ADELAIDE, Nov 23: England were left facing the prospect of another heavy loss after the third day of the second Ashes Test Saturday as Australia underlined their total domination with bat and ball.

The English, demoralised by Ricky Ponting’s 154 and a 210-run first-innings deficit, closed the day in deep trouble at three for 36 on a pitch starting to favour the bowlers.

Facing a daunting rearguard action, they lost opener Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain inside 12 overs.

They were also lucky not to lose first-innings centurion Michael Vaughan after he was dropped at short leg by Darren Lehmann.

Vaughan made it through to stumps on 17 but England, still 174 runs in the red, will still need a miracle to save them from going 2-0 down with two days left.

Australia had declared their first innings at 552 for nine less than a hour before the scheduled close after their batsmen spent the better part of the day smacking England’s wilting bowlers to every part of the Adelaide Oval.

They began the day on 247 for two, 95 behind England’s first innings of 342, but were already in front by the first over after lunch and never looked back again as they tightened the noose.

Ponting completed his fifth Test hundred from his last seven games after resuming on 83.

The Australian one-day captain displayed a wonderful array of attacking shots during his 269-ball innings and also shared in a record 242-run stand with Damien Martyn for the third wicket that put Australia in control.

They had come together before tea Friday with the total on 114 and were not separated until after lunch Saturday when the score was 356.

Ponting survived a big appeal for leg before wicket from paceman Andy Caddick on 99 before bringing up his 14th Test hundred before lunch off the next ball, flicking a yorker down the leg side for a single.

Martyn resumed on 48 and brought up his half-century in the second over of the day, edging fast bowler Steve Harmison wide of second slip for two.

He went to lunch on 83 but after the re-start fended a ball from Harmison to Hussain at leg gully to miss out on a hundred by just five runs.

Hussain’s trap almost paid off again when Australian skipper Steve Waugh flicked a ball straight to him in the same position but Hussain failed to hold the sharp chance and briefly left the field for treatment to a sore left thumb.

Ponting was also dropped, by White on 130, and looked to be on his way to his first double-hundred when he passed 150 only to throw his wicket away on 154 when he pulled a short ball from White straight to Richard Dawson in the outfield, ending an innings that spanned 349 minutes and 269 balls and featured just nine boundaries.

Local hero Darren Lehmann made just five before falling to his brother-in-law White and Waugh went for 34 as the English took four for 58 to apply the brakes.

Adam Gilchrist and Andy Bichel again accelerated the run-rate after tea, however, with an entertaining 77-run stand, with Bichel falling two runs short of his first Test half-century and Gilchrist sacrificing his wicket for 54.

England could not have made a worse start to their reply when Trescothick was trapped leg before wicket to Jason Gillespie for an eight-ball duck and number three Mark Butcher went for four, facing just four deliveries as McGrath struck him on the pads.

Vaughan had a let-off when Lehmann spilled a low catch at bad-pat when he was on eight and Hussain was given the benefit of the doubt by umpire Steve Bucknor when the Australians appealed for caught behind.

The English skipper’s luck ran out on 10 in the last over of the day when Bichel beat him for pace and sent the ball crashing into his stumps to complete another day of misery for the tourists.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND (1st Innings) 342 (M.P. Vaughan 177; J.N. Gillespie 4-78, S.K. Warne 4-93).