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Pitch poses obstacle for England Australia take aim for stalemate
(about 9 hours later)
England go into day four of the second Ashes Test knowing it will take a dramatic turn of events to force a result on a docile Adelaide surface. Australia made a draw the most likely outcome of the second Ashes Test after avoiding the follow-on on day four.
Australia will resume on 312-5, needing another 40 to avoid the follow-on. By lunch they were 417-6, trailing England by 134, with Michael Clarke 68 not out and Shane warne unbeaten on 12.
Seamer Matthew Hoggard said: "We've had 11 wickets in three days so I don't think it'll be a massive disappointment if we don't win from here. Adam Gilchrist provided the only wicket to fall, caught in the deep off Ashley Giles for 64 - his highest Ashes score in four years.
"The wicket is very placid and it takes a long time to bowl people out. It's been hard work to get wickets." England pace bowlers Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison troubled Gilchrist early but without success.
Hoggard took all four to fall on the third day and could also have removed Ricky Ponting for 35. England's chances of forcing a result did not look good at the start of the day, as Australia resumed on 312-5.
The Aussie skipper survived after Ashley Giles failed to take a catch at deep square-leg and went on to score 142. By lunch, they needed to take quick wickets - or have Australia declare behind - score quick runs on a lifeless pitch then bowl the home side out again, all of which looked highly unlikely.
A good game of Test cricket could develop from this over the next two days Ricky Ponting Gilchrist was just beginning to cut loose when he was caught at deep midwicket as he aimed to slog-sweep Giles for the second boundary of the over.
Ponting believes his side can still pull off a victory if they bat positively on Monday and master leg-spinner Shane Warne weaves his magic on day five. He had endured a testing first hour as Flintoff employed the method that has kept the wicket-keeper's batting average to 25.83 since the start of the last Ashes series, packing the off-side field.
"Michael Clarke's looked terrific and Adam Gilchrist's started off really well so the first hour is going to be crucial for us," he explained. With Flintoff bowling around the wicket, Gilchrist always looked likely to edge a drive or cut to the slip cordon.
"We've still got Brett Lee and Warney to come. They're more than capable with the bat on that sort of wicket. Flintoff only allowed himself four overs, though, before bringing Harmison into the attack and although the Durham man did nothing wrong, the threat diminished.
"There will be a lot there for Shane. In the first two days he did spin the ball quite a bit, so that's probably the best chance. Gilchrist hit cover drives to the boundary off successive balls from Harmison and in the next over drove him down the ground.
"A good game of Test cricket could develop from this over the next couple of days. If there's something we can think we can chase we'll have a go at it for sure." The introduction of spinner Giles into the attack looked foolish as Gilchrist larruped him through the covers to reach his best Ashes score since the Sydney Test of 2003.
It looked inspired when Gilchrist was implicit in his own downfall but part-time off-spinner Kevin Pietersen's arrival looked more of an attacking option.
Clarke remained low key, with his first impressive shot - a cover drive off Harmison - coming after he had reached his second half century of the series from 88 balls.
Warne was anything but low-key as his bickering with Pietersen continued and he had time to sweep his Hampshrie team-mate for four before the break.