Close of play Australia (115 for 7) trail England (185) by 68 runs Seventeen wickets, 290 runs, and a stirring England fightback: this was the day the Ashes came back to life. Cruising at 48 for 0 in reply to England's 185, Australia were well on their way to cracking open the tinnies, but seven wickets in a pulsating final session put the beer back on ice. Australia closed on 105 for 7, still 80 behind. Adam Gilchrist remains, but he has only tailenders for company: England must now fancy their chances of a first-innings lead.

First to go was Matthew Hayden, who had been giving the ball a meaty Queensland belt, but was given out lbw for 33 to one from Alex Tudor that pitched outside leg and might have gone over the top. That was 48 for 1.

Darren Gough bowled Michael Slater off an inside edge for 14 (56 for 2), then got rid of Ricky Ponting cheaply for the fourth time in the series, caught behind on the walk for 14 (69 for 3). Then the big one, the one that really started the collapse. Andy Caddick, who dismissed Steve Waugh five times in 1997, got one to bounce outside off and Waugh nicked a flyer to Mike Atherton, who clung on high to his left at first slip. Waugh out for 13, Australia 82 for 4. And it was 94 for 5 when Tudor, who had made all the batsmen hop around, persuaded Mark Waugh to edge to Atherton for 15.

These are the sort of situations Caddick thrives on, and in the next over he had Damien Martyn caught behind for 4 (102 for 7), before trapping Shane Warne plumb in front second ball for a duck. Just two hours after shifting uneasily in their seats, the crowd were now beside themselves.

England's innings was another case of throwing away a promising position, which is something they've become experts at since the Old Trafford Test against Pakistan. On that occasion England lost 8 for 75 and 8 for 60, and in five innings against Australia, the suicide-rate has been just as alarming: 8 for 85, 9 for 65, 8 for 91, 6 for 39, and now 7 for 68. England's collapses have given hari-kiri a bad name.

England made a disastrous start, losing Mike Atherton second ball of the innings to the man he habitually greets with "Morning, Nemesis". Glenn McGrath rapped Atherton's arm-guard and Mark Waugh held the catch. Then umpire Hampshire raised the finger - it was a duff decision. Atherton's duck was his 20th - a Test record for England - and Australia were on their way.

Mark Butcher went next, caught at third slip off McGrath for 13 (30 for 2), before Mark Ramprakash and Marcus Trescothick counterattacked in style: Trescothick pulled with glorious freedom, and Ramprakash drove with text-book precision (and even then rehearsed his shot like the highly strung perfectionist he is). But it was all too brief, and when Ramprakash pushed at a straight one from Jason Gillespie he had fallen for 14 for the fifth time in six Ashes innings. England were 63 for 3.

Either side of lunch Trescothick treated the crowd to the best batting of the day, tearing into Gillespie and racing to a 68-ball half-century, before nicking Gillespie to Adam Gilchrist for 69 (117 for 4). At 142 for 4 England were still in it, but McGrath returned to the attack and duly removed Ian Ward first ball as if he'd simply been biding his time. Ward, caught behind off a bat as crooked as Geoff Boycott's grin, had made 6 and the rot was setting in.

In his next over McGrath got rid of Craig White, caught at short leg for his third duck of a desperately disappointing series (147 for 6), before an extra-blond Shane Warne struck in successive overs himself. Alex Tudor was hit on the toe and given out leg before for 3 despite being well down the pitch (153 for 7), and Robert Croft pushed gamely to silly point for 3 (168 for 8).

Alec Stewart's cavalier cameo came to an anticlimactic end when he nudged McGrath to Mark Waugh at third slip for 46 (180 for 9) and it was 185 all out when Caddick was skittled by Lee for 13. At the time it looked like not being nearly enough.

England: 1 Michael Atherton (capt), 2 Marcus Trescothick, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Mark Ramprakash, 5 Alec Stewart (wk), 6 Ian Ward, 7 Craig White, 8 Alex Tudor, 9 Robert Croft, 10 Andy Caddick, 11 Darren Gough.

Australia: 1 Michael Slater, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Mark Waugh, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Damien Martyn, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk) 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com

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