Warne passes 400 wickets as England hang on

Shane Warne became only the sixth bowler to take 400 Test wickets as he claimed six victims to leave a spirited England side battling to avoid the follow-on in the fifth and final Ashes Test on Saturday.

The home team, replying to Australia's 641 for four declared, finished the third day on 409 for eight, still needing 33 to make the tourists bat again, with Mark Ramprakash unbeaten on 124 after an unbroken 59-run stand with number 10 Darren Gough.

Warne reached his historic milestone during the afternoon session when he had Alec Stewart caught by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist for 21.

The leg-spinner punched the air in delight before being mobbed by his team mates. Next ball, the applause and the back-slapping began again as Andy Caddick fell lbw for a golden duck.

Warne later took his total to 402 with the wicket of Jimmy Ormond, who survived the hat-trick ball on his debut, to finish with six for 155 from 39 overs.

Australia, who had already claimed the Ashes by winning the opening three tests, lead the series 3-1.

Saturday's excitement, however, banished all thoughts of 'dead rubbers'.

Ramprakash was almost as delighted as Warne, the 31-year-old right-hander completing only the second century of his turbulent Test career.

With Gough at the other end and the less-than-reliable Phil Tufnell to come, Ramprakash reached 99 with an extra-cover drive for four before sweeping Warne for another boundary and throwing his arms up in the air in delight before being hugged by his partner.

Ramprakash, whose temperament has been questioned throughout his stop-start 46-Test career, made his only other century in 81 Test innings against West Indies in 1997-98. He batted for five-and-a-half hours, hitting 18 fours from his 215 balls.

Gough, who will surely deserve a few beers' reward from Ramprakash, ended an enthralling day by hooking Glenn McGrath for four before the players were given a rapturous ovation as they trudged off.

Warne's Moment
It was, however, Warne's hour.

He had removed Marcus Trescothick with the fifth ball of the day before dismissing Mark Butcher in the seventh over to get to 399 wickets but was made to wait for his landmark -- just over five hours, in fact, and 110 more deliveries.

England had resumed on 80 for one and Trescothick lasted just two balls.

The left-handed opener, so fluent on Friday evening as he raced to his half-century, survived a big lbw appeal off his first ball before being bowled with the next as he failed to cover his leg stump shaping to glance. Trescothick, one of four batsmen to get past his half-century, made 55 came off 57 balls, including 11 fours.

Butcher departed soon after for 25, an attempted leg-side drive off Warne ballooning off the left-hander's pad and looping to Justin Langer at short-leg to leave England wobbling on 104 for three.

A succession of stubborn partnerships followed, however.

Ramprakash put on 62 with captain Nasser Hussain, 89 with Usman Afzaal and 58 with Stewart.

Hussain had dominated the bowling after an early escape during his entertaining 52.

He was dropped on eight as he tried to pull out of a defensive shot when facing Glenn McGrath, Mark Waugh failing to hold on to a one-handed chance low down to his left.

Hussain took advantage by savaging pace bowler Jason Gillespie for a string of boundaries. In one over he produced a thunderous pull to square leg followed by a tracer-bullet off drive.

Bad Luck
He was left rueing his bad luck shortly after lunch, however, playing back to Mark Waugh's occasional off-spin, only for the ball to bounce back on to his stumps.

Afzaal contributed a breezy 54 off 76 balls, including nine fours, before being caught at long-leg from a top-edged hook off McGrath.

Afzaal, who had made a disappointing start to his Test career, went for his shots from the outset, hitting Warne on the up through cover for four off his first delivery.

He never fully convinced, however, before his fatal miscue.

When Warne finally broke through with his two wickets to reduce England to 313 for seven 129 runs were still needed to reach the follow-on target, and Ramprakash was left with the tail.

The right-hander had unleashed a string of fine shots in the final session, reaching his half-century with an extra-cover drive off Warne that even the bowler applauded.

Soon after, he drove Gillespie square on both sides of the wicket for consecutive fours before Ormond was bowled by the leg-spinner for 18.

All the five players ahead of Warne on the all-time Test-wicket list are pace bowlers or seam-bowling all-rounders. Courtney Walsh of West Indies holds the record with 519 victims.

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