England 102 and 82 for 5 (Anderson 0*, Prior 4*) trail Australia 445 (North 110, Clarke 93, Ponting 78 Broad 6-91) by 261 runs

The day started on a muted note for England with Clarke and North bent on consolidating the lead and batting England out of the game. Clarke played some lovely shots and was poised for a well deserved century but fell on 93 to Onions, but he had taken Australia to nearly thrice what England managed to score. North had been patient, and continued in the same vein after Clarke was dismissed. The second new ball saw Haddin fall to Harmison for 14, but the score had steadily moved up to 323 for 6 by then.

Johnson then joined North and scored a handy 27, piling on the misery for the bowlers. He got out swiping Broad straight to Bopara. Broad followed it up by uprooting Siddle’s stump but then entered Stuart Clark, and he blasted three sixes and a boundary in his 32, and was finally out at 440-9. Meanwhile North had reached his century with a maximum off Swann. He lost his wicket at 110 going for quick runs, and at last England had managed to get 10 wickets for 445, conceding a massive lead of 343. Marcus North alone scored 8 more than the English team, and it reflects on the poor performance in this Test.

After tea Cook and Strauss came out to bat, and scored 58 together befora Hilfy got the skipper leg before wicket with an inswinger. The very next ball Bopara faithfully followed his captain, although he was very unlucky to be given leg before. The impact on pad and bat seemed simultaneous, and the line too was questionable. Misfortunes never come alone. For England, they come by the dozen at Leeds. Bell just about managed to survive the hat-trick ball but was soon dismissed for 3 by Johnson who has returned to the form he showed on South Africa. Collingwood was trapped by a devilish one from Mitch, and departed for 4. Anderson came in as nightwatchman, but could only helplessly watch as Cook edged another beastly ball from Johnson to Haddin., leaving England at 78 for 5. North later dropped Prior, but the damage had been done. England finished the day at 82 for 5, with 261 runs still in arrears. The first session was Clarke and North, after lunch it was Clarke and North. The final session has been a Mitch-Hilfy show with all pointers leading to an innings defeat.

This Test match, everything has gone horribly wrong for England, and it would take a major miracle if they are to escape defeat. The major difference between the two sides was the bowling: Short and Wide vs Straight and Full. The latter has been the better option, and the Aussies judiciously chose that.