pad-bat catch to silly point.

The stage really belonged to McGrath, though, and he strode across it with a huge smile on his face once Steward had helped to improve his figures to five for 45.