Close - England 144 for 6 (Ward 13*)
Shane Warne turned the third Test on its head in the evening gloom - with a little help from the umpire and the England batsmen. Cruising at 115 for 2, England lost 4 for 29 before stumps, all of them to Warne, to hand the initiative back to Australia. England led by 139, and although Australia don't like chasing small totals, they must start the third day as favourites.

Gallingly for England the collapse started with a poor umpiring decision, when Mike Atherton was given out caught behind for 51 as he groped at a leg break. But replays showed he didn't touch the ball, and Atherton trudged off as if he had lead in his boots, a victim of the umpire for the second time in the match.

Worse was to follow. Alec Stewart's eyes lit up when Warne dropped short, but an attempted force off the back foot ricocheted off the bottom edge into the stumps and Stewart was out for 0 (115 for 4). And it was 126 for 5 when Mark Ramprakash took leave of his senses and his crease and was easily stumped by Adam Gilchrist for 26. Australia were back on top. And they left the field on a high when White was caught by Steve Waugh at silly point for 7 off the penultimate ball of the day. It was Warne's fifth wicket of the day and he held the ball aloft.

Earlier Warne had picked up the wicket of Marcus Trescothick thanks to a huge slice of luck and Matthew Hayden's calves. Trescothick's beefy sweep shot ballooned off the leg of Hayden's at short leg and hung in the air for long enough for Gilchrist to run round the stumps and hold on athletically. It was an unlucky end to an opening stand of 57 and rain immediately drove the players off the field.

Two hours later Mark Butcher was trapped plumb in front by Brett Lee for 1 with the 9th ball after the resumption, but from 59 for 2 England rallied. Atherton moved to 50 with a series of well-timed drives, and Ramprakash, caught behind off a Lee no-ball on 9, grew in confidence after a shaky start.

It all seemed a long way away - eight and a half hours in fact - from the start of play, when Australia had resumed on 105 for 7. They soon lost Brett Lee, who edged Alex Tudor to second slip for 4, at which stage Australia still trailed by 63 and England were on course for a first-innings lead for the first time in 13 Ashes Tests. But Adam Gilchrist played the role of party-pooper par excellence, while Jason Gillespie turned grizzly gatecrasher.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com

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