Needing 70 to avoid the follow-on, Australia see Nathan Hauritz and Peter Siddle put on 44 before the former falls to Graham Onions when he edges to Paul Collingwood
Onions strikes again to unseat Siddle for a creditable 35 but with the option available to make the tourists bat again, England captain Andrew Strauss decides against it
With the hosts starting their second innings 210 runs ahead, Strauss sends Ben Hilfenhaus away for four as he looks to build an unassailable lead
Fellow opener Alastair Cook ably supports his captain and puts on 32 as England race to a tally of 57-0 at lunch, leaving them 267 runs ahead
Sadly for the Essex batsman he fails to add to his score, departing soon after the interval when he is trapped lbw by the spin of Hauritz
Another ball from Hauritz sees Strauss find the palms of Michael Clarke only a few minutes later as England suddenly find themselves on 74-2
A collapse looks on the cards when Ravi Bopara nicks Siddle to the slips but Ricky Ponting gets it all wrong and drops the easy chance
Having survived he begins to build a partnership with Kevin Pietersen which passes 50 but the run rate plummets as some tight bowling restricts England to 130-2 at tea
Bopara's luck eventually runs out 20 minutes after the break when a smart catch by Simon Katich at short leg gives Hauritz his third wicket
Half an hour later Pietersen begins his walk back to the pavilion too as Siddle finds a thick inside edge which travels through to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin
The former England captain is replaced at the crease by Matt Prior who entertains the crowd with an explosive innings of 61 off just 42 balls before being run out by Marcus North
Having announced his retirement plans on Wednesday, Andrew Flintoff comes out for his final Test innings at Lord's and contributes with some exciting shots
At the other end, Collingwood enjoys another steady display with the bat and also registers a half century before falling to Siddle shortly before the close with England on 311-6, an imposing 521 runs ahead
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