England took a firm hold on the 3rd Test by amassing a first-innings 444 then reducing Australia to 210-7 by close of play with three days left in the match.

Only Shane Warne (46*) showed real spirit against England's attack, though he can hardly save them on his own from a huge first-innings deficit. Australia's best hope looks to be a draw if the forecast rain arrives to wash out the third day.

Six of the seven wickets fell in a dramatic evening session that could go a long way towards settling the Ashes. The heroes for England were the unsung ones of Ashley Giles, who took 3-66 in a superb 21-over spell of spin and flight, and Simon Jones, who grabbed 3-30 in 11 overs of high-class pace and swing.

The contrast between the dynamism of England's youthful bowling attack in the evening session and Australia's ageing and injury-struck unit in the morning was striking. Whereas England's attack was constantly posing questions and beautifully handled by Vaughan, Australia had only one bowler, Brett Lee, operating at his best and a captain, Ricky Ponting, who always appeared to be a beat behind the rest of the orchestra. The half-fit Glenn McGrath had no nip and emerged wicketless, Jason Gillespie's many long hops were hit around once again and even Shane Warne only managed to bamboozle the tail.

Another striking contrast between the sides was between the uninhibited play of England, their self-belief liberated by the Edgbaston win, and Australia's rigid, careworn cricket. One side surged with aggression, while the other was hampered by its fear of losing. That is a familiar story in Ashes Tests, but there has been a rapid reversal of roles. England were "a young side living on its instincts" as Michael Vaughan said, whereas Australia seemed shorn of their absolute self-belief after their narrow loss in Birmingham.

Perhaps this was the day that the Australian aura of invincibility was finally broken, or maybe it has simply transferred to England. Nobody showed more self-belief than Giles, who troubled some of the world's most vaunted players. This was the day he silenced all his many critics, and perhaps even the ones who know little about bowling.

He is no longer just "the best we have got", a patronising phrase that understandably angers him, but a very fine bowler in his own right, and a far bigger threat than he used to be. It can safely be asserted without fear of ridicule that he outbowled Shane Warne, cricket's 600 man.

Before tea Giles bamboozled Justin Langer (31), never comfortable against him, with a wonderfully flighted first over, which had him alternating between anxious darts down the pitch and suspicious pokes from the crease. In the end he poked the ball to short leg, where Ian Bell took a magnificent catch to his right.

Giles continued to bowl beautifully after tea in partnership with Simon Jones. The Welshman has emerged as a major player in this series, a kind of trump card that gives England far more firepower than Australia. He took the wicket of Ricky Ponting (7) with the first ball after tea to precipitate a flurry of wickets. Ponting poked a short ball to Bell at gully, a victim of Jones' probing off-stump line throughout his short innings.

Then Giles trapped Matthew Hayden (34) lbw with a big spinner out of the rough. Hayden was a touch unlucky as the ball struck the pad marginally outside off, but he had already survived close appeals from Matthew Hoggard, on nought, and Simon Jones just before his dismissal.

Jones was replaced by Andrew Flintoff, who bowled a fine spell of high pace, probing away outside off stump. Flintoff, as much as Giles, is a terrific bowler to left-handers and bowled Simon Katich (17) when he shouldered arms at a delivery angling in from round the wicket.

Then Giles bowled the ball of the day to Damien Martyn (20), a delivery reminiscent of the ones he bowled Dwayne Bravo with twice at Edgbaston 12 months ago. It drifted to the legside before spinning sharply out of the rough to hit off stump and reduce Australia to 129-5.

Adam Gilchrist was dropped twice in one over from Flintoff as he drove hard at the ball. Bell spilled him on 12 at gully after diving a long way and getting two hands to the ball, then Pietersen grassed him low to his right on 13, a tough chance off a full-blooded strike.

Gilchrist (30) slogged merrily for a while without ever getting on top of Giles, but the sheer firepower of England's attack got him in the end. Simon Jones came back on to bowl a 90mph outswinger that he nicked to the keeper.

Michael Clarke had come in at number eight instead of number six because his bad back had incapacitated him. He had been called from his hotel room in a taxi because of the urgent situation to bat with a runner. Jones got him when he mistimed a drive to mid on and Australia were 197-7, with only the rank tailenders to bat.

12 Aug, 2005