Australia strengthens grip on third Test
By Vic Mills
MANCHESTER, England (JP): Australia strengthened their grip on the third Test against England at Old Trafford, and with the chance to square the series, having built a 335 run lead with four second inning's wickets standing at stumps on the third day.
England's staunch resistance of previous evening lasted just 14 minutes as Shane Warne had Andrew Caddick (15) caught by Mark Waugh without addition to his overnight score and Glenn McGrath bowled dean Headley for a duck to leave England 162 all out and Australia with 73 run first inning's lead.
Having mesmerized the English middle over yesterday afternoon, Warne finished with 6-48 in 30 overs to move third on the all-time list of Australian Test Wicket-takers with 249.
The task now for Australia was one of consolidation and accumulation. Mark Taylor (1) failed to read the script, however, and succumbed in identical fashion to his fist inning's dismissal.
Playing half-forward, the bat away from his body, he succeeded only in edging a full length delivery from Headley to Mark Butcher at second slip. Australia 5 for one.
Another failure for Taylor and this on a day when wicket was expected to be at its best.
While the pitch still offered the quicker bowlers lateral movement, it was by no means pronounced as earlier in the match.
Focused on building the lead, Matthew Elliot and Greg Blat added 28 for the second wicked before a controversial decision brought England further success.
Dancing down the wicket, Blewett (19) edged Robert Croft to a diving Nasser Husein at fist slip.
The England vice-captain claimed the catch, the umpires conferred and Blewett departed.
Fully justifying the faith of the selectors, Headley struck for the second time shortly after as Elliot, learning little from his captain dismissal, edged a catch to reliable Butcher at second slip to leave Australia for 39 for three.
Salvation was at hand, however, as the in-form Waugh twins took the attack to England.
Fresh from a hundred against Hampshire earlier in the week, Mark was especially severe on anything short.
Steve, in contrast, favored the front foot where possible.
All of which left England bowlers little margin for error. With no further alarms, Australia went to launch at 78 for three.
Deep mid
The tourists revealed their intentions soon after restart as Mark Waugh lofted Croft to deep mid on for four. Caddick fared even worse as intended bouncer was hit for six over square leg to bring up Mark's fifty in 108 minutes off 72 balls.
His concentration broken after a break for drinks, Mark Waugh (55) was bowled between bat and pad by Mark Ealham. In the most entertaining stand of the match, the brothers Waugh had added 92 in little under two hours for the fourth wicket.
Twenty-two painful minutes later, Michael Bevan (0) departed with the air of man unlikely to play in the fourth test at Headingley.
Woefully out of form, the young left hander to fell to lifting ball for third time in the series as he edged a looping catch to Atherton in the gully off Headley.
Unperturbed, Steve Waugh moved serenely to his second fifty of the match in 150 minutes off 110 balls with 5 fours.
At tea, Australia were 154 for five having taken their overall lead to 227.
Increasingly handicapped by bruised right hand, the result of fist inning's blow from headley, Waugh settled for a watching brief after the interval. Happy to defend he left the way clear to the first Healy and Steven Shanne Warne to embark on sparkling cameo's innings.
The unorthodox Healy scathed his way to 47 before holing out of Butcher at midwicket off Croft.
His sixth wicket partnership with waugh had added priceless 78.
The last hour belonged to Warne as he combined the classical with the curious on his way to unbeaten 33 at stumps.
With Waugh set to resume 82, Australia closed the day on 262 for six, lead of 335.
Having twice threatened to make inroads into Australia batting, England, with figures of 3-64, paid the penalty for bowling too short. Atherton also missed the chance of giving Croft an extended spell into the rough. An opportunity, that Taylor and Warne will look to exploit sometime tomorrow.