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Sunday, August 9, 2009
North continues golden run to make England toil
North swept Graeme Swann for six to reach three figures and the touring side, 343 runs ahead, were in a commanding position to win the match and level the series.
North was out for 110 just before the interval to end the Australian innings. England seamer Stuart Broad took test-best figures of six for 91.
Resuming after lunch on 306 for five, Australia lost Brad Haddin to the second new ball for 14, Steve Harmison firing in a short-pitched delivery that the wicketkeeper could only fend to Ian Bell at short backward square leg.
Mitchell Johnson struck a few lusty blows to reach 27 before he tried to hit Broad for six and picked out Ravi Bopara on the mid-wicket boundary.
Broad bowled Peter Siddle for nought but North remained composed and reached his third century in six tests with a huge hit off spinner Swann before raising his bat to the balcony and kissing his helmet.
BLISTERING ATTACK
Stuart Clark then launched a blistering attack before tea, hitting three sixes including two in two balls from Broad before the seamer took revenge by bowling him for 32 to claim his fifth wicket.
North, who batted for more than five hours and struck 13 fours and one six, looked to farm the strike with last man Ben Hilfenhaus and fell trying to lift Broad for six, giving James Anderson a simple catch at deep mid-wicket.
In the morning session, Clarke and North, who batted most of the final day to salvage a draw in the last test at Edgbaston, looked rock-solid once again after resuming on 196 for four.
England, bowled out for 102 on the first day, extracted little swing or seam movement and the Australian batsmen picked them off at will with a succession of sweetly struck boundaries.
Clarke was eyeing his third century of the series when he surprisingly misjudged a ball from Graham Onions and was adjudged lbw for 93. He hit 13 fours.
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