England quicks James Anderson and Graham Onions exploited Australia’s weakness against the swinging ball by skittling the tourists for 263 at Edgbaston.
The tourists resumed at 1-126 on the second day of the third Ashes Test but Anderson and Onions used the overcast conditions to hoop the ball through the defences of the batsmen.
Anderson (5-80) produced a devastating patch of 5-13 off 38 balls as the Lancashire right-armer captured his maiden Ashes five-wicket haul.
Onions (4-58) earlier snatched control of the match for his side in just two balls as he captured 3-13 in 27 balls to start the day and deserved to have a couple more scalps to his name.
He opened the day in sensational fashion by trapping Shane Watson (62) in front and then clipping Mike Hussey’s (0) off stump with the two balls of the day.
Watson played around a ball that came back in slightly and Hussey had a shocker by leaving a ball that went straight into his stump and the left-hander quickly marched off the ground.
Chasing a hat-trick with his next ball, he put in a short pitched delivery that Michael Clarke (29) just managed to draw his gloves away from in time.
Onions’ performance lifted the boisterous home crowd and he continued to prove a handful with his probing line and length, taking the crucial wicket of Ricky Ponting (38) just before the hour mark.
Ponting had been lucky to survive that long with Ian Bell missing a run out chance after he pursued a non-existent single the over before his demise.
The captain, who eclipsed Allan Border’s national record for the most Test runs during his innings, was out after he made a hash of a hook shot and was caught behind.
Onions should have had Michael Clarke’s scalp on 18 as Australia enjoyed the rub of the green for the second lbw decision of the match.
Then six overs later Andrew Flintoff added to Onions’ frustrations by dropping Clarke on 20 at second slip.
The ball raced through his hands after coming off the middle of Clarke’s bat as he was late pulling it out of the way.
But the deputy captain’s good fortune ended when umpire Rudi Koertzen lifted the finger for an Anderson shout off an inswinging delivery that looked to be just sliding past the leg stump.
The swing bowler soon after lured Marcus North (12) into a drive and wicketkeeper Matt Prior claimed a superb one-handed diving catch in his left mitt.
North was furious at his downfall and swiped his bat against the ground, having felt he was starting to get set.
Then Anderson had his very next ball swing back in to Mitchell Johnson (0) and Koertzen lifted the finger to a delivery that looked like going over the top of the stumps.
The right-armer finished the session with a bang by knocking back debutant Graham Manou’s (8) off stump with a terrific ball and lunch was then taken.
Anderson claimed his five-wicket haul with a good ball that Siddle edged behind before Onions suffered again at the hands of his teammates with Ravi Bopara dropping a running catch with Ben Hilfenhaus (20) on eight.
But the Durham quick was rewarded with the final scalp of Hilfenhaus with Nathan Hauritz unbeaten on 20.
Colin N
Guest
Simon, To be honest mate, I am getting fed up with the amount of Australians comlaining about the umpire's, like you!!!! "I believe they won the series in 2005 on bad umpiring and a lot of luck" Complete and utter bullshit. I've just watched the highlights of the games in 2005, and there weren't too many decisions that were wrong. There was the odd one, yes (especially the one which wrongly adjudged Pieterson to be out at Edgbasten), but nothing that seriously affected the outcome of the matches. You now know what it's like to be on the end of some shit decisions, like as an England fan we have had to endure for some time against the Aussies. Did I complain? No. Do you know why? Because Australia were by far the better side in those matches, just like England have been so far in this series, or at least at Lords and so far, Edgbasten. I remember England getting some shockers in 06/07, but did we complain? No, because Australia were by far the better side. I did, however, feel very sorry for Andrew Strauss in that series, who was given out, wrongly, about 5 times. BUT, you say 'unlucky' and move on, not constantly whinge and complain like most of you have done for pretty much the whole fricking series. Rant over!!!!!!!!!
Simon
Guest
Is anybody else getting incensed by the umpiring? It is getting so bad I am struggling to watch and am becoming so infuriated that I am watching less and less cricket. I can't believe how often I have complained about 4th and 5th grade umpires in Sydney to my wife! I think they do a better job than Rudi and co. Enough is enough. If Rudi was Australian there would be heads rolling. Likewise if India or Pakistan were playing there would be threats to come home. I think it is time Ricky asked for change in umpires or he should bring the boys home. I believe they won the series in 2005 on bad umpiring and a lot of luck. They are a better side than then and we are much worse however we don't deserve the quality of the decisions that are being made either then or now. Bring on October and the change in referral rules.
Duncan Gering
Roar Rookie
Now I'm not a Shane Watson fan - so this may be just a rant - but for me the 62 runs he scored on day 2 when conditions were easy and the bowling was too should count for nothing. If he's going to play Test cricket then he needs to stand up when conditions are tough. and his record under those circumstances (in this game) - 1 ball, 0 runs - not good enough. I get that it wasn't easy for anybody, anybody Australian at any rate, but if you talk a great game then you need to follow up.