Ashes 2010: The best pictures from day three of the third Test

Here come the players England need to take seven wickets for, what, 100-130 runs? There have been some big fourth innings scores at this ground in recent seasons. South Africa made 414, of course, and only last year the West Indies made it all the way to 323 in pursuit of 359 Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images

37th over: Australia 124-3 (Watson 66, Hussey 24) Prior spreads his arms and screams out an appeal for a catch behind, but no one else goes up with him. Watson was trying to leave the ball on length, but it broke back in and just skimmed his forearm on its way through Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images

Sky are showing super-slow replays of that appeal. The ball might just, just have touched Watson's sweat band after it his his forearm. That counts as part of the glove, so it wasn't such a bad shout after all. That said, it would have been very unlikely to have been given if they had referred it, seeing as the evidence was so inconclusive Photograph: Rob Griffith/AP

42nd over: Australia 138-3 (Watson 77, Hussey 26) The first change of the day brings Steve Finn into the attack to replace Tremlett, whose opening four over spell cost just seven runs. Watson picks out the fielders at mid-on and mid-off with a couple of crisp drives Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images

45th over: Australia 147-3 (Watson 80, Hussey 28) This is drifting. It's not so much that England haven't taken a wicket, just that they haven't even created any pressure yet. In short, we may need to think of something else to talk about if we're going to get through this session awake Photograph: TONY ASHBY/AFP/Getty Images

48th over: Australia 165-3 (Watson 90, Hussey 36) And now I'm muttering a few myself as well. That's a lovely stroke by Watson, a drive through extra cover for four. He must have been happy with it, because he repeated the shot to the next ball. Four more. Grief Photograph: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

49th over: Australia 174-3 (Watson 93, Hussey 42) The sightscreen breaks down and the entire game comes to a halt for five minutes while the groundstaff try to fix it. This is the biggest talking point of the morning yet. KP lies down on the grass, the batsmen take on some drinks, everyone else stands around doing nothing Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images

WICKET! Watson 95 LBW Tremlett (Australia 180-4) The scream of an LBW appeal snaps me out of my torpor. It's Watson, struck just in front of middle by an in-dipper from Tremlett. Watson refers it, but it's out Photograph: Rob Griffith/AP

Watson has to walk off after missing out on a century yet again. That's the fourth time he has been dismissed in the 90s. The replays show that Watson was the one who got it wrong - not the umpires. He confused the feeling of bat hitting pad for that of bat hitting ball Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

53rd over: Australia 190-4 (Hussey 50, Smith 5) Hussey raises his fifty - his sixth in successive Ashes innings, which is a new record - with a streaky slice through the gully. Bah Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

55th over: Australia 204-4 (Hussey 55, Smith 14) Smith is getting peppered here, Tremlett bombing him with a trio of a barrage of short balls. He limbos right over on to his back to avoid the third of them, but leaves his bat poking up like a periscope. The ball shoots away over Prior's head for two. He is starting to look a bit of a clown, but then to be fair to the man he smashes the next ball away for a superb four through long leg Photograph: TIM WIMBORNE/REUTERS

62nd over: Australia 232-4 (led by 81 on first innings; Hussey 68, Smith 29) Graeme Swann finally comes on for his first over of the day, and only his fifth of the innings. Shane Warne comes to life in the commentary box, in his element at all the opportunities the spinner offers. He's also hugely unimpressed that it has taken so long. Hussey tries to dominate from the start in his usual fleet-footed style. Two from the over, and this will be a good contest. "True Perth is famous for its black swans," says Patrick, "but why has Swann been blacklisted?" Photograph: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

WICKET! Australia 252-5 (Smith c Prior b Tremlett 36) Steven Smith walks. England brought on Tremlett to rough him up from around the wicket, and it took just two balls. It was banged in on middle stump and Smith, moving across to the off side, gloved it down the leg side to Prior. It was a big deflection and Smith didn't wait for the decision. That's a happy by-product of the UDRS, and we should see more and more walking as a result. It's almost a lie-detector test Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

70th over: Australia 264-5 (led by 81 on first innings; Hussey 86, Haddin 6) Swann's first ball is a fraction too short and Hussey rocks back to smash a pull for four. His foot movement against the spinners is majestic Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Haddin gets off the mark with the most magnificent shot, a slog-sweep high over midwicket for six. It feels a bit unfair to call it a slog-sweep, so gracefully was it played Photograph: Steve Wake/AP

WICKET! Australia 271-6 (Haddin b Tremlett 7) That's seven in the match for Tremlett. Haddin pushes defensively at a good delivery that cuts back off the seam, and the ball cannons off the inside edge, onto the pad and back onto the stumps. The lead is 352 Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

75th over: Australia 284-7 (led by 81 on first innings; Hussey 102, Harris 1) Hussey hooks Tremlett for four more to bring up a century on his home ground, before setting off down the pitch and leaping to punch the air. This has been an awesome innings, absolutely awesome, and it's staggering to think his career was on its death bed at the start of the series Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images

WICKET! Australia 276-7 (Johnson c Bell b Collingwood 1) England persist with Collingwood, a surprising decision that is immediately justified when the dangerous drives to short extra. Bell takes an unobtrusive low catch and that's a vital breakthrough, because an hour of Johnson swinging like Joe DiMaggio and England were done. As it is the lead is 357, and I reckon England are still in this. Bull is less convinced Photograph: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

78th over: Australia 284-8 (led by 81 on first innings; Hussey 102, Siddle 0) Graeme Swann's day gets worse with a dropped catch. Siddle drove Collingwood to Swann at extra cover, but he couldn't hang on two-handed as he dived to his right. In the 2010s, and for this England team, that was a relatively straightforward chance Photograph: Hamish Blair/Getty Images

WICKET! Siddle 8 c Collingwood b Anderson (84th over: Australia 308-9) lead by 390 There's one. Siddle pokes a catch straight to third slip. That's Anderson's 200th Test wicket, in his 54th Test. What odds he could be the man to go on and break Botham's all-time record for Test wickets for England? Photograph: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

WICKET! Hussey 116 c Swann b Tremlett (Australia 390 all out) Well I'll be. They've got him, at last. Tremlett finished with figures of 24-4-87-5. But the important statistic is this one: England need 391 to retain the Ashes Photograph: TIM WIMBORNE/REUTERS

That is the third time in the series that Hussey has got out on the pull. It's just a shame he's scored all those runs in between times Photograph: GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images

6th over: England 23-0 (Strauss 6, Cook 8) need 391 to win Well here we go. Ponting can't wait to get the pawns out of the way and bring his Queen into play. On comes Johnson. This is the match right here. And immediately he almost has a wicket. But it wasn't his bowling that almost got it for him. Cook dropped the ball down to the off and set off for a run. Johnson chased down the ball and booted it towards the wicket. He was close to knocking over the stumps, but not close enough. Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images

If he had hit Cook would have gone Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

WICKET! Cook 13 lbw Harris (England 23-1) Oh no. Cook's gone. And he hasn't even paused to review it. The ball looked to hit him high up on the pads from here, but Cook had a quick chat with his captain and they decided not to refer it Photograph: Gareth Copley/PA

Cook trudges off. That was close, oh so close. Virtual Eye says the ball was just trimming the top of the bail, so the decision would have stood Photograph: GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images

WICKET! Strauss 15 c Ponting b Johnson (England 39-2) Captain, the ship is sinking. How are all you optimists feeling now? Johnson has his first wicket. Strauss got forced back in the crease and dangled his bat at a ball that broke away from him. The ball popped up off the edge and guess who was there to catch it? Punter, of course Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

England are up to their necks in it here Photograph: TIM WIMBORNE/REUTERS

WICKET! Pietersen 3 c Watson b Hilfenhaus (19th over: England 52-3) need 391 It was fun while it lasted though, wasn't it? Pietersen pauses the game to get a new bat from the 12th man, and after spending a good while picking one out he slaps a catch straight to second slip Photograph: TIM WIMBORNE/REUTERS

"That," thunders Nasser, "was a terrible shot." And Pietersen knows it too, He trails off, staring at the turf and hardly picking his up feet. Until he gets to the steps, then he shapes to smash his bat on the floor, swinging it up above his head. But he thought better of it Photograph: TIM WIMBORNE/REUTERS