THIRD TEST - DAY THREE

Hussey playing his pet pull shot.

It is not uncommon in cricket for players to make comebacks from seemingly career ending poor form. When England sealed the 2009 Ashes at The Oval Nasser Hussain warned "they might come to regret not finishing off Hussey".

Today was that day.

With Australia leading an even 200 over night with seven second innings wickets in hand, the game was still very much in the balance. A quick burst of wickets by the English seamers in the first session and England not only would be back in the game, but probably well on the road to victory and the retention of Ashes as we contemplate this.

Hussey has been the most consistent batsman from either team this series. Not the best. Not the most pleasing to the eye, but certainly, he has not failed in any innings as yet. An argument could be made that Ian Bell has been in a similar consistent vein of form as well, and he will need to pull out all the stops tomorrow for England's cause.

Watson and Hussey proceeded with caution this morning knowing full well that the fate of the Ashes rested on their efforts to build a defensible total. Watson batted beautifully with fluid drives straight out of the copybook, while Hussey was less preoccupied with aesthetics, but rather subordinating his natural flair for the good of the team by playing with a laudable discipline.

Watson was the first to fall when he was LBW for ninety five, inexplicably missing a straight ball from Tremlett. Watson appeared distressed and requested a review - though the replay and hotspot only confirmed what the naked eye had seen - that Watson merely missed a dead straight delivery. Yet again, Watson failed to turn a half century into a century and it is remarkable at how consistent he has been, yet has only scored two test test centuries in this purple patch of form he has experienced over the last twenty odd months.

This brought Steve Smith to the crease and he immediately came under notice as he was very nearly dismissed in every possible way. A bundle of energy, Smith did not look like he was going to survive particularly long, but survive he did. In between some cracking shots from Steve Smith's blade, the young tyro had moments of almost comical luck, never more so when he swayed beneath a Tremlett throat ball limbo style only to find that the ball clipped his still protruding bat and ballooning over the keepers head for runs.

Smith settled down and looked likely to make a meaningful contribution, when a Tremlett delivery down the leg side brushed Smith's glove and the youngster walked in spite of the half hearted appeal. Still Smith's innings of thirty six was nothing short of priceless in the circumstances.

Brad Haddin joined Hussey for what seemed the umpteenth time this summer with Australia's hopes yet again hanging in the balance. Fighting partnerships in all three tests, but not so this innings when Haddin chopped a delivery from Tremlett onto his thigh which ricocheted onto his stumps. An unfortunate dismissal - but they all count in the book. Haddin was out for seven and Australia had now slumped to 6 for 271.

Mitchell Johnson strode confidently to the wicket, but instead of playing his natural game, Johnson attempted to play an anchor role to support Hussey, but after scoring a single, Johnson perished playing a half cocked drive straight to cover when either soft hands or a full blooded stroke would have served him better.

Upon Ryan Harris arrival to the centre wicket area, Hussey lectured the fast bowler as school principal would a wayward student on the merit of playing a patient defensive innings for the benefit of his country. Harris stayed around long enough for Hussey to bring up a richly deserved century with a trade mark pull through square leg for four runs. Hussey yelled "get in there" as the ball raced across the outfield and he let out a excited yell as the ball ran across the ropes.

Hussey raises his arms in triumph at bringing up yet another Ashes hundred.

Hussey had yet again defied the odds and the critics to bring up yet another backs to the wall hundred. In fact, but for the fact that Hussey fell for ninety one in Adelaide, Hussey would have had the unprecedented record of four Ashes hundreds in four consecutive Ashes tests. A remarkable stat for a man all but considered finished by the critics.

Harris duly threw his wicket away when sterner support was necessary. Siddle tried hard and showed some real application when he inevitably edged a delivery from Anderson straight to Collingwood at slip and finally Hussey himself was last man out for a brilliant 116 when he holed out to Swann in the outfield after he failed to get over the top of a pull stroke of Tremlett, giving that bowler his maiden five wicket haul in test cricket. Well deserved too, as Tremlett carried the English attack, with Finn leaking runs but still taking wickets, Anderson subdued and Swann gutted like a goanna for outback breakfast.

So England had to face a pumped up Australian pace quartet for an awkward twenty seven over period before stumps. Cook and Strauss looked to be coping with the suddenly accurate Australian pace bowling when the first crack was opened with the dismissal of Alistair Cook LBW by Harris for thirteen.

1 for 23.

The assured Jonathon Trott arrived on the scene and in a flurry of activity played a number of quality shots to suggest that nothing was going to break his concentration. At the other end, Strauss was softened up with some quality deliveries when he he edged an outswinger from Mitchell Johnson straight to Ponting at slip to be dismissed for fifteen.

2 for 37.

Pietersen came in on a pair and immediately got off the mark in confident fashion by playing a hook shot to backward square leg for a single. Trott was in his stride now and looking rather confident when Pietersen sparred away from his body at a Hilfenhaus outswinger which duly caught the edge of the bat and flew unerringly to Watson at slip. Pietersen was furious at himself for falling for three at such a crucial moment of the game.

3 for 55.

Mitchell Johnson then produced a peach that caught the edge of Trott's bat and flew to Ponting at second slip who fluffed the opportunity, but somehow knocked the ball upwards and forwards on a perfect trajectory for the alert Haddin to step across and complete the catch. Trott looked set for a bigger score than his final total of thirty one and he strode off with his head bowed as the Australians celebrated a big wicket taken in the second last over of the day.

4 for 81.

An amazing catching sequence as Ponting spills the chance, but Haddin moves in to take the rebound and Trott is out for 31.

Anderson was sent in as night watchman to see out the evening with no further drama. Everything seemed to be going well enough when Collingwood bunted the second last delivery of the day behind square leg for what should have been an easy single, but strangely, Anderson refused, thus keeping Collingwood on strike for the last ball of the day off Harris. As fate would have it - and this series has been full of plot twisting drama - Harris produced a corker which caught the edge of Collingwood's defensive prod and flew low to young Smith at third slip who held the catch as the Australians charged in from all directions to celebrate a remarkable last hour.

5 for 81.

Collingwood understandably kicked the turf in anger at both his error and surely in disgust at Anderson's refusal to take the single that would have taken him out of harms way.

The Australian's trooped jubilantly off the field knowing that for all the beatings they have taken in this series at the hands of the rampant Englishmen, that barring an unforeseen miracle, they will draw level in the series by about lunch time tomorrow. A truly remarkable turn around that only test cricket can provide.

Collingwood kicks the turf in disgust as Harris celebrates.

If yesterday belonged to Mitchell Johnson, today belonged to Mike Hussey who keeps defying the odds and racking up the runs in an impressive manner. Hussey is the leading run-scorer in this series with 517 at an impressive 103.40. Hussey has also increased his Ashes record to six consecutive innings of scores of fifty or more. The uncertain Hussey of the last two years seems to have vanished in a welter of hooks, pulls and signature cover drives.

Mention must also go to Chris Tremlett, long considered by English critics to be lacking the necessary intensity for test match cricket. Today he surely proved his doubters wrong with a maiden five wicket haul, if he hadn't already done so with his efforts in the first innings.

Tomorrow England need Bell and Prior to bat out of their skins to give them a chance to win this test. It can be done, but it is an extremely tall order on this bouncy Perth pitch.