McGrath storms in to mop up soggy England

Glenn McGrath took four wickets for three runs off 23 deliveries and Shane Warne claimed the other, with Kevin Pietersen the only one of five England batsmen who managed to score a run. Pietersen was unbeaten on 64 after England, who began the day on 156 for 5 and chasing 420, had collapsed to 180 all out.

England's only realistic hope of avoiding defeat lay with the weather and yesterday's first two sessions were washed out. Play started at 3.45pm and 50 confidence-destroying minutes later it was all over.

McGrath, who claimed five wickets for two runs in an extraordinary first-innings spell to pass 500 Test wickets, took 4 for 29 for match figures of 9 for 82, while Shane Warne took 4 for 64 in the second innings.

The Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, warned his England counterpart, Michael Vaughan, that he would be their prime target for the rest of the series. "I whipped Glenn back in the attack when Michael came out out in the second innings," Ponting said. "I don't think he likes facing him. I can see McGrath bowling a lot more to Vaughan."