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England put themselves in a remarkably dominant position after day one of the fourth Ashes Test having bowled out Australia for just 98 in Melbourne.

Chris Tremlett and James Anderson swung the ball beautifully to take four wickets each after captain Andrew Strauss had won an important toss.

Australia showed poor technique to contribute to their demise.

And they were made to pay when Strauss and Alastair Cook pushed England along to a very healthy 157-0 in reply.

Having lost by 267 runs on a much faster wicket in Perth to relinquish their 1-0 series lead, England's flawless performance on Boxing Day with bat and ball defied logic.

They have already put Australia, who recorded their lowest all-out total in an Ashes Test at the MCG, in a situation where defeat is a probability.

In Australia's mitigation was the fact that cool, cloudy conditions up until tea had turned the early exchanges into something more akin to a May Test match in England, with bowlers able to extract swing and seam movement.

With propitious timing for the tourists, the clouds melted away as Strauss - who ended the day on 64 - and Cook (80) strode to the crease. And barring one or two early deliveries from Ben Hilfenhaus the ball did not swing for the Australians.

Australia entered this critical match with only three batsmen in any sort of form. Mike Hussey had made an extraordinary 517 in the first three Tests, while Shane Watson and Brad Haddin had also produced some key performances.

This time, however, with England's three seamers locating a searching length from the off - and finding swing consistently, those three all failed. Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting were due runs, but managed only 20 and 10 respectively, while Phillip Hughes and Steve Smith do not appear to possess the necessary techniques for swing-friendly conditions.

Such was the one-sidedness of the early exchanges, that England could afford to drop Watson twice before he had scored - Paul Collingwood at third slip and Kevin Pietersen in the gully were the culprits.

Anderson was the unlucky bowler on those two occasions, but it was Tremlett who supplied the first wicket, Watson getting a nasty one that bounced up to an uncomfortable height - and gloving to Pietersen. Despite his double let-off, Watson had made only five.

There was another catch for Pietersen in the gully when Hughes, craving anything wide outside off, flashed at one that he should have left to give Bresnan a wicket with his seventh ball in an Ashes contest.

The Yorkshireman had been a debatable selection ahead of Steven Finn, the leading wicket-taker in the series. But he showed some fine control at one end as Tremlett and Anderson probed away at the other.

Ricky Ponting suggested a possible return to form when hitting two fine pull shots for four, but Tremlett got one to fizz away from him off the seam and the Australian captain's edge was well held by Graeme Swann at second slip.

England were in prime position at 37-3, but they still needed to send Hussey back to the pavilion. They got their wish when Anderson snaked one away from him off a full length just two balls before a 90-minute rain break which incorporated lunch.

Prior's catch was riotously celebrated, and Anderson remained in hot form during the afternoon; uncertain pushes outside off-stump caused the demise of both Steve Smith and Clarke - the Anderson-Prior combination doing the business each time.

A score of 77-6 became 77-8 when Haddin wafted Bresnan to slip, before Prior accepted another catch from Anderson's bowling to send the occasionally dangerous Mitchell Johnson on his way for a duck.

Tremlett returned to wrap up the tail and Australia were all out in 42.5 overs. Every dismissal had been as a result of a catch behind the wicket, Prior becoming the seventh England gloveman to take at least six in a Test innings.

England's efficiency in the field meant they could turn their attentions to batting during the tea interval.

Their progress was serene in the extreme as Strauss and Cook did what Australia's batsmen had failed to do - leave the ball well alone when necessary, or play it tightly in defense with bat and pad close together.

Cook was given out lbw on 27 but called for a review which quickly revealed an inside edge.

There were some nice shots as well, such as Strauss's on-drive off Peter Siddle to bring up the fifty partnership and two straight drives for four by Cook off Hilfenhaus.

Even as news filtered through that 84,345 spectators had watched the early exchanges of the afternoon session, huge swathes of them were already leaving the ground - though a delighted Barmy Army contingent remained in situ.

Strauss took England into the lead with a sublime on-drive off Watson, but Cook was playing with even more fluency than his senior partner and was just 20 short of a third century in the series when stumps were drawn.

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Jonathan Trott scored his fifth Test hundred as England took total control of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.

Trott remained unbeaten on 141 as the tourists finished on 444-5, a lead of 346 as Australia endured another frustrating day in the field.

After resuming on 157-0, England were restricted to 286-5 before Trott and Matt Prior (75 not out) took control.

The day was marred by controversy when Ricky Ponting remonstrated with the umpires following a review decision.

The Australia captain was later fined 40% of his playing fee by match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

The incident stemmed from Kevin Pietersen being given not out by umpire Aleem Dar following a vociferous caught behind appeal off Ryan Harris.

Urged on by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, Ponting asked for a referral - only for third umpire Marais Erasmus to uphold Dar's original decision when replays and Hotspot indicated the ball had not made contact with Pietersen's bat.

But Ponting refused to accept the decision, continuing his protestations to umpire Dar and his square leg colleague Tony Hill, much to the chagrin of most in the 67,149 crowd at the MCG.

The incident was the low point of another frustrating day for an Australia team desperate to make at least partial amends for their feeble display in being dismissed for 98 on day one.

The day had though begun optimistically for the hosts as Peter Siddle, bowling with real pace and purpose, found the perfect line outside off stump to snare an edge off Alastair Cook to first slip in the day's fifth over.

The Essex opener fell 18 runs short of what would have been his third hundred of the series and he was soon followed by captain Andrew Strauss.

The left-hander was surprised by a delivery which spit sharply off the surface from a length, gleaning a thick leading edge towards gully, where Mike Hussey took an excellent one-handed catch at full stretch to leave England at 170-2.

Alongside Trott, new-man Pietersen initially played cautiously as Australia tested the third-wicket pair in a hostile spell of fast bowling, although Pietersen opened his shoulders when Steven Smith was introduced, hitting two boundaries from the leg-spinner's first over as England reached 226-2 at lunch.

Pietersen in particular looked in excellent touch, unfurling a number of consummate straight drives down the ground as Australia counted down the overs until the new ball was available.

But, soon after Ponting's referral histrionics, Pietersen perished after notching his 21st Test half century when he was adjudged lbw shuffling across his crease to Siddle, who collected his third wicket with his third delivery of the afternoon session with England at 262-3.

And momentum shifted a little further towards Australia when Mitchell Johnson utilised the short ball to effect as he snared Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell for single-figure scores with almost identical dismissals.

Both batsmen fell for the bouncer sucker-punch, top-edging poorly controlled pulls to fine leg where Siddle took two good catches to leave England at 286-5.

The dismissal heaped yet more pressure on the under-fire Collingwood, who fell for his 10th single-figure Test score in 12 innings, a statistic which England's selectors may find hard to ignore when picking the side for next week's Sydney Test.

Despite losing two partners in quick succession, Trott remained defiant although a full-length dive just about saved him from a run-out just before accumulating his sixth Test half century from 118 deliveries.

However, the afternoon session was engulfed in yet more drama when Prior was recalled after edging Johnson to Brad Haddin on five, umpire Dar utilising a television replay to belatedly rule the bowler had overstepped the popping crease.

While Prior constantly flirted with fortune, Trott remained indefatigable in defence, working the ball to leg with quiet efficiency off his middle stump while showing excellent judgement to leave anything potentially hazardous outside off.

He was momentarily floored when he required attention after an inside edge cannoned into his knee, but he eschewed the offer of a runner and brought up his third Ashes century in only five matches.

The 29-year-old is second only to Sachin Tendulkar in list of the leading Test run scorers of 2010 and he was in no mood to give his wicket away as Australia's bowlers wilted in the late-evening sunshine as the sixth-wicket pair put on 158 runs.

After riding his luck early on in his innings, Prior moved to within 25 runs of his fourth Test century and first against Australia with a series of scything drives and lusty blows off leg-spinner Smith as England put themselves in the ideal position to retain the Ashes for the first time in 24 years.

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England moved closer to retaining the Ashes for the first time in 24 years following another dominant display at the Melbourne Test on day three.

England added 69 to their overnight total as they were dismissed for 513, with Jonathan Trott unbeaten on 168.

Australia had been progressing steadily at 99-1 when Tim Bresnan ripped through the middle order with three wickets for five runs in the final session.

The hosts ended the day on 169-6, still 246 runs adrift of the tourists.

That deficit is purely mathematical with only three lower-order wickets remaining - Ryan Harris is unlikely to bat after sustaining a stress fracture of his left ankle bowling in the morning session - and with England's bowlers rampant.

A superb, disciplined display from the quartet was characterised by sustained periods of pressure, starving Australia's beleaguered top order of run-scoring opportunities.

At the forefront of the middle-order demolition was Bresnan's superb spell of 3-17 from seven eventful overs, dismissing Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey in quick succession.

Yorkshireman Bresnan was ably assisted by the frugal Chris Tremlett and the ever consistent James Anderson, who once again exemplified why he is the best swing bowler in the world.

And Graeme Swann's canny ability to collect wickets at crucial stages left Australia staring down the barrel of yet another humiliating innings defeat on home soil.

After almost two days of rest, England's bowlers were eventually called for action after lunch when the tourists were dismissed for their third 500+ total in this series.

The indefatigable Trott brought up his second Test score in excess of 150 as wickets tumbled around him, with the ever-persistent Peter Siddle rewarded for a spirited bowling display with figures of 6-75, his fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Matt Prior fell 15 runs short of his fourth Test hundred when he spooned a catch to Ponting at mid-on, while Bresnan became Siddle's fifth victim.

But Australia's hopes of wrapping up the tail were hindered when Harris was forced off the field when he broke down in his 28th over, later confirmed as a stress fracture which will require surgery.

An entertaining knock of 22 from Swann was brought to an end when Brad Haddin took an excellent one-handed catch high above his head off Ben Hilfenhaus, only his second wicket in the series.

And Tasmanian Hilfenhaus added a third minutes later when he cleaned up Tremlett's stumps before Siddle wrapped up the innings and his sixth wicket when a fast reverse-swinging delivery clean bowled Anderson.

With two-and-a-half days remaining in the match, Australia needed to bat at least six sessions if they were to stand any chance of keeping the series alive for the final Test in Sydney on 2 January.

The onus was on Australia's openers to provide a solid platform for a robust riposte and, although Phillip Hughes began nervously with a series of streaky boundaries behind square, they managed to notch a confidence-boosting 50-run partnership.

However, Swann's second over in the afternoon session provided the breakthrough, although the dismissal owed more to Watson's poor judgement calling for a quick single than the off-spinner's guile.

A superb throw from Trott in the covers caught Hughes out of his ground with Watson lamenting his hasty call from the non-striker's end.

Bresnan and Anderson choked the flow of runs with a disciplined display of swing bowling, manipulating the 15-over old ball in both directions as Ponting and Watson were given few run-scoring opportunities to cash in on.

Tremlett maintained the stranglehold, using his huge 6ft 7in frame to generate awkward bounce and height, making batting an arduous affair for Australia's second-wicket pair.

The Surrey seamer was unfortunate to see a thick Watson outside edge fall just short of Prior at 79-1 while a number of lbw appeals were repeatedly turned down by umpire Aleem Dar, with height providing the biggest doubt in the Pakistani official's mind.

Watson reached his 15th Test half century from 95 deliveries in the 30th over but once again the barrel-chested opener fell short of a three-figure score when he misjudged a reverse-swinging delivery, offering no stroke to a ball which moved back into his pads.

Umpire Tony Hill upheld England's clamorous lbw appeal, although Watson's fate was delayed as the opener referred the decision to the third umpire Marais Erasmus, only for the South African to confirm the ball would have just clipped the top of the bails.

Ponting's painstaking and lugubrious innings of 20 from 73 deliveries was brought to a close soon after when a thick inside edge clattered into his stumps, much to the delight of the jubilant England fans.

And the assiduous Hussey, England's nemesis throughout the first three Test matches, was dismissed without scoring when Ian Bell took an excellent low catch at short cover to leave Australia reeling at 104-4.

With rookie Steve Smith, whose credentials as a Test number six have been questioned by seasoned observers and home fans alike, and the out-of-form Michael Clarke at the crease, England sensed another dismissal was close.

Although the fifth-wicket partnership offered obdurate defence, it was the deception of Swann which earned the fifth wicket.

Bowling around the wicket to Clarke, the off-spinner snared a thick outside edge into the hands of England captain Andrew Strauss at second slip with a delivery which held its line outside off stump, further compounding Australia's vice-captain's miserable series.

Smith swung his bat at every opportunity whenever he was offered a modicum of width, collecting six boundaries before he dragged a short ball from Anderson on to his stumps at 159-6.

With Mitchell Johnson at the crease alongside Brad Haddin, Australia face the impossible task of saving the Test - and series - on day four, which is certain to herald huge celebrations from England players and fans alike.

BBC Sport

 

England have retained the Ashes for the first time in 24 years - and with a match to spare - after easing to a comprehensive win in the fourth Test.

Australia, resuming 246 runs behind on 169-6 and with Ryan Harris unable to bat, were eventually dismissed for 258 before lunch on day four in Melbourne.

Chris Tremlett, Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan each took a wicket as England won by an innings and 157 runs.

The tourists are now 2-1 up with only the Sydney Test remaining.

If they avoid defeat there, England will win their first series down under since 1986/87.

"We've got to keep our feet on the ground because there are many goals that we want to achieve both in this series and into the future," said England captain Andrew Strauss.

"But we're very excited right now. It's a special occasion the MCG game and to come out here and retain the Ashes is something that will live long in all our memories."

Strauss was quick to heap praise on his team-mates.

"These guys deserve everything they get because the players stood up and performed when it matters," he said.

"It's great for me but we all know a captain's nothing without the guys who stand up and deliver under pressure.

"I'm not going to take the credit for this because it's not my victory, it's the team's victory."

British Prime Minister David Cameron offered his congratulations to the England team on "a brilliant performance" in Australia.

"Retaining the Ashes for the first time in almost a quarter of a century marks a very special end to the year for sports fans and a great late Christmas present for the country," he said. "I look forward to welcoming them to Downing Street when they return."

Former Australian bowler Shane Warne was quick to praise the English.

Writing on his Twitter page, he said: "Congrats to the England cricket team on retaining the ashes .. It has taken 24 years for England to do it in Aust.. Well done and Congrats."

England's win in Melbourne was their biggest against Australia since 1956 and one they fully deserved after dominating their opponents with both bat and ball from the start.

Strauss's men showed immense character and skill to bounce back from a comprehensive defeat in Perth, although they were aided by a bitterly disappointing performance from Australia.

While questions surrounding Ricky Ponting's future as Australia captain are likely to intensify, his side could yet salvage a share of the spoils from a final Test that starts on 3 January.

But for that to happen the hosts would have to experience a dramatic about-turn in form and - if this evidence is anything to go by - England will not exactly be quaking in their boots.

The tourists had engineered a position of such dominance over the previous three days that both teams arrived at a sun-drenched Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday knowing the outcome was a mere formality.

With Australia staring down the barrel of a crushing home defeat by their fiercest rivals, the players were greeted by vast swathes of empty seats as they walked out at the 100,000-capacity stadium.

That said, the Barmy Army were out in force to will England over the line - and they swiftly had cause for celebration.

Fresh from tearing through Australia's middle order on day three, Bresnan got proceedings under way with a devilish over of reverse swing that had Mitchell Johnson in all sorts of trouble.

The Yorkshireman laid the foundations for an early strike, which duly arrived in the second over of the day when Tremlett swung one back into left-hander Johnson and clattered his stumps via an inside edge.

A swift end appeared likely but Peter Siddle and Brad Haddin combined doggedly to delay the inevitable.

Watchful at first, Haddin soon began to open his shoulders and moved towards a seventh Test half-century by dispatching Swann down the ground for six.

A couple of edges narrowly eluded Paul Collingwood at slip before Siddle got in on the act with a slog-sweep over wide long-on for a maximum.

It was important for England to remain patient, and instead of taking the new ball Strauss opted to stick with the spin of Swann and swing of Bresnan. It was a move that paid dividends.

Siddle had grafted his way to a career-best score of 40 but there would be no maiden half-century after he lofted Swann to Kevin Pietersen running round from long-on.

With just one wicket needed, it arrived in the very next over, Ben Hilfenhaus caught behind off Bresnan to spark scenes of jubilation among the England players and fans alike.

Mike Gatting, the last England captain to win the Ashes down under, said success was down to the fact that the tourists have been "very well led, very well coached, very well prepared".

He added: "The great thing about winning in Australia, you have to play as a team.

"It's not just any one person who is going to win you the Ashes and make a huge difference. Everyone has to compete out there because you are battling against a team that is used to winning in its own back yard."

England batting coach and former captain Graham Gooch told BBC Radio 5 live: "Everyone there can be proud of their performance.

"But they won't be thinking that this is over yet. They will want to go to Sydney and finish Australia off and win the series. That was the aim at the beginning of the tour."

Defeat in Melbourne means Ponting, 36, is the first Australian skipper in 120 years to fail three times in the Ashes.

"We've learnt a lot about how to play very good Test cricket from some of the cricket that the English team have played over the last few weeks," he said.

"I'm disappointed with the way this series has gone for us so far, really disappointed at the way this week has turned out for us after having such a good week last week.

"But I think the really important thing we need to do is pay credit to England and the way they played for the whole tour."

England and Australia began the series by drawing the Brisbane Test.

England then went 1-0 up crushing the hosts by an innings and 71 runs in Adelaide, only for Australia to hit back instantly in Perth, recording a surprise 267-run victory.

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Australia slid from 105-1 to 134-4 as England ended day one of the final Ashes Test on top in rainy Sydney.

Tim Bresnan was the most successful bowler, taking 2-47 as England made the most of overhead cloud cover and a pitch offering some seam movement.

Rain took the players off for 90 minutes in the middle of the day and England picked up two late wickets before a second and final stoppage.

Michael Clarke made just four in his first Test as Australia's captain.

His fortunes contrasted with those of debutant Usman Khawaja, the 24-year-old left-hander displaying plenty of confidence before coming unstuck late on and top-edging a sweep off Graeme Swann to depart for 37.

Khawaja was caught by Jonathan Trott at square-leg, and that was the last act of a day which had seen Shane Watson (45) make yet another start without registering a major score, while Phillip Hughes (31) compiled his best score in eight Test innings against England.

Hughes fell to Chris Tremlett, while James Anderson got through 20 overs and was unlucky not to pick up at least one wicket of his own.

In his first Test as captain with Ricky Ponting out injured, Clarke arrived early for the coin toss, and looked a little nervous. He could be granted the role on a permanent basis later this year if Australia pull off a win in Sydney, and thus stop England winning the series.

After undisciplined performances from the top order in previous Tests - and whether or not galvanised to change tactics by Clarke - Watson and Hughes addressed the new ball with caution. Even so, the first hour was a difficult period for the batting side.

Anderson had two close lbw shouts against Watson, while a lobbed edge from Hughes off Tremlett somehow failed to reach the slip cordon on the full.

The batsmen opened up a little approaching lunch but with the interval just three balls away, the left-handed Hughes pushed forward outside the off-stump at Tremlett, despite the angle taking the ball further away from the danger area. The thick edge flew fast to Paul Collingwood at third slip, and England's best catcher made no mistake.

It was a tame end for Hughes, who had shown some glimpses of the fluency that had brought him centuries in each innings in his second Test match against South Africa in March 2009.

Watson resumed after lunch with Khawaja as his companion, a player with a strong domestic record who was born in Pakistan and is the first Muslim to play for Australia.

Khawaja calmly tucked his first ball away through the on-side for two, before despatching Tremlett's next offering, an attempted bouncer, away for four.

Watson had not managed a single boundary of his own before lunch, but was suddenly keen to get involved, and hit three fours off Anderson.

Meanwhile, Khawaja, playing the ball late from a high back-lift with hands low on the bat handle, consolidated intelligently as the skies darkened overhead.

Bresnan prised out Watson with a good ball that just seamed away a fraction and was edged to Andrew Strauss at first slip before the first tranche of rain arrived before tea.

Once under way again, Clarke's 21-ball innings soon came to an end when he played a loose cut shot at Bresnan, Anderson clinging onto a catch in the gully.

The weather closed in again as Khawaja looked anxious to move the score along, and he paid the price for his impetuosity as he faced Swann for the first time.

Mike Hussey - a prolific force in the first three Tests - was unbeaten on 12 at stumps. Brad Haddin will join forces with him on day two, when play can start half an hour early, at 2300 GMT, to make up for some of the 31 overs lost on Monday.

Australia's batsmen will hope the morning showers forecast for the area miss the SCG this time.

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England ended an absorbing second day of the final Ashes Test on 167-3 in reply to Australia's 280 all out, with Alastair Cook still there on 61.

Cook thought he was out on 46, lofting a catch to mid-on off Michael Beer.

But umpire Billy Bowden checked with the TV official as he suspected a possible no-ball, and to the disbelief of Aussie fans Cook was reprieved.

Australia, who began the day on 134-4, were indebted to Mitchell Johnson, who hit 53 in a lower-order recovery.

Johnson also picked up the wickets of Jonathan Trott, who registered his first duck in Test cricket, and Kevin Pietersen (36). Andrew Strauss had earlier smashed 60 from only 58 balls in an aggressive start to England's reply.

Cook's dramatic escape allowed him to become the second youngest batsman, behind Sachin Tendulkar, to notch 5,000 Test runs. And his haul for the series, currently at 638, is already five runs better than Michael Vaughan's 2002-03 aggregate.

The one flat period of the day for England came when Australia's ninth-wicket pair, of Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus, put on 76 in 15 overs.

That allowed the hosts to recover from 189-8, but Strauss and Cook were determined not to allow the Aussies to use it as a catalyst to spark havoc in the England top order.

And a strong session with the bat on the third morning should ensure a healthy lead for the tourists, who only need to avoid defeat in Sydney to win the series.

With 31 overs lost on day one because of rain, play began half an hour early on Tuesday and England's bowlers were quick to get among the Australian middle and lower order.

Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin, together at the resumption, have produced some impressive stands thus far in the series - but were parted in the fourth over when a flat-footed flash outside off stump by Haddin gave James Anderson his first wicket of the match.

Hussey and Steve Smith attempted another patient rebuild against the usual disciplined England bowling - at one point Australia were scoring slower than they had in any innings since 1999.

But with his last ball of a cursory two-over spell as England prepared to take the new ball, Paul Collingwood ousted Hussey for 33 with a ball that took a thick inside edge before bobbling on to his stumps off his pads.

At 171-6 Australia's score did not look competitive on a wicket that appeared to be flattening out. So when Anderson picked up two more wickets in a single over by removing Smith (18) and Peter Siddle (2) - both edging to slip - to make it 189-8, the hosts looked in really poor shape.

They recovered through Johnson and Hilfenhaus, who were rewarded for showing more ambition than any of the specialist batsmen. While there were one or two lucky moments, particularly for Hilfenhaus, there was also some clean ball-striking.

Hilfenhaus, who hit 34, launched a terrific six off Tim Bresnan high over wide mid-on and in the next over Johnson did the same to Graeme Swann.

The stand had gone beyond nuisance value for England when Bresnan cranked up his speed and pegged back Johnson's off-stump to silence a growing swell of approval from the Australian spectators.

Hilfenhaus mowed one more four off Swann before becoming Anderson's 21st victim of the series as he finished with 4-66.

As the roller came out, the question was: would Australia's late rally provide renewed belief for their bowlers, or would England's batsmen instead take the view that this was a better wicket to bat on than it had appeared during the early exchanges?

It was very much the second scenario leading up to tea - which came at 73-0 from 16 overs - and in the immediate aftermath.

But whereas before the interval Australia bowled far too short, allowing Strauss and Cook to cut and pull to their heart's content, they pitched the ball up afterwards and began to look more dangerous.

In the 23rd over Strauss got a superb ball from Hilfenhaus, bowled from around the wicket, which swung in and seamed away a touch, flicking off stump.

Trott lasted only six balls, dragging an innocuous delivery from Johnson into his stumps, and with 98-0 suddenly becoming 99-2 there were fears that the match might be following a similar course to the Perth Test.

There, England were 78-0 replying to Australia's 268 before collapsing to 187 all out en route to a 267-run defeat.

Cook and new man Pietersen generally adopted an intelligent mix of caution and positivity, hitting some fine drives and leg-glances to maintain a decent run rate. But when the debutant left-arm spinner Beer was in his third over, it seemed for all the world that the Aussies had removed Cook.

However, in an incident that mirrored Matt Prior's moment of good fortune in Melbourne, Cook was urged to remain at the wicket by umpire Bowden while the Aussies rushed to congratulate Beer and the catcher, Hilfenhaus.

Replays confirmed a no-ball, and England looked well set to get through to stumps without any further drama - until Pietersen, on 36, top-edged a hook off Johnson. Beer completed a neat catch at fine leg.

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Alastair Cook made 189 for an aggregate of 766 series runs and Ian Bell (115) hit his first Ashes ton as England ran riot on day three of the final Test.

With Australia needing to win to avoid losing the series, their hopes looked bleak as the tourists reached 488-7.

That gave England a lead of 208 at stumps and represented a fine day's work from a morning start of 167-3.

The only blemish was the latest in a long line of failures for Paul Collingwood, who was out for 13.

The 34-year-old has an average of 15.54 in his last 10 Test matches and may not get a chance to remedy it in the second innings.

Cook, 61 not out at the start of what always appeared a pivotal day, put on 154 with Bell, a Sydney Cricket Ground record for an England sixth-wicket pair, before the latter added 107 with Matt Prior (54 not out).

For much of the day, statisticians looked on as Cook batted with his now customary combination of high skill, concentration and patience to surpass the series hauls of various exalted batsmen from the past.

In England terms, the likes of John Edrich, Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch and Denis Compton were nonchalantly overtaken. With only Wally Hammond - who hit 905 in the 1928/29 Ashes - left to conquer, Cook finally edged a tired drive to gully off Shane Watson after tea.

But by then Australia already trailed by 100 runs and were barely in the game.

It was by far the best batting day of the match, with blue skies overhead for Jane McGrath Day. The SCG and many of its patrons were kitted out in pink in memory of former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath's late wife, who died after a length battle against breast cancer in 2008.

England lost night-watchman James Anderson to Peter Siddle early on and there were one or two awkward moments for Collingwood when he first came in, a gloved prod off Mitchell Johnson just evading short-leg.

Cook had a couple of dicey moments too, edging Watson just short of slip and then, on 99, watched as Phillip Hughes claimed a catch at short-leg off Michael Beer. However, neither Cook nor the umpires were convinced about the legitimacy of the catch and replays confirmed it had bounced before nestling in the hands of Hughes.

After reaching his third century of what has been an epic series for him, Cook settled down with two nice drives for four off Beer. That was important for England as Collingwood had by then been caught at mid-on off the debutant Australian spinner from a poorly executed and premeditated lofted drive.

Even if he was to rediscover his form during the one-day series and the World Cup, Collingwood's Test future looks very uncertain.

At lunch, Cook was on 130 and Bell, having hit a nice straight drive for four off Siddle, had reached 20.

The second session took England from 277-5 to 378-5 as Michael Clarke made copious bowling changes - but Australia did not threaten at all.

Milestones were reached with expansive shots - Bell dispatching an out-of-sorts Hilfenhaus past square leg for four to push England into the lead, before Cook cut Johnson for a boundary of his own to bring up the 300.

Bell's lofted off-drive for four off Steve Smith allowed him to reach his half-century - the leg-spinner did not get a bowl until the 102nd over - and at tea England were in a tremendous position.

Cook finally departed early in the final session, whereupon Bell, foot-perfect for so long, enjoyed two significant slices of fortune.

At 67 he was given out caught behind by umpire Aleem Dar and successfully reviewed the decision on the basis that Hotspot had not picked up an edge. But with nothing else making contact with the ball, and both Snicko and the stump microphone detecting a nick, it was highly questionable whether the final verdict was the right one.

Bell, by now batting with Prior, then drove a return catch to Smith on 84, which the 21-year-old could not cling on to.

Having weathered that sticky period, the Warwickshire man buckled down to make sure of an overdue maiden Ashes century - met with plenty of boos in the crowd of 40,300.

His confidence restored, Bell went back to attractive shot-making, while Prior was no poor second fiddle. The Sussex man scored rapidly, his haul including a straight six off Smith.

With the England fans loudly appreciative of his efforts, Bell fell in the penultimate over to Johnson, as a defensive edge just carried to the lone slip. The wicket was barely celebrated by the forlorn Australians.