Pizzas galore!

Australia 39-0 to 142-1

Immediately after lunch Andrew Flintoff and Broad seek to expose the weakness of Hughes against the short ball and Flintoff is rewarded when he inside-edges a cut to Matt Prior. Australia press on carefully as England’s spinners struggle for a breakthrough. Swann, with five successive maidens, and Panesar are encouraged by some turn but Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting, with good footwork and concentration, cope.

England *
Australia * * * *

Third session

Australia 142-1 to 249-1

Katich and Ponting complete hundreds in the final ten minutes of play. Any notion that Australia would struggle against England’s spin attack proves wishful thinking. Only on 98 and 99 does Ponting look anything other than assured, while Katich presses on at his own pace to his first hundred against England. It comes from 214 balls with eight fours. Ponting’s 38th Test hundred arrives from 155 balls with eight fours.

England *
Australia * * * *

Talking point

Swann takes the fight to Australia

Graeme Swann’s buccaneering innings of 47 not out was a delight. Having scored 11 off the 96th over, bowled by Mitchell Johnson, he continued the fun in the 99th against Nathan Hauritz. As seen in the Hawk-Eye graphic below, the first ball turned so far down leg side it went for four byes, then Swann hit the last three balls of the over for fours. The first two, pitched outside off, were hit through mid-on, then he reverse-swept the final ball, which was even wider.

Milestones

Seven England batsmen reached 30 in an innings against Australia for the first time since the 1965 Melbourne Test.

When Ricky Ponting got to 22 it was his 2,000th Test run in the Ashes. Eighteen runs later, he was the fourth (after Tendulkar, Lara and Border) to 11,000 career Test runs.

Graeme Swann’s 47 not out was the tenth-highest score made by an England No 10 against Australia, but only three of those above him were made in the past 75 years.

Fancy a flutter?

England win 7-1
Australia win 9-4
Draw 1-2

Australia’s total 535 or over: Evens
Odds: Stan James

Pitch report

Areas of rough created by bowlers will continue to get bigger and eventually merge, with the possibility of variable bounce at the River Taff End.

Television, radio and weather

Live Sky Sports 1 10am-7pm
Highlights Sky Sports 1 8-10pm; 11pm-1am; 3-5am. Five 7.15-8pm
Radio BBC Radio 4 LW; Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
Forecast Sunny intervals. Maximum temperature 21C (70F)