Aussie goose Cook-ed

DAY THREE

Somone will have to bat a la Ponting for Australia to escape in the last two days.

To lunch (277-5). The sad sight of the series was the suicide shot of Collingwood at 226-5 when he tried to go over the top. He had scored only 13 and the score was advancing steadily but he thought he needed to prove himself after all those bad scores. Instead that stroke probably marked the end of his Test career. Cook reached 100, Bell settled down for a long, slow innings and England headed for a winning score.

To tea (378-5) Two hours and 30 overs of England dominance as Cook reached his fourth score over 150 and his third century of the series. His improvement in recent months is astonishing. Bell played one of the most intelligent innings of their trip. Now, beyond question, we saw that England are much the better side.

To close (488-7) Another 32 overs of Test winning batsmanship in which Prior added icing to the rich cake with a free-scoring 54. The lead of 206, with three wickets and two days remaining make an England victory almost inevitable.