BBC SPORT | Cricket | The Ashes | Australia finish off England

Second Test, Adelaide: Australia (552-9 dec) beat England (342 & 159) by an innings and 51 runs

Australia dodged the rain on the fourth day in Adelaide to complete an innings victory over England.

Needing 210 to make Australia bat again, the tourists began the day on 36 for three, hoping to last at least as long as tea, when heavy rain was forecast.

Hussain looks at small battles

And a 74-run fifth wicket partnership between Alec Stewart and Michael Vaughan kept spirits high.

But, despite three short delays for bad weather, the match was all done and dusted by the time the clouds really burst.

Alec Stewart
Stewart passed 8000 Test runs for England
The bowling was unchanged for 23 overs from the Cathedral End, with spinner Shane Warne taking three wickets for 36.

And Glenn McGrath added to the scalp of Mark Butcher on the third evening to finish with four for 41.

Australia made an ideal start in the third over of the day, when Robert Key fell pulling Andy Bichel to midwicket.

But it was not until McGrath's spectacular diving catch at deep square leg shortly before lunch that accounted for Vaughan for 41, that the fight was over.

Stewart's 41st Test half-century came from just 67 deliveries, with five boundaries.

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And two runs later he became the fourth Englishman, and the 12th Test batsman overall, to reach 8000 career runs.

But, after surviving the half-hour session between an extended break and a second short stoppage for rain, Stewart and Craig White fell to successive balls.

Leading England scorers

Graham Gooch: 8900 runs (118 Tests)

David Gower: 8231 (117)

Geoff Boycott: 8114 (108)

Alec Stewart: 8000* (118)

Michael Atherton: 7728 (115)

White faced 50 deliveries for five before he top-edged an ill-advised pull off McGrath for substitute fielder Brett Lee to take at midwicket.

And Stewart followed to the first ball of Warne's next over, as he was struck on the pad in front of middle stump by a straighter delivery.

A lengthy tail was never expected to hold up proceedings for too long, and two further wickets fell for the addition of just four runs.

Matthew Hoggard was yorked by McGrath and Steve Harmison lbw to Warne.

And a last wicket partnership of 25 was ended when Dawson was caught behind off McGrath for 19, having hit four boundaries in two overs from the veteran pace bowler.


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