FIFTH TEST - DAY THREE

The limpet like Cook batted on and on and...

Today was yet another day of records for the touring Englishmen as they piled on the misery as the Australian attack looked more impotent than ever. There was controversy too with some incidents that will be talked about for years to come.

The Australians harboured some hopes of getting back into the game when they removed both the night watchman Anderson and the disappointing Collingwood fairly early on to have England 5 for 226 and still fifty four runs behind. However, that is as close as Australia got.

Bell joined the patient Cook and as the later ground on, the former played with pristine technique caressing cover drives to the fence, flicking balls off his pads through mid wicket. If Cook's innings was one of ruthless efficiency, Bell's innings was more the work of an artist in peak creativity.

"Did I catch that?" Even Hughes didn't look convinced.

Cook finally fell for an epic 189 that was only eleven runs short of a second double century for the series and thus joining the rarefied company of Sir Walter Hammond as the only other Englishman to have to scored two Ashes double centuries in the one series. The innings was not without it's moments of controversy with the fortunate let off at forty six when debutant Beer was found to have over stepped when Cook had been caught in the deep and again while Cook was on ninety nine he turned a ball to short leg to Phil Hughes who claimed the catch on the half volley. Cook stood his ground and replay's showed that the ball clearly bounced in front of Hughes.

To be fair Hughes at first seemed hesitant to claim the catch and it was only when other team mates assured him that it looked clean that he tossed the ball in the air. In the age of slow motion replays, close ups and more importantly reviews, such appeals never stand up to scrutiny.

This incident added irony to proceedings as Phil Hughes test career was placed into hiatus twenty months ago when England skipper Andrew Strauss claimed an identical one bounce catch to dismiss Phil Hughes at Lords for sixteen during the 2009 series. Fleet Street have branded young Hughes a cheat. In light of what Strauss did in the last series and what Ian Bell did later in the day - it is only cheating when an Australian is involved it seems.

Bell controversially refers his alleged nick behind off Watson.

Which brings us to the second controversial incident for the day - one that will be discussed for a while to come. Ian Bell seemed to be careering to his first Ashes century when he faintly edged a delivery from Watson through to Haddin. While it was a faint nick, it still was loud enough to be heard through the stump mic and certainly loud enough for all the Australian players to go up as one and Aleem Dar to correctly adjudicate to the affirmative.

Bell dejectedly walked over to batting partner Prior to seek counsel and almost in hope requested a review - either in the hope of the faint nick not showing on hot spot, or perhaps the bowler overstepping the popping crease.

As luck would have it, nothing significant showed up on hot spot. Later there was some suggestion that the faintest of flickers momentarily registered on the edge of the bat as the ball passed by, but it appeared inconclusive on the available evidence at that moment and Dar lost his nerve and reversed his earlier decision and thus Bell was reprieved.

Only moments later, Snicko clearly indicated that Bell had in fact edged the delivery after all. So we had the absurd situation where the review system overturned a decision that the umpire - in this case Dar - had correctly adjudicated with his naked eye and rather than the intended prevention of the howler, the UDRS has unwittingly created one.

Surely a first.

No doubt the detractors of the third umpire video review will point to this as proof that no system is completely fool proof.

Ian Bell duly brought up his maiden Ashes century with rare style and sadly amongst the cheers of the Barmy Army there were boos from angry Australian supporters and a noteable lack of appreciation from the Australians in the field at Bell's perceived dishonesty. Ian Bell has been one of the form batsmen all series and an Ashes hundred was well over due and thoroughly deserved. So it is a pity that this marvellous innings should be footnoted in such a way, for beyond the controversy, it was an innings of sublime class.

Bell finally fell in the penultimate over before stumps when he attempted one big shot too many and edged a Johnson delivery to Clarke to be on his way for a peerless 115.

With a lead of 208, England are in complete command and will surely wrap up the test either later tomorrow or early on day five to win the series comprehensively 3-1...a fair reflection of the dominance of the Englishmen and the ineptness of the Australian's.

Prior to this series, no Australian XI had succumbed to more than one innings defeat on Australian soil. With two such defeats already under their belt, there is a strong possibility that they may add an unwanted third here in Sydney such is the hopelessness of their situation.

England have registered four innings of over 400 in five tests against Australia on Australian soil - and one has to go back to the days when Chapman was at the helm in 1928/29 for the only other time that has occurred.

For all the records in this series, one would have to be an Englishman to fully enjoy this one sided carnage as the contest has largely been lacking. Sometimes there has to be a massive fall from grace before a new dawn can emerge - and all Australian's are hoping that something positive will eventually come from all this wreckage.