The best of efforts, the worst of days

Third Test: White, Harmison and Tudor show they have the stomach for a fight, but not the skills for a real contest

We have been here before, and no doubt will be again. England ended a hard day engaged in an improbable rearguard action, 238 runs behind Australia with one of the prized openers already gone in a torrid 50-minute session before the close. It was like the Second Test, except this time England were in a sorry mess after only two days instead of three and there was no sign of the rain that could and should have saved England at Adelaide.

Speaking for the Australians, Damien Martyn reported that their goal was to win in three days. Three, four or five, England's campaign is in tatters. What is left of England's pace attack bowled manfully and dismissed Australia for 456, a lead of 271. But Chris Silverwood, who was called up to replace his fellow Yorkshireman Darren Gough, bowled no more than four overs on the first evening before he left the field with a torn ligament in his left ankle, never to return. Silverwood joins Gough, plus Simon Jones, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles and Andrew Caddick on England's list of injured bowlers.

Graham Dilley, the bowling coach, called the remaining bowlers together before the second day's play and gave them a little speech: "I said it was important that we all stuck together with what we're trying to do," he said. They did so too, until they wilted under an assault by the Australian tail, which added 108 runs for the last three wickets. But Silverwood's misfortune was one too many. Recall Karl Marx, who wrote that history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy and the second time as farce.

England's strategy really has degenerated into farce and the management and selectors who are responsible for it are being fiercely criticised here. If David Graveney's ears are not burning he is deeply insensitive; Nasser Hussain's future in on the agenda; the magic is fast rubbing off Duncan Fletcher and the medical staff are a laughing stock. The 5-0 whitewash is still the likeliest outcome and it is not much comfort to know that South Africa, West Indies and India have shared the same fate in recent seasons.

The Waca, Perth's illustrious Test ground, has set attendance records for the first two days. Around 20,000 fans have squeezed in and maybe a quarter of them are English. It is instructive to mingle, because what you find is that the English supporters – including the Barmy Army – are resigned to defeat, and their language has begun to suggest humiliation. The Australians have ceased to sound as triumphalist as they did in Brisbane and Adelaide, when the outcome might have been in doubt. Now they seem embarrassed by England.

As one England player observed: "If it's like that in the crowd, what do you think it's like in the dressing room?"

The sense of deep disenchantment in the England party is almost tangible. The first draft of the history of this tour suggests that it set in soon after they arrived in Perth six weeks ago. Wayne Clark, the Yorkshire coach who has five players in the field here and one on the bench, says: "Everything had to go right early in the tour and that didn't happen. The strike bowlers were struggling and confidence went very quickly."

Craig White, England's most successful bowler in Australia's innings with 5 for 127, was not in the squad then. Nor was Alex Tudor, who persevered to take two wickets, including Steve Waugh's with an impeccable ball. Only Steve Harmison was in the original party, and he had an eventful day, getting a brief attack of the yips, when his rhythm went and he lost his run-up. "I'll be buggered if I'm going to give up," Harmison told Dilley during lunch. He didn't and he deserved to get his rhythm back.

None of the three can be faulted for their endurance and commitment. (Richard Dawson, the spinner, bowled only five overs; even Mark Butcher managed 10.) All the batsmen got a good score, but none of them was able to turn a fifty into a hundred.

Ricky Ponting and Martyn threatened to mount the same soul-destroying partnership that was the basis of Australia's match-winning 552 in Adelaide. Ponting was surprised by White's second delivery, which he edged into his stumps on 68; Martyn is taking his responsibility as the new No 4 seriously and took almost twice as long as Ponting over his 71. Darren Lehmann crashed about for a quick 42, not enough to secure his place. Steve Waugh had been sick much of the night but hit 10 fours in his fifty.

Everyone scored, but only when Adam Gilchrist was at the wicket did the middle order look like taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Gilchrist was in electrifying form and lucky too because when he was caught on six, Tudor had no-balled. Whenever he was given any width he hit the ball harder and faster to the boundary than anyone. When 15 off an over from Butcher took him to 38 off 27 balls the only option for England supporters was to lie back and enjoy it.

In the next over Hussain posted two fielders behind square on the leg-side boundary and Gilchrist must have surprised himself by the accuracy with which his hook shot found Tudor, who reached to his full height while also concentrating on keeping his big feet inside the boundary rope. When Tudor claimed the catch Gilchrist turned towards the pavilion and walked, until umpire Rudi Koertzen called him back.

Hussain, looking deeply suspicious, was told that the third umpire would judge whether Tudor's feet were in the right place. "There was no tension," said an England spokesman. There would have been if a knife-edge decision had gone the other way. On the other hand, we might have seen an unforgettable hundred.

White cuts a curious figure. He owes his place to Flintoff's pathetically slow recovery from a hernia operation. It is inconceivable that an Australian's injury would be handled so haphazardly. White was given half a chance and he has seized only half of it. He took 4 for 106 at Adelaide and had bowled at Perth as if he expects to take wickets, but when he bats he looks like something the cat brought in. "He won't hit the ball hard. Like all of them, he's not being positive," says Clark.

Because they radiate a lack of confidence, when England were forced to bat again for the final 11 overs of the day, you feared for them. Brett Lee was given the new ball and bowled fast (over 90mph) and aggressively. Glenn McGrath had Michael Vaughan dropped by Waugh on six, but Lee did for Marcus Trescothick, who is turning the series into a personal ordeal. He turned his head away from a Lee bouncer and the ball ballooned off his glove to Gilchrist.

As nightwatchman, Dawson did more with the bat than he had with the ball. Vaughan was still at the crease at the close and this time the middle order was intact, but the crowd had already made up their minds. English or Australian, they were not expecting England to survive a third day. The Barmy Army had begun to think other things: a bit of fishing perhaps, or a piece of skirt.

Perth Scoreboard

England won toss

England – First Innings
M E Trescothick c Gilchrist b Lee 34
M P Vaughan c Gilchrist b McGrath 34
M A Butcher run out (Waugh) 9
N Hussain c Gilchrist b Lee 8
R W T Key b Martyn 47
A J Stewart c Gilchrist b McGrath 7
C White c Martyn b Lee 2
A J Tudor c Martyn b Warne 0
R J K Dawson not out 19
C E W Silverwood c Hayden b Gillespie 10
S J Harmison b Gillespie 6
Extras (lb2 nb7) 9
Total (295 min, 64.2 overs) 185

Fall: 1-47 (Trescothick), 2-69 (Butcher), 3-83 (Hussain), 4-101 (Vaughan), 5-111 (Stewart), 6-121 (White), 7-135 (Tudor), 8-156 (Key), 9-173 (Silverwood), 10-185 (Harmison).

Bowling: McGrath 17-5-30-2 (nb2) (5-1-12-0, 12-4-18-2), Gillespie 17.2-8-43-2 (8-2-32-0, 4-3-4-0, 5.2-3-7-2), Lee 20-1-78-3 (nb5) (8-0-42-2, 12-1-36-1), Warne 9-0-32-1, Martyn 1-1-0-1 (one spell each).

Progress: First Day: 50: 63 min, 13.4 overs. Lunch: 91-3 (Vaughan 28, Key 7) 25 overs. 100: 138 min, 29 overs. 150: 232 min, 50.3 overs. Tea: 156-8 (Dawson 7) 52.5 overs. All out: 4.25pm.

Australia – First Innings
J L Langer run out (Silverwood-Stewart, TV replay) 19
M L Hayden c Tudor b Harmison 30
R T Ponting b White 68
D R Martyn c Stewart b Tudor 71
D R Lehmann c Harmison b White 42
S R Waugh b Tudor 53
A C Gilchrist c Tudor b White (TV replay) 38
S K Warne run out (Harmison-Tudor) 36
B Lee c Key b White 41
J N Gillespie b White 27
G D McGrath not out 8
Extras (b4, lb5, nb15) 24
Total (437 min, 99.1 overs) 456

Fall: 1-31 (Langer), 2-85 (Hayden), 3-159 (Ponting), 4-226 (Lehmann), 5-264 (Martyn), 6-316 (Gilchrist), 7-348 (Waugh), 8-416 (Warne), 9-423 (Lee), 10-456 (Gillespie).

Bowling: Silverwood 4-0-29-0 (one spell), Tudor 29-2-144-2 (nb11) (8-0-51-0 5-1-12-0 2-0-12-0 4-0-25-1 2-1-6-0 3-0-16-1 15-0-22-0), Harmison 28-7-86-1 (nb1) (13-3-42-1 8-3-16-0 7-1-28-0), White 23.1-3-127-5 (nb3) (3-1-14-0 6-1-24-1 5-1-18-1 3-0-23-1 6.1-0-48-2), Butcher 10-1-40-0 (3-0-9-0 7-1-31-0), Dawson 5-0-21-0 (3-0-16-0 2-0-5-0).

Progress: First Day: 50: 38 min, 7.4 overs. 100: 71 min, 14.3 overs. Close: 126-2 (Ponting 43, Martyn 20) 23 overs. Second day: 150: 139 min, 31.4 overs. 200: 196 min, 43.3 overs. Lunch: 226-4 (Martyn 50) 51.2 overs. 250: 259 min, 59.1 overs. 300: 310 min, 70.4 overs. Tea: 346-6 (Waugh 51, Warne 6) 79 overs. New ball: 80 overs, 347-6. 350: 358 min, 81.5 overs. 400: 390 min, 89.4 overs. 450: 432 min, 98.2 overs. All out: 5pm.

Ponting 50: 90 min, 57 balls, 7 fours, 1 six. Martyn 50: 146 min, 102 balls, 8 fours. Waugh 50: 116 min, 77 balls, 10 fours.

England – Second Innings
M E Trescothick c Gilchrist b Lee 4
M P Vaughan not out 8
R J K Dawson not out 8
Extras (b4, lb2, nb7) 13
Total (for 1, 11 overs) 33

Fall: 1-13 (Trescothick).

Bowling: Lee 5-1-21-1 (nb 7), McGrath 5-2-5-0, Gillespie 1-0-1-0 (one spell each).

Umpires: S A Bucknor and R E Koertzen. Third Umpire: D J Harper. Referee: Wasim Raja.