Close - Australia 288 for 4 (Martyn 19*) Headingley has a reputation as a seamer's paradise, but Australia's batsmen tend to treat it as their own private Eden. In 1989 they made 601 for 7 here, in 1993 it was 653 for 4, and in 1997 a mere 501 for 9. Today their batting was touched by the Gods again, and only more of the rain that prevented any play before 2.15pm can stop them going to The Oval with a 4-0 lead.

The star of the show was Ricky Ponting, an outstanding talent who fell to pieces in India and was still picking them up in the first three Tests this summer - when he seemed to attract all the best deliveries. But today he did to England what they must have been worrying about since the start of the series, and scored a century of such intuitive brilliance that you wondered how he could have managed just 77 runs in his previous ten Test knocks.

Ponting's partner-in-destruction was Mark Waugh, who has been doing this sort of thing to England for years. He wasn't quite as fluent as Ponting, mainly because he spent most of his time swaying out of the way of England's bouncer barrage, but he rarely missed a scoring opportunity, and came up with his usual jewellery box of giddy cuts and cute glides.

Waugh's share of a third-wicket stand of 221 was a modest 67, which was a fair indication of Ponting's dominance but also of Waugh's ability to graft in the manner of his twin Steve. He was happy to watch admiringly from the non-striker's end as Ponting tore England apart: good-length balls were pulled for four with the hand-eye coordination of a master juggler, and anything overpitched disappeared through the covers with indecent haste.

England bowled terribly. The pitch was slow, but they persisted in dropping short, presumably because a few pulls early on in the day had been mistimed. But once the batsmen got used to the pace of the pitch, the tactic was as useful as one of Baldrick's cunning plans - except less so. Alex Tudor, so mean and dangerous at Trent Bridge, was reduced to the role of harmless, wide-eyed puppy whose speciality was the leg-stump half-volley.

Things had actually started quite well for England, give or take a dodgy first 45 minutes or so when Alan Mullally missed Michael Slater at square leg. But with the score on 39, Andy Caddick won a dubious shout for lbw against Slater (21) - the ball might well have missed off stump - and England took heart. In his next over Caddick trapped Matthew Hayden plumb in front for 15 as Hayden collapsed to the ground like a felled oak in his attempt to dig out an inswinger of full length (42 for 2).

Ponting almost added to his miserable sequence when he edged his third ball, from Caddick, to Mark Ramprakash in the gully. But Ponting stood his ground, the third umpire was called into action, and replays suggested the ball had brushed the ground as Ramprakash took the catch. It was the turning point of the innings: Ponting grew in confidence and some of it rubbed off on Waugh. By the time Ponting tickled a lifting delivery from Tudor to Alec Stewart for 144, Australia were 263 for 3 and well on their way.

They weren't finished, however, and as evening sunshine rubbed shoulders with a heavy downburst, Damien Martyn unfurled a sequence of dreamy drives through the off side. But just as Australia were starting to think about the close, Caddick got one to lift and take the splice of Waugh's bat: the ball ballooned into the gully where Ramprakash claimed a simple catch, although he appeared to twist his ankle in the process (things are never that simple for England). Waugh had made 72 and Australia were 288 for 4.

They had cracked 202 runs in a session of 39.3 overs, and only rain can save England now. If that sounds familiar, well, that's because it is.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden Online

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