For the first time since Lord's England find themselves behind in a Test match as Australia reached 112-0 in reply to England's 373 when rain and bad light ended play for the day just after tea.

More rain came later in the session to wash out further hope of play but Australia, having bowled England out half an hour before lunch, were only 261 runs behind against an attack badly missing the pace and swing of Simon Jones.

The wildest optimist could not consider England's position an enviable one. But if more time is lost over the next couple of days and England go on to draw the game Australia may rue their decision to accept the offer of bad light. They had two batsmen well set at the time in Justin Langer (75*) and Matthew Hayden (32*), and the light was merely marginal, not excessively gloomy, as it later became.

Even so Australia will be delighted with the form of their opening pair. Langer has been one of their more impressive performers in the series and this was his third fifty. But there were greater signs than before of a willingness to take the attack to England's bowlers. He played some marvellous flashing cuts and cover drives for boundaries off the quick men and struck two straight sixes off Ashley Giles in a calculated attempt to disrupt England's plan of using the spinner to control the game and give some rest to the seamers.

Credit then to Michael Vaughan for his characteristically decisive captaincy in immediately switching Giles to the Vauxhall End, from where he bowled with great rhythm to keep the brakes on.

Matthew Hayden's innings was in great contrast to Langer's. He concentrated on crease occupation, even meekly patting Paul Collingwood's ordinary seamers back to him. The Hayden of old would have launched an assault, but he is playing for his place in the side after a prolonged period of poor form, and wisely eschewed risk.

Hoggard and Harmison were greeted with a big stride down the wicket and a broad defensive bat and Giles was treated respectfully. It was admirably restrained from a batsman often characterised as a compulsive bully, liable to throw his wicket away if frustrated for long enough.

But there was little menace in the England bowling to build up pressure on the batsmen. Harmison's rhythm was never quite there and he had to take a greater share of the bowling duties than would have been the case if Jones had been playing. Even Flintoff was less threatening than earlier in the series, as Hayden left the ball with sound judgment wide of off stump. There were few scares, though Langer was dropped on 53 by Marcus Trescothick high to his right at first slip when he slashed and edged Collingwood. It was the 25th dropped catch by England this summer and if Langer goes on to make the big hundred he is eminently capable of it could be as expensive as Kevin Pietersen's drop of Michael Clarke at Lord's.

England had begun the day on 319-7, needing to boost their score to nearer 400. Much rested on the shoulders of Geraint Jones (25), but he was bowled in the second over by a beauty from Brett Lee that shaped into him and held its line to pluck out off stump. But for the second Test running Giles (32) came good with the bat, sharing in partnerships of 20 with Matthew Hoggard (2) and 28 with Harmison (20*) as England's tail wagged with rare vigour. The contrast between the patient blocking of Hoggard, who took 30 balls to get off the mark, and only then with a snick that Ricky Ponting shelled at second slip and Harmison's long-handled exploits was richly entertaining.

Hoggard seemed hardly to be aiming at the ball so often did he swish and miss, but Harmison showed once again what a good eye he has if the ball is pitched in his favourite areas for one of his two favourite shots, his drive down the ground, or his almighty pull. McGrath was hooked for four and Lee went for three in a row, a drive and two hooks.

Giles had batted with great pluck in a tricky situation and played some lovely shots, mainly for ones and twos to the spread field. He also manfully took strike to the bowling of Shane Warne, and deserved better than the rank lbw decision that ended the England innings and gave the legspinner his sixth wicket.

9 Sep, 2005