Close - Australia 69 for 1 (Hayden 12*, Ponting 30*)
Australia finished the third day in a commanding position, extending their first-innings lead of 138 to 207 at the close for the loss of Michael Slater. The evening gloom was brightened up by some more roasting strokeplay from Ricky Ponting, who made England pay for Mike Atherton's miss at first slip when he had 4.

Slater, who had already dragged a Caddick no-ball back on to his stumps with his pad, then dragged Gough on in more orthodox style, off the inside edge, for 16. That made it 25 for 1, but England proceeded to drop short to Ponting, which is exactly where he loves it. By the time Australia accepted the offer of bad light at 6.40pm he had raced to 30 from just 35 balls, the hare to Matthew Hayden's tortoise: at one point Hayden went 35 balls without scoring.

With two days to go, Australia will be looking to give England three and a half, maybe four sessions to survive. On a wicket that is starting to misbehave, that won't be easy.

England's innings was dominated by two men. Alec Stewart tore up the text-book while tennis-smashing his way to an undefeated 76. And Glenn McGrath wrote another chapter in his fast-growing volume `Five-Fors Against the Poms', taking 7 for 76 - an exact replication of his haul at The Oval four years ago.

Australia had got off to the perfect start, ridding themselves of both England's overnight batsmen in the first four overs. Nasser Hussain was leg before to McGrath for 46 after the ball kept low (though it struck him outside the line of off stump), while Mark Butcher (47) ran himself out, haring off for a single that was never there. From 158 for 2, England were 158 for 4.

It was 174 for 5 when Usman Afzaal ruined the effect of two sweetly timed drives by stabbing at one from McGrath that left him and giving Shane Warne a catch at first slip for 14.

From there Mark Ramprakash and Stewart turned things round, milking a below-par Warne and tucking into Brett Lee after lunch, hammering the 16 runs they needed to avoid the follow-on in one over. For a while Leeds went Caribbean.

Maybe Ramprakash got carried away, because when Lee dropped deliberately wide of off stump, Ramprakash followed it with a flourish and top-edged through to Adam Gilchrist for 40 (252 for 6). Tudor nibbled at McGrath to make it 267 for 7, before Lee bowled Caddick with a no-ball. Tempers rose.

It was the signal for Stewart to improvise. McGrath went round the wicket and Stewart lifted him over extra cover as if he was on the beach. A John Emburey-style pull for four - Stewart fell over in the process - followed in Lee's next over, then Caddick was given out caught behind for 5 (289 for 8), even though the ball came off the arm guard, closer to the elbow rather than the wrist.

Gough skyed McGrath to point for 8 (299 for 9) and after a break of 100 minutes for rain and bad light, Alan Mullally plopped McGrath to short leg for 0. McGrath had taken five wickets in a Test innings for the 21st time, and the third in successive Tests against England. He also moved to 350 wickets. He is one of the all-time greats.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd