SECOND TEST - MATCH SUMMARY (Day 3, stumps):
England 407 & 182 v Australia 308 & 175-8
Andrew Flintoff played a starring role as England closed on victory over Australia in the second Test.
Despite an injured shoulder, Andrew Flintoff hit a heroic 73 and was the pick of the bowlers with 3-34.
Michael Clarke fell to the final ball of day three at Edgbaston to leave Australia 175-8, needing 107 more.
Shane Warne had taken 6-46 - 10 wickets for the match - and Brett Lee 4-82 as England posted 182, Flintoff and Simon Jones adding 51 for the last wicket.
LATEST ACTION (all times BST):
KEY MOMENTS OF THE THIRD SESSION:
STUMPS
1836: That is stumps and England will look to polish off the tail on Sunday morning. That delivery from Harmison, an astounding piece of bowling, has given England a great chance to level the series.
1834: WICKET Australia 175-8 (Clarke 30)
A magnificently disguised slower ball from Harmison, a brilliant follow-up to the brutal previous deliveries, deceives Clarke and bowls him all ends up. What a finish to a remarkable day on which 17 wickets fell!
1832: Clarke plays another nasty short one from Harmison well. It was a no-ball but Clarke did superbly to keep it down.
1831: Harmison's first ball from the day's final over nearly finds an edge as Clarke feels for it outside off-stump. The second ball is fended toward gully but falls just short of Strauss.
1824: Warne drives Harmison straight back. The big bowler hurls the ball back to the stumps and Warne would have been run out by a long way if it had hit!
1813: Warne goes down on one knee and launches Giles over deep square-leg for two successive sixes - Australia's first of the match. You cannot keep this man down for too long! The 150 comes up for the tourists.
1802: Warne is struck on the pads by a Flintoff delivery and a huge appeal for lbw goes up. Bowden turns it down and it looks like an inside edge saved the batsman.
1802: Clarke takes a quick single off Flintoff's first ball. Warne is reluctantly called through and Australia are half-way towards their target.
1758: The extra half-hour is being taken by England, who scent a memorable victory.
1754: Flintoff is on fire now and he is not far away with another inswinging yorker which Warne does well to dig out for a single.
1752: WICKET Australia 137-7 (Gillespie 0)
A repeat of the first innings as Flintoff's inswinging yorker is too good for Gillespie, hitting him on the foot, and the big Lancastrian claims his third wicket.
1747: WICKET Australia 136-6 (Gilchrist 1)
A big, big breakthrough for England as dangerman Gilchrist comes down the track but succeeds only in lofting Giles to that man Flintoff at mid-on.
1738: WICKET Australia 134-5 (Katich 16)
Katich edges Giles' arm-ball to slip where Trescothick juggles with the ball before completing the catch at the second attempt. A crucial breakthrough for England with just over 20 minutes left.
On the TMS messageboard, Mattfd says "Katich, Clarke and Gilchrist are all capable of making big scores so it's not over but England are definitely on top at the moment"
1710: WICKET Australia 107-4 (Martyn 28)
Hoggard strikes with the first ball of his spell, a half-volley turned by Martyn straight to Bell at mid-wicket. It's been one of those matches.
1702: Martyn flicks Jones to long-leg for two and the next delivery, another poorly directed one, down to fine-leg for a boundary which brings up the 100.
1652: WICKET Australia 82-3 (Hayden 31)
Jones finally has reason to celebrate as Hayden edges to wide first-slip where Trescothick pulls off a stunning catch high to his left.
Chris from Japan has e-mailed our Ashes log to say "I can't go to sleep. It's getting in the witching hour here, but this is enthralling. Dig in, Freddie. This is your game. You can make this "The Flintoff Test". Go down in history!"
1625: Martyn edges down between third and fourth slip to the third-man boundary. He produces a better stroke next ball by glancing Flintoff to fine-leg for four.
1619: Martyn punishes a looser one from Jones and drives through the covers for four and brings up 50 for Australia.
1605: WICKET 48-2 (Ponting 0)
Flintoff completes a sensational over with an absolute peach of a delivery to find Ponting's edge. Jones does the rest and the Aussie captain is on his way for a duck after a brief and torrid examination.
1600: WICKET Australia 47-1 (Langer 28)
But the next one from Flintoff comes off Langer's elbow and crashes into his stumps. England get a much-needed breakthrough.
1558: Andrew Flintoff, with his strained shoulder muscle, is brought on for Harmison. He is on a hat-trick having polished off the Australian tail first time around.
1521: Hoggard pitches the ball up, but fails to find any swing and Langer cover drives for four. The next ball is edged down and past Flintoff at a wide second slip for another boundary. England cannot afford this.
1518: Langer pulls another short Harmison delivery round the corner for a boundary. It hasn't been the start England wanted.
1513: Hayden opens the face of the bat and plays the ball down to the vacant third-man boundary for four. Hoggard changed his line there but there was no swing this time and Australia are on their way.
KEY MOMENTS OF THE SECOND SESSION:
INNINGS BREAK
1448: The teams take tea early and when they return Australia will begin their chase for 282.
Mike Selvey, TMS summariser says "Australia will say they can chase anything down, but I don't know they've ever done so against an attack like England's on a pitch like this."
1446: WICKET England 182 all out (Flintoff 73)
Flintoff comes down the ground but misses with a heave and Warne makes a mess of his stumps. An entertaining partnership comes to an end and Warne finishes with 6-46 - he now has 599 Test wickets.
1437: The field is set deep again but Flintoff is content not to do anything rash against Warne. He takes a single off the fourth ball to bring up the 50 partnership off 40 balls.
1436: The 10th-wicket partnership is now worth 49 and Australia will have to get the highest ever fourth-innings total at Edgbaston.
1434: After all that mayhem Lee is unlucky not to have Jones lbw with one that swings in so late from leg that the umpire misses it. Ponting comes down the wicket to have a word with Bowden. That over cost 18 runs!
1432: Another incredible hit from Flintoff over long-on and into the crowd.
1430: Flintoff strikes a colossal blow to crash Lee over long on and out of the ground. The next delivery, a no-ball is cut to backward point for four.
1425: Flintoff's advice seems to have had no effect as Jones drives through the line and uppishly over mid-off for four.
1424: The field comes in for Jones and he promptly swings at one outside off-stump with no footwork. Flintoff comes down the wicket to have a quick chat.
1421: Lee is back at the Pavilion End and will bowl to a defensive field. Everyone is on the boundary bar the wicketkeeper! This is a Test match by the way.
1411: Jones gets a thick edge off Kasprowicz which flies wide of Ponting at second slip for a boundary. What an over for England - another no-ball makes it 20!
1410: A Flintoff drive through the off-side off another Kasprowicz no-ball brings up England's 150.
1409: Flintoff launches a Kasprowicz no-ball over the deep mid-wicket fence for six! He repeats the feat two balls later to bring up his 50!
1407: Jones drives handsomely through the covers for four.
1405: Simon Jones faces the hat-trick ball from Warne, which misses the footmarks and is well wide.
1403: WICKET 131-9 (Harmison 0)
Harmison thrusts forward to Warne and is on his way for a golden duck when Ponting succesfully appeals for a catch at silly point.
1400: WICKET England 131-8 (Giles 8)
A quicker leg-break from Warne finds Giles' edge and Hayden takes the catch at first slip. Warne now has 4-39.
1356: Flintoff hammers a Kasprowicz long-hop to the mid-wicket fence for four. No sign of his shoulder injury there!
1355: Kasprowicz comes on for his first bowl of the day from the Pavilion End to replace a tired Lee.
1344: Warne goes round the wicket and extracts vicious turn out of the rough. He gets one to go around Giles' legs and just miss the stumps.
1324:Flintoff drives again and gets an inside edge, the ball racing away to fine-leg for four. It's not classic batting but England won't care.
1315: WICKET England 101-7 (Jones 9)
The ball flies off a length and Jones can do little about it but to glove it to Ponting at slip to give Lee his fourth wicket. His bowling figures of 4-38 are his best against England.
1311:Jones opens the face of the bat and guides the ball down to third man for four off Lee. He takes a single off the next ball to bring up England's 100.
LUNCH: Your interval views
The form of England captain Michael Vaughan is a concern to home supporters on the messageboards.
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HAVE YOUR SAY
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Hollywoodharris says "He's playing across the line to straight ones - and he keeps missing.
Gone_fishing laments "I saw him personally on the last tour and he was so classy, it's hard to believe he is the same batsman."
And Starstarforest asks "What coaching is he getting? He's playing all quick bowlers on tip toes, behind the crease with the bat coming across the line of the ball. You could forgive it once, but he's just not learning from his mistakes."
KEY MOMENTS OF THE FIRST SESSION:
1230:Warne bowls the last over before lunch. Flintoff turns one through mid-wicket before a prod towards the same region goes all the way to the boundary! A fascinating session sees England score 70 runs off 26 overs but, crucially, lose five wickets. The lead is 194 and the Test is very much in the balance.
1220: Flintoff dabs a ball from Warne down towards long-off for a single. He is obviously in some discomfort. England will need him when they bowl. England need him to produce an innings now!
1216: MISSJones, on two, drives firmly back to Gillespie, who drops a straightforward chance.
Emma Kirby from England has e-mailed our Ashes log to say "You think it can't get any worse - and it does. Guess my tickets for tomorrow are useless now."
1209: Flintoff cuts Warne to point and grimaces after completing the shot. He holds the front of his left shoulder - a worrying sign for England. Physio Kirk Russell comes out to treat the big all-rounder, who looks okay to carry on.
1201: WICKET England 75-6 (Bell 21)
Bell pushes forward to Warne and feathers the ball to Gilchrist. Warne, as expected, is having a big say on day three and the tail is now exposed.
1152: WICKET England 72-5 (Pietersen 20)
Pietersen sweeps at one from Warne which is outside leg-stump and is adjudged caught behind by Koertzen, although replays show he might have been unlucky.
On the TMS messageboard, Grassonthewicket says "What a start to the day. We've just got to remind ourselves that, in effect, we're 150-4 with KP at the crease and a bowling attack that we know can ruffle Aussie feather"
1125: Pietersen flicks Lee down to fine-leg for a single to bring up England's 50. Bell then guides the ball down to third man for four.
1118; Lee is forced through the covers by Bell for three. A direct hit would have run him out though!
1113: The counter-attack begins from Pietersen as he twice launches Warne over the deep mid-wicket fence for six in the same over!
1105: The highest score by a team batting fourth to win a Test on this ground is 211 by England in 1999 against New Zealand. On that occasion England trailed by exactly 100 runs after the first innings, before skittling the Kiwis for 107.
1102: Pietersen's first ball is a dramatic one. The Australians claim he has gloved Lee down the leg-side to Gilchrist but Bowden, to England's relief, shakes his head.
1100: WICKET England 31-4 (Hoggard 1)
Hoggard prods at one just short of a length outside off-stump and Hayden takes the catch at gully. The nightwatchman's 27-ball stay is over.
1051: WICKET England 29-3 (Vaughan 1)
Vaughan is beaten by a good-length ball by Lee which comes back a touch and his off-stump is ripped out of the ground. The third time this series that has happened to the England captain.
1048: WICKET England 27-2 (Trescothick 21)
Trescothick plays at a wide one from Lee and edges behind to give Australia the early breakthrough they wanted. A poor dismissal from an England point of view.
1044: Trescothick attempts to sweep Warne from well outside off-stump but it balloons off his glove wide of slip for a single. Hoggard again blocks out four deliveries - that's 18 he's now faced without scoring.
1030:Lee opens up proceedings at the Pavilion End with a maiden to Trescothick, who is on 19. The penultimate ball of the over goes close to the outside edge.
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Simply amazing, one of the great - if not the greatest - Test series of all time
