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Resistance is futile England blown out by pace in third Ashes testPosted: Friday November 29, 2002 5:59 AM
PERTH, Australia (AP) -- Australia's three-pronged pace attack led by Brett Lee bowled out England for 185 on the first day of the third cricket test at the WACA on Friday. The England innings lasted just 64.2 overs after skipper Nasser Hussain decided to bat first on surface that lived up to tradition -- pacey and bouncy. Ricky Ponting led an attack on the inexperienced new-ball attack with an unbeaten 43, and put Australia in control with 126 for two in only 23 overs, after another day went wrong for the tourists. England dismissed the openers -- Justin Langer (19) and Matthew Hayden (30) -- but Ponting and Damien Martyn, 20 not out, will resume Saturday as Australia looks to bat itself into a winning position. Australia reached 100 in only the 15th over as Chris Silverwood and Alex Tudor went for 80 runs in 12 overs between them with the new ball. Once Lee, 3-78, made early inroads and checked the smooth progress at 47 for no loss, fast bowlers Glenn McGrath, 2-30, and Jason Gillespie, 2-43, extended England's problems. The tourists went through the formalities of another lackluster batting display in front of a 22,523 first-day crowd -- a record for a test in Perth. Lee celebrated his Ashes recall with the wickets of Marcus Trescothick, Hussain and Craig White, as he rekindled his form here in two other tests. Only Robert Key with a fighting 47 runs in two hours, took the attack to Australia. His dismissal to the last ball before the tea break robbed England from posting a competitive total on a pitch that remained batsmen-friendly throughout the day. England lost three wickets in eight overs before lunch, and failed to recover from the setback upon resuming on 91 for three after the break. As the Australian bowlers held the upper hand, England batsmen continued their poor form that has been the low point for the team on this tour. The inform Vaughan's dismissal in the fifth over after lunch was crucial. The opener was done by the pace and bounce of the surface, and edged a catch behind as he tried to pull a ball from McGrath, who took both his wickets in his spell after lunch. Alec Stewart also fell to McGrath as wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist caught the Ashes veteran left-handed off an inside edge. England's mediocrity in the middle-order has been exposed once too often, and it crashed for the fifth innings in a row in a series it trails 2-0. In the 384-run defeat in the series opener in Brisbane, England lost 6-57 and 6-46, and also 7-47 and 6-45 in the innings and 51-run loss in Adelaide earlier this week.
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