Aussies on track for a whitewash

Australia retained the Ashes for the seventh successive time when it won the third Test at Trent Bridge by 7 wickets inside three days.

Set 158 to win, Australia stumbled to 88/3 with captain Steve Waugh retired hurt before a 69-run partnership between Mark Waugh (42*) and Damien Martyn (33*) saw the tourists race to the target in just 29.2 overs.

By winning the third Test, Australia retained the Ashes at the earliest possible time while also claiming a series-winning 3-0 lead with two Tests to play. Since regaining the Ashes in 1989, Australia has won every series outright and is now on track for a 5-0 whitewash.

After committing various mistakes in the first two Tests, at Trent Bridge England held its catches, competed, and put Australia under intense pressure with both ball and bat - 102/7 in reply to 185 and 110 in front with 8 wickets on day 2 - yet still lost by 7 wickets on the third afternoon. It is more a reflection of Australia's resilience and quality rather than an indication of poor cricket by England.

Gillespie reaped the reward he so richly deserved the previous night by scything through the lower order with three wickets in three overs, trapping Ian Ward leg-before in the first complete over without addition to the overnight score, beaten by a straight ball that held its line. In his next over Gillespie bowled Robert Croft for a duck, as Croft drove away from his body and inside-edged back onto leg stump.

After one boundary, Andrew Caddick departed to a regulation nick behind, pushing at the ball on a perfect off-stump line. Having lost 3/12 in 27 minutes to the immaculate Gillespie, any England ambitions of adding significantly to Australia's target were in disarray.

Shane Warne finished it off after a brief rain break when he had Alex Tudor (9) caught at cover off a leading edge playing against the spin. Tudor advanced, aimed a drive to mid wicket, and Ponting slid under the miscue on the off side to give Warne figures of 6/33, his best ever return in England.

In total, England lost its last 8 wickets for 47 runs, including 4/18 in 45 minutes on day three to crash from 115/2 to 162 all out - setting Australia a target of 158 to win the Ashes for seventh successive time.

Easy? Not exactly. The three innings totals thus far had read 185, 190 and 162, proving just how difficult a chase of 158 in the fourth innings could be, especially considering the highest score of the match was Marcus Trescothick's 69 and the highest partnership the 66 between Gilchrist and Gillespie.

With an hour remaining until lunch, the Australian top order had an opportunity to redeem itself but almost immediately lost Matthew Hayden, who was extremely fortunate to survive Gough's first two deliveries. The first pitched outside leg and was marginally high as he was struck on the pad shouldering arms, but the second pitched in line and swung in to strike pad then bat dead in front of off. Umpire Venkat, though, negated both.

From that nervous beginning, Hayden and Slater set off in pursuit of the target by quite literally setting off at every opportunity. Under pressure, their running was superb, astutely collecting quick singles all around the wicket to ensure Australia made a positive start. Without truly attacking, the run rate climbed to above six after five overs, with the singles and edges to third man whittling the slips cordon down to two.

England made the required breakthrough when Caddick had Michael Slater caught at third slip for 12. Caddick delivered full and a little wide, enticing Slater to reach for the ball with the late swing gaining the thick edge to Trescothick to make it 36/1. With the score at 45/1, Caddick could have had a second wicket when England dropped its first catch of the game. Hayden's flashing drive was grassed at third slip by Trescothick, who did not quite react in time to the ball flying hard and high to his left.

Tudor was introduced 15 minutes prior to lunch but bowled an inconsistent length, as Hayden began to take the match away. An emphatic pull to the mid wicket boundary off the final ball of the session saw Australia to 68/1 from a mere 13 overs. Ponting, concentrating on leaving the ball and spending time at the crease, again looked hopelessly uneasy playing off the front foot but with more convincing back foot play had reached 13 not out at the break.

The hitherto superfluous Robert Croft was introduced in the first over after lunch, with the theory from Atherton evidently being that Ponting has struggled against off-spinners, particularly when resuming an innings. He was right. Croft, whose match contribution had been 3 and 0 with the bat and 0/2 from two overs in the first innings, had Ponting caught behind second ball failing to pick the straight one. After driving his first ball to the cover boundary, Ponting played for non-existent turn to Croft's arm ball and edged behind for 17, leaving Australia 72/2.

Having done his job by extracting Ponting, Croft was amazingly removed from the attack after just the solitary over that yielded a wicket and 8 runs - the last boundary, struck by Mark Waugh back over the bowler's head, probably the reason for his hasty departure.

With 70 runs required and Hayden batting with increasing fluidity, the match and even the series took a dramatic twist. The openers from both sides have enjoyed the good and the bad of the umpiring in this match - Atherton was twice dismissed dubiously while receiving one reprieve and the same applied to Hayden. On 42, Hayden misjudged Tudor's line and shouldered arms to be adjudged leg-before by umpire Venkat. Hayden was unfortunate on two counts, as the ball not only pitched outside leg but the angle was carrying it past off.

That was a minor matter compared to what followed, as Steve Waugh was forced to retire hurt after facing just one ball. Turning Tudor to leg, Waugh set off for a regulation run but in doing so injured his calf, hobbling to the end of the pitch and doubling over in agony. From a seemingly innocuous movement, Waugh was so badly hurt he had to be taken from the field on a stretcher and his immediate series future must be in considerable doubt.

When bad light stopped play at 97/3, with Waugh unlikely to bat, England had edged back into outside reckoning. Damien Martyn and Mark Waugh resumed aggressively, however, as Tudor erred when England simply could not afford to concede any easy runs. Martyn handsomely pulled and drove three consecutive fours off Tudor, carrying Australia to 117/3 before rain halted play.

When it resumed, the match finished with a flurry of boundaries - a series of fine drives by Martyn and Waugh rapidly reducing a testing target to an academic one. With a Caddick no-ball it was over in a remarkable 29.2 overs.

Afterwards, England captain Mike Atherton felt that England did not make enough runs and "lost critical wickets last night from a position of some strength."

Asked whether this Australian team was the best side had played against, Atherton replied: "I don't like to compare, I don't think it's fair on the past or the present (players)."

Adam Gilchrist, standing in for Steve Waugh, was naturally thrilled and described the victory as a team effort, before leading Australia on a victory lap to thank the numerous Aussie fans and mix with the public - arguably the team's best innovation of all.