Close England 97 for 3 trail Australia 551 for 6 dec (Langer 250, Hayden 102, Waugh 77, Love 62*) by 454 runs
Scorecard

A monumental innings from Justin Langer was the highlight of another day of total Australian dominance at Melbourne. Langer's Test-best 250 propelled the Aussies to 551 for 6 declared before England struggled to 97 for 3 in a final session given extra bite by a sizzling spell of bowling from Brett Lee and a double dose of umpiring controversy.

Langer batted for almost ten hours, crashing 30 fours and one six in making the highest score in an Ashes Test for 37 years, before he chopped Richard Dawson wearily to backward point. He added 129 for the fourth wicket with Steve Waugh, who made a rollicking 77, and 151 for the fifth with Martin Love, who began his Test career with a relaxed unbeaten 62.

Another bumper crowd at the MCG had turned up in the morning expecting to see Waugh reach his 29th Test century, but apart from a couple of kitchen-sink cut shots he never quite reached the belligerent heights of the first day, and eventually feathered at Craig White to give James Foster a simple catch (394 for 4). After 349 runs, 668 balls and 12 years of sheer pain, England had dismissed Waugh in a Melbourne Test again.

Love looked classy and upright throughout a two-and-a-half hour stay at the crease. The last Australian to make an unbeaten fifty on debut - Stuart Law - never got another chance, but Love looks like he's here to stay.

His only blemish came on 25, an airy drive off Mark Butcher which Michael Vaughan at backward point made a fearful hash of. Vaughan also put down a more difficult chance offered by Langer off White, but apart from that England's fielding and bowling held up well.

White (3 for 133) was probably the pick of the attack, Harmison was sharp again – it's a travesty that his average for this series is exactly 100 – and Dawson recovered from his first-day pounding to pick up a couple of wickets. But Andy Caddick cut a miserable figure. To compound a limp display, he was caught on camera giving the crowd the finger. The feeling, you suspect, was probably mutual.

Waugh finally called it a day when Adam Gilchrist missed a massive swipe at Dawson - a refreshing display of how to bat without caring about your average - and that was when the the fun really started. Vaughan (11) thrashed a couple of boundaries off Glenn McGrath before inside-edging an off-cutter back onto the stumps (13 for 1). McGrath is just starting to turn the screw in their personal duel, although Vaughan hasn't had much luck: a drag-on here, at least one duff decision at Brisbane, and a once-in-a-lifetime catch at Adelaide.

Marcus Trescothick started slowly, resisting a series of tantalising deliveries in the slot from Jason Gillespie, but after crawling to 8 off 45 balls he then smacked 29 off the next 18, including a huge dragged six off Stuart MacGill.

MacGill started nervily on his return to Test cricket, but after his first four overs went for 28 he found a mischievous rhythm, and only eight runs came off the next seven.

Just as England were starting to look comfortable, Lee produced a snorter which Trescothick, attempting to drop his hands, could only glove through to Gilchrist. He was gone for 37 and England were 73 for 2. Two balls later, Lee and Gilchrist thought they had Nasser Hussain in identical circumstances, but Russell Tiffin turned down their frenzied appeal.

It was a fabulous spell of hustling from Lee, who was fired up by suggestions from the Barmy Army that he is a chucker. Lee injected life into a dying day, at one point exceeding 97mph. In his next over, Hussain survived another big appeal for caught-behind, when an attempted pull flew through to Gilchrist off his shoulder.

If that was a good decision, Hussain was very fortunate to survive just before the close when he hit a MacGill full-toss to mid-on, where Jason Gillespie took a tumbling catch at the second attempt before tossing the ball up in celebration.

But Hussain stood his ground, and after umpteen replays which suggested only the merest hint of doubt, he was inevitably given not out by the third umpire Darrell Hair. The hornet's nest was stirred once again and Australia, and MacGill in particular, looked absolutely disgusted.

Waugh threw the ball to Gillespie straight away in an attempt to right the wrong – and yet again his bowling change did the job late in the day. Mark Butcher, on 25, got a big inside-edge to an off-cutter from Gillespie, but Tiffin couldn't get his finger up quick enough.

It was an unsatisfactory end to a riveting day's play – but the upshot was the same as always. Australia are in complete control.

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