Butcher makes most of luck to strike century

England 264-5 v Australia

Mark Butcher will not worry that his innings should have been over before it began, nor that he could have been out on three other occasions before he pushed his hundredth run through square leg. All he cared about was that he had scored his sixth Test match century for England in the evocative surroundings of the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Can there be a better way of celebrating your 50th Test appearance? To judge from Butcher's expression as he completed the single which took him to three figures on the first day of the fifth Test here yesterday, it would be hard to find one. The Surrey opener took off his helmet then, with the biggest of smiles, he acknowledged the applause of the 44,298 spectators packed into the ground and, in particular, those from England, who made this wonderful occasion feel like a home fixture for Nasser Hussain's side.

At times it felt like you could almost be at Lord's, such was the regularity with which familiar faces were seen around the ground. This no doubt encouraged Butcher to savour the moment. He appeared to not want it to end.

When asked whether the venue made this hundred even more special, Butcher replied: "It did, actually. I was really happy, which has not always been the case when I have got to 100. I have scored other centuries but there was not the same rush of adrenalin like there was today. It was great to do it at this fantastic ground."

This was not the left-hander's finest or most convincing innings, but it was just what England needed to have any chance of avoiding a whitewash.

After a shaky start, against an Australian bowling attack which was without either Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne for the first time in over a decade, Brett Lee, with an impressive new ball spell, did his bit to make up for the loss of these two champion bowlers. But Butcher could not have felt or looked further from home on his arrival at the crease. Michael Vaughan had just been snared by Lee, who was in the middle of two of the best overs you are likely to see.

Batting against 95mph away-swingers is a task that would have made even Sir Don Bradman struggle, so it was understandable that England's top order appeared short of ideas in the face of such venom. After dismissing Vaughan, the lightning bowler from New South Wales roared in, in front of his home crowd, and struck Butcher plum in front to the first ball he faced. The fielders went up, expecting the umpire's arm to move, but on this occasion, unlike in Melbourne, where Butcher was given out lbw off an inside edge, his hand remained in his pocket.

At this stage, every ball looked capable of taking a wicket. Andy Bichel replaced Lee after his five-over spell and struck in his second over. After the series Marcus Trescothick has had, he could be forgiven if one of his New Year resolutions was not to appear unconvincing to a pitched-up ball outside off stump. However, on the second day this vow was broken when he drove loosely at the Queenslander and was magnificently caught one-handed by Adam Gilchrist, diving to his left.

With England perilously placed at 32 for 2, the captain joined Butcher and both should have been out before lunch. Hussain was dropped on six by the leg-spinner Stuart MacGill and his partner by Damien Martyn in the gully when on 13.

With all this going on, Hussain must have wondered whether he had made the right decision after winning the toss. He would have been aware that the ball may dart about in the morning, but he had to weigh this up against the possibility of the pitch deteriorating as the match progresses.

Because of the injury to Craig White, Alec Stewart and Matthew Hoggard returned to the side. James Foster was unfortunate to miss out after a good Test behind the stumps in Melbourne. Even so, there was the usual pre-Test drama over fitness. Stewart woke up in the morning with a rash and was taken to hospital for examination, where it was believed he had contracted chicken-pox. It did not stop him being declared fit when he arrived at the ground just 50 minutes before the start of play.

Butcher and Hussain survived until lunch, but it was not long before the centurion had another slice of luck when he was dropped by Gilchrist behind the wicket on 43. With the wicket flattening out and the bowlers losing their spirit, this pair then started to take control.

This was not a partnership like most in Test cricket these days, where the ball flies about at four an over. It was a carefully constructed one in the face of aggressive yet disciplined bowling. Both batsmen passed the half-century mark and at tea the pair had put on 118 runs during England's first session of the series where they had not lost a wicket.

After the break, Butcher started to find his timing and cut loose. The 30-year-old took a particular liking to MacGill before surviving his final chance on 95. As he swept at the leg-spinner, the ball flew off his pad, via a bottom edge, to Matthew Hayden fielding close-in on the off side. The batsman stood his ground, and once again the umpire shook his head.

Before Butcher had reached his hundred, his partnership with Hussain was broken by a Jason Gillespie delivery which flicked the glove of the England captain. After doing the hard work of grinding down Australia, England once again let them off the hook by losing three late wickets.

Australia may feel they deserved these for their efforts throughout the day, but Robert Key's dismissal by Steve Waugh was soft. When Butcher fell to a tired shot, every England supporter must have felt their side had let Australia back into the game.

Sydney Scoreboard

First day; England won toss

ENGLAND ­ First innings

M E Trescothick c Gilchrist b Bichel 19

66 min, 40 balls, 2 fours

M P Vaughan c Gilchrist b Lee 0

14 min, 7 balls

M A Butcher b Lee 124

349 min, 275 balls, 19 fours

*N Hussain c Gilchrist b Gillespie 75

223 min, 149 balls, 8 fours

R W T Key lbw b Waugh 3

33 min, 27 balls

J P Crawley not out 6

61 min, 36 balls

ÝA J Stewart not out 20

21 min, 13 balls, 4 fours

Extras (b6, lb3, nb8) 17

Total (for 5, 386 min, 90 overs) 264

Fall: 1-4 (Vaughan), 2-32 (Trescothick), 3-198 (Hussain), 4-210 (Key), 5-240 (Butcher).

To bat: R K J Dawson, A R Caddick, M J Hoggard, S J Harmison.

Bowling: Gillespie 21-7-48-1 (nb1) (6-1-14-0, 7-3-12-0, 4-3-2-1, 4-0-20-0); Lee 20-5-66-2 (nb1) (5-2-12-1, 3-1-5-0, 7-1-27-0, 1-0-4-0, 4-1-18-1); Bichel 14-3-58-1 (nb2) (6-2-21-1, 4-1-15-0, 4-0-22-0); MacGill 31-5-81-0 (nb4) (16-4-39-0, 15-1-42-0); Waugh 4-3-2-1 (one spell).

Progress: First day: 50: 82 min, 17.2 overs. Lunch: 79-2 (Butcher 42, Hussain 14) 28 overs. 100: 166 min, 39.4 overs. 150: 240 min, 55.2 overs. Tea: 150-2 (Butcher 67, Hussain 57) 56 overs. 200: 293 min, 68.1 overs. New ball taken after 82 overs at 225-4. 250: 374 min, 87.3 overs.

Butcher 50: 155 min, 126 balls, 6 fours. 100: 280 min, 220 balls, 15 fours.

Hussain 50: 144 min, 98 balls, 5 fours.

AUSTRALIA: J L Langer, M L Hayden, R T Ponting, D R Martyn, *S R Waugh, M L Love, ÝA C Gilchrist, B Lee, J N Gillespie, S C G MacGill, A J Bichel.

Umpires: D L Orchard (SA) and R B Tiffin (Zimb).

TV replay umpire: S J A Taufel

Match referee: Wasim Raja.

First Test (Brisbane): Australia won by 384 runs.

Second Test (Adelaide): Australia won by an innings and 51 runs.

Third Test (Perth): Australia won by an innings and 48 runs.

Fourth Test (Melbourne): Australia won by five wickets.