Australia 445 beat England 102 & 263 by an innings and 80 runs
Scorecard
AUSTRALIA completed a crushing innings victory over England inside three days at Headingley to level the series at 1-1.
Mitchell Johnson took 5-69 in England's second innings as the hosts were dismissed for 263 on Sunday afternoon to round off a nightmare match from start to finish.
Before play had even begun on the opening day, it had already gone horribly wrong.
A fire alarm went off at the Leeds hotel where England were staying at 5.30am to disrupt their sleep.
Then Andrew Flintoff, playing in his last Test series, was forced to pull out with his knee injury.
And, to make matters worse, wicketkeeper Matt Prior went down after a back spasm from playing football in the warm up.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting agreed to delay the toss for 10 minutes which allowed time for Prior to declare himself fit. England won the toss and elected to bat.
By lunch, however, England were 72-6 after an inspired bowling performance from Stuart Clark who replaced spinner Nathan Hauritz and led a four-pronged seam attack.
Strauss should have been out lbw first ball to Ben Hilfenhaus but was out shortly afterwards for three to a brilliant catch by Marcus North off Peter Siddle.
The middle order of Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood failed, scoring one, eight and a duck respectively as Hilfenhaus, Johnson and Clark joined the fun.
Clark then took the wickets of Cook (a respectable 30) and Broad (three) to leave England in a desperate situation less than two hours after deciding to bat.
Matters deteriorated further after lunch as Siddle ran through the tail to finish with figures of 5-21.
Graeme Swann and Steve Harmison departed without scoring and James Anderson followed for just two.
Siddle wrapped up the innings as Graham Onions fell first ball to become the fourth England player in the innings to be out for a duck.
Having been bowled out for 102, England's only chance was to produce a similarly excellent, disciplined bowling performance.
But, despite Harmison taking an early wicket of Katich for nought, England somehow managed to bowl worse than they had batted.
Their balls were consistently pitched short and wide to the delight of Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting who both made easy half centuries to give the Aussies the lead after tea.
The wickets of Watson and Ponting both fell one after another in the evening session to lbw decisions as Onions and Broad belatedly pitched it up.
But after Broad removed Mike Hussey again off an lbw, North joined Michael Clarke at the crease to start compiling another huge partnership as Australia closed day one on 196-4, 94 runs ahead.
At the start of day two, England would have hoped for quick wickets to try and somehow stay in the game but Clarke and North took advantage of more woeful bowling.
They scored at the rate of a limited overs match in the opening session and both recorded half centuries to build another large partnership of 152.
Just before lunch, Clarke was dismissed, seven short of his ton, when Onions trapped him lbw off a full-toss.
And, though North lost Brad Haddin for 14 shortly after the break, he continued to rack up the runs and move towards his century.
North was ably supported by Johnson who made 27 before Broad took two wickets in two balls to remove Johnson and then Siddle.
Stuart Clark survived the hat-trick ball and played an entertaining cameo for 32 before Broad took his wicket and that of North in quick succession to finish with Test best figures of 6-91.
By then, North had scored 110 as Australia reached 445, a massive lead of 343 runs.
England were in an impossible situation and would need to bat for at least two days to save the match when before they were all out inside two sessions.
This time, Strauss started much better against the aggressive Aussie attack and, along with his fellow opener Cook, they guided England to 58-0.
But then England collapsed again and proceeded to lose five wickets for 20 runs off 44 balls.
Ben Hilfenhaus began the carnage, trapping Strauss for a plumb lbw on 33 before Bopara departed next ball to a harsh lbw call.
Bell almost edged the hat-trick ball but was out moments later to a catch by Ponting off buoyant bowling from Johnson for three.
Johnson took two more wickets before stumps as Collingwood fell lbw for four and Cook was caught behind by Haddin on 30 again.
England were 82-5, still an embarrassing 261 runs behind and few expected the match to last more than one session of the third day.
That presumption was only further strengthened when England lost a wicket in the opening over of the day.
Hilfenhaus was again responsible for the early damage as nightwatchman Anderson edged straight to Ponting at second slip on four.
Half an hour later, Hilfenhaus had also dismissed Prior for 22 as Haddin took another catch behind the stumps and left England on the brink.
But, with the match over, Swann and Broad were freed from the responsibility of serious chasing and instead provided a hugely entertaining stand of what was described by TMS as "cultured slogging".
Clark's bowling was attacked in particular as a remarkable 73 runs were taken from just 5.3 overs in a partnership of 108 from just 78 balls to the delight of a Headingley crowd which had until then had very little to cheer.
Broad was finally out for 61, attempting another pull off Siddle, only to be caught at backward square leg by Watson.
But Swann continued attacking and reached his second Test half-century as England unexpectedly survived until lunch.
It wasn't to last, however, and Johnson came out with renewed vigour to lead the Aussies to victory.
Swann on 62 hung his bat out at a wide ball and nicked it behind to Haddin who took his sixth catch of the game.
And, two overs later, Johnson finally put England out their misery when Onions was bowled through the gate for his pair.
It is rather remarkable that, after this horror show, England could still win the Ashes for only the second time in 20 years.
But, having somehow survived at Cardiff, got the lead at Lord's and kept the momentum at Edgbaston, England have undone all their good work in just over two days.
The urn is in Australian hands and theirs to lose.
Serious questions must be asked about England's middle order which failed in the absence of Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.
Bopara, Bell and Collingwood managed just 16 runs between them in two innings.
England's bowling will also have to be much more consistent if they are to stand a chance of winning at the Brit Oval in the decider.
It remains to be seen if Harmison will be used again after his limited influence on this match and it looks as if the selectors will be praying Flintoff is fit.
But, even if Flintoff crowns his career and England manage a repeat of four years ago, the Ashes will once again have been won on foundations of sand.
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EARLIER CLOSE OF PLAY REPORTS
Day Two (close)
England 102 [Siddle 5-21] & 82-5 v
Australia 445 [Watson 51, Ponting 78, Clarke 93, North 110; Broad 6-91]
DISMAL England faced the prospect of an innings defeat inside three days as Australia continued their utter dominance of the fourth Test on the second day at Headingley.
Andrew Strauss's men were on 82-5 in their second innings at close, still 261 runs behind the Australians' score of 445.
Australia resumed the day on 196-4 with Michael Clarke and Marcus North at the crease as England searched for quick wickets as their only way back into the game.
But the pair, who put on a stand of 185 in the last match to ensure a draw, took advantage of more woeful bowling.
They scored at the rate of a limited overs match in the opening session and both recorded half centuries to build another large partnership of 152.
Just ten minutes before lunch, Clarke finally fell. He was seven runs short of his century and, unsurprisingly, highly frustrated in the manner in which he was out - lbw to a full toss from Graham Onions.
England had more joy after the break as Brad Haddin was dismissed for just 14, unable to deal with a short-pitched delivery from Steve Harmison and caught at leg slip by Ian Bell.
Mitchell Johnson hung around for a bit and assisted North, and in doing so he recorded 27 before being caught by Ravi Bopara off Stuart Broad's bowling.
Peter Siddle could not do likewise and was out first ball as Broad removed his off-stump to move onto a hat-trick opportunity.
In the meantime, North brought up his century with a smashing six off Graeme Swann before, in the next over, new man Stuart Clark scored a streaky four off Broad's hat-trick ball.
Clark's cameo at number ten ended with an inside edge onto his stumps as Broad picked up his fifth wicket.
And, though it will come as little consolation to the young Notts seamer, he finished the job for Test best figures of 6-91 when North attempted another big six, only to find James Anderson on the square leg boundary.
North was eventually out for 110, and Australia were all out for 445, a mammoth innings lead of 343 as tea was taken.
England were in an impossible hole and would need to bat for at least two days to save the match and even then that might not be enough.
Strauss and his opening partner Alastair Cook started reasonably well against some hostile bowling as Strauss fended off Siddle's own hat-trick ball, carried over from his tidying up of England's first innings.
The pair surprised many to surpass the half century without the loss of a wicket but it was only a matter of time before the Aussie pressure told.
Strauss was lbw to an inswinger from Ben Hilfenhaus for 33 and the dreadfully out-of-sorts Bopara followed in identical fashion first ball to put Hilfenhaus on a hat-trick.
Bell hung out a bat and was fortunate not to nick the hat-trick ball but he was gone shortly afterwards.
He had scored just three when the much improved Johnson induced an edge and Ponting snaffled a catch in the slips to leave England on 67-3 with six overs of play left for the day.
But, still the wickets fell. Paul Collingwood had only just surpassed Bell's measly effort when he was out lbw to Johnson for four.
Then, to the bemusement of everyone in Leeds, England had the nerve to send out James Anderson in his role as nightwatchman.
Anderson managed to score to extend his record of not being out for a duck to 54 innings but he failed to protect Cook who became Johnson's third victim of the innings on 30, caught behind by Haddin.
Thankfully, with wickets tumbling anyway and the match long gone, England did not send out another bowler to see out the rest of the day.
But Matt Prior was lucky to reach the close when he edged the last ball of the day from Johnson and was dropped in the slips by North.
It was probably the only thing that went wrong for the Aussies, however, and they will carry all the momentum into the final Test at the Oval, as well as a 1-1 score in the series.
England must play for pride and hold off their opponents for as long as possible on the third day to give themselves some hope for the decider which begins on August 20.
But, the destiny of this match has long since been decided, and in just the two days, the series has turned unquestionably in the Aussies' favour .
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Day One (close)
England 102 [Siddle 5-21] v Australia 196-4 [Watson 51, Ponting 78]
ENGLAND had a disastrous start to the fourth Test as they lost talisman Andrew Flintoff to injury before being bowled out for just 102 on a typically dramatic day at Headlingley.
It started to go wrong for the hosts before a ball had even been bowled when Flintoff, playing in his last Test series, was ruled out due to his knee problem and replaced by Steve Harmison.
And there was further chaos in the build up when wicketkeeper Matt Prior suffered a back spasm playing football in the warm up.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting agreed to delay the toss for 10 minutes and so returned the kind gesture from England in the last match which allowed Brad Haddin to be replaced at the last minute.
By the time toss took place, with England winning it and electing to bat, Prior was declared fit to the relief of some England fans who had seen Paul Collingwood don the gloves.
But the nightmare had only just begun as England went on to score their lowest Ashes total since 1997.
Flummoxed with their own selection problems, Australia brought in Stuart Clark for Nathan Hauritz and so took the unusual step of fielding a bowling attack without a frontline spinner.
But in humid conditions under partly cloudy skies at Leeds, the decision paid dividends as the Australians' four-pronged seam attack ripped into England from the very start.
England captain Andrew Strauss should have been out first ball to Ben Hilfenhaus but somehow survived a strong lbw shout.
It didn't matter much. With just a score of three runs, Strauss got an outside edge to Peter Siddle's ball and he was caught magnificently in the slips by Marcus North.
Ravi Bopara was next to go for a single run, as he wafted vaguely outside of off-stump only to be caught by Mike Hussey as Hilfenhaus got his man.
Shortly afterwards, Mitchell Johnson signalled his intent with a bouncer which Ian Bell could only manage to glove behind to Haddin on eight.
Then, in the run-up lunch, the recalled Clark showed why he should have featured for Australia earlier in the series.
He got his first wicket as Collingwood departed for a duck after edging to Ponting to leave England in dire straits on 42-4.
Alastair Cook departed in identical fashion - Ponting taking the catch in the slips off Clark - though he had at least contributed to 30 of England's 63 runs at that stage.
And in the last over of the session, Stuart Broad completed a miserable morning for England when he played Clark off his pads but rammed the ball straight to short square-leg.
After lunch, matters predictably deteriorated further as Siddle took centre stage to clean up and ended the innings with 5-21, only his second Test five-for.
Prior tried in vain to look after the tail while compiling an unbeaten 37, England's only respectable score except maybe for Cook.
But, with Siddle in fine form, Prior had little support. Graeme Swann spooned a simple catch to Michael Clarke at first slip, for a duck.
Then Harmison added to his collection of 19 Test ducks by edging Siddle behind to Haddin.
James Anderson at least scored two runs before also being caught by Haddin and so the Lancastrian maintained his remarkable record of never having been out for a duck in 53 Test innings.
But Graham Onions perished first ball, caught by Simon Katich off Siddle, to become the fourth England batsmen in the innings to get out without scoring.
Onions' wicket was the last to fall and, at 102 all out, left England in a sorry state, needing a mammoth bowling performance to haul themselves back in the match.
The first over of the Aussie innings was given to Anderson but his first two balls were both despatched to the boundary for the worst possible start.
England did manage to claim an early breakthrough when Harmison had Katich caught at gully by Bopara without scoring.
But, generally, England's bowling was somehow even worse than their batting.
Short and wide balls from all of the bowlers were punished by the Aussies who scored freely at around five an over to reach tea on 69-1, just 33 runs behind.
There was some improvement after tea with Onions and Broad pitching the ball up more with both rewarded by lbw decisions.
First, Onions took the wicket of Watson who had just scored his third half-century in three innings.
Then, Broad took the prize scalp of Ponting but only after the Aussie captain had scored 78, including 12 fours and a delightful six.
Broad won another lbw decision when he trapped Mike Hussey for just 10 with a ball that would have clipped leg according to Hawkeye.
But that brought Clarke and North to the crease, and the in-form pair, who enjoyed an 185-run partnership to ensure a draw in the third Test, guided Australia to the close on 196-4, a lead already of 94.
Having worked so hard to hold off the Aussies in Cardiff, take the lead convincingly at Lord's and keep the momentum going at Edgbaston, it all seems such a waste with the series destined to be 1-1 and the prospect of this match finishing inside three days.
Australia are almost certain to carry a big lead into the second innings, meaning England will be required to bat for at least two days to save the Test.
Today they failed to bat for two sessions.
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