Australia face probable defeat

England were on the verge of retaining the Ashes after feeble Australian batting left the fourth Melbourne Test at their mercy on Tuesday. The tourists left the Australians with the huge task of either scoring 415 runs to make England bat again or lasting out eight sessions to secure a draw but the home team showed little fight after their opponents had amassed 513 at the MCG.
Australia were facing probable defeat some time on Wednesday's fourth day with no rain forecast over the last two scheduled days of the match. At the close, Australia were trailing England by 246 runs at 169 for six with Brad Haddin on 11 and Mitchell Johnson on six. Yorkshire seamer Tim Bresnan prised open the Australian top order in a mesmerising spell of three wickets in 18 balls to trigger the slide.
"We've had a good day of Test cricket," Bresnan said. "Hopefully, we've done all the hard work and do the rest tomorrow and wrap up this win. "I do like being under the pump. I do like the big occasion and I do like being under pressure. I think it brings the best out in me." Australian opener Shane Watson conceded that hopes of regaining the Ashes were gone.
"It's a very shattering position we are in now," Watson said. Ricky Ponting's grim struggle for runs ended after 101 minutes when he was bowled by Bresnan for 20. The Australian skipper got an inside edge onto his stumps to continue a wretched series, having now scored just 113 runs at 16.14 and putting his distinguished 152-Test career in peril ahead of next week's final Test in Sydney.
Australia's hopes of saving the Melbourne Test plunged with Ponting's exit and it got worse when their series leading scorer Mike Hussey perished for a duck in Bresnan's next over, snapped up by Ian Bell at short extra cover. Vice-captain Michael Clarke capped a poor series when he fell to spinner Graeme Swann for 13, playing forward and edging to Andrew Strauss.
England were dismissed at lunch with Trott remaining unbeaten on 168 as the team's marathon innings, stretching over 700 minutes and 159.1 overs, finally came to an end.
Trott batted for 468 minutes, faced 345 balls and hit 13 fours in an innings that fortified England's impregnable position. Siddle finished with 6-75 off 33.1 overs but Australia lost paceman Ryan Harris with an ankle stress fracture while bowling in the morning session. Australia will now need to find a bowling replacement for Harris for the Sydney Test.

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Scoreboard Australia 1st innings: 98

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England 1st innings (overnight 444 for 5):

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A. Strauss c Hussey b Siddle              69

A. Cook c Watson b Siddle                 82

J. Trott not out                         168

K. Pietersen lbw b Siddle                 51

P. Collingwood c Siddle b Johnson          8

I. Bell c Siddle b Johnson                 1

M. Prior c Ponting b Siddle               85

T. Bresnan c Haddin b Siddle               4

G. Swann c Haddin b Hilfenhaus            22

C. Tremlett b Hilfenhaus                   4

J. Anderson b Siddle                       1

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Extras: (b10, lb2, w3, nb3)               18

Total: (all out, 159.1 overs)            513

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Fall of wickets: 1-159, 2-170, 3-262, 4-281, 5-286, 6-459, 7-465, 8-508, 9-512, 10-513 (Anderson)
Bowling: Hilfenhaus 37-13-83-2 (1w), Harris 28.4-9-91-0, Johnson 29-2-134-2 (2w 2nb), Siddle 33.1-10-75-6 (1nb), Watson 10-1-34-0, Smith 18-3-71-0, Clarke 3.2-0-13-0

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Australia 2nd innings:

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S. Watson lbw b Bresnan                   54

P. Hughes run out (Trott)                 23

R. Ponting b Bresnan                      20

M. Clarke c Strauss b Swann               13

M. Hussey c Bell b Bresnan                 0

S. Smith b Anderson                       38

B. Haddin not out                         11

M. Johnson not out                         6

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Extras: (b1, lb2, w1)                      4

Total: (6 wkts, 66 overs)                169

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