KEY POINTS:
Amid extraordinary scenes, Australia have beaten England by six wickets in a most improbable victory in the second Ashes cricket test.
In a game that seemed headed for a tame draw, the Australians scored one of the most amazing test wins, with just 19 balls to spare, in the long history of the Ashes to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the five test series.
The match was meandering after both teams piled on more than 500 runs in their first innings on a flat Adelaide Oval wicket before England's dramatic collapse.
England collapsed to 129 all out, handing Australia the chance to steal an unexpected victory in the second Ashes test at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
Australia scored 168 for four in the final innings to win the match by six wickets and move a step closer to regaining the Ashes.
"It's the best test win I've ever been a part of," victorious captain Ricky Ponting said.
Shane Warne spun a match destined for a draw on its head with a mesmeric display of spin bowling which yielded 49 for four off 32 overs, and helped bowl England out for 129.
The tourists lost nine wickets for 70 in 54 overs today, as Warne bowled unchanged through two sessions and troubled his opponents with almost every ball.
"It was a sensational win by a great team," Warne said.
Set 168 to win from 36 overs in the final session of the match, Australia took a one-day approach to their run-chase and cantered to victory with 19 balls to spare.
Captain Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey batted expertly on a wicket which showed none of the trouble England experienced in its second innings.
An elated Hussey (61 not out) raised both fists and jumped in the air when he hit the winning run. Michael Clarke, who scored a seven courtesy of a run-three and four overthrows, finished on 21 not out.
Ponting's 49 gave him 447 runs this series from four innings for just three times out.
Australia's victory - their 13th in 14 tests since they lost the Ashes in 2005 -- gave them a decisive lead ahead of the third test in Perth, which starts December 14.
England had pulled off one of the greatest upsets in cricket history to win the Ashes at home last year but would appear to need a miracle to retain the tiny urn with three tests to go.
England captain Andrew Flintoff said his team had paid a heavy price for a poor session.
"We've played a lot of good cricket in this test match apart from an hour today when we let it slip, and it just shows it can cost you," he said.
"You have a bad hour and you are out of the test match. That's exactly what's happened today."
The game was watched by the biggest Adelaide crowd in 47 years and attendance continued to grow as the final day progressed.
The Adelaide Oval crowd increased significantly the longer the fifth day went as word filtered through the city that Australia were headed towards victory after the match appeared headed for a draw at the start of the day.
The official day five attendance of 20,355 took the aggregate crowd to 136,761, which made this test match the best-attended in Adelaide since 150,690 watched Australia beat England in 1959.
Officials expected the last-day crowd to be bigger than the official attendance, as they opened the gates at 5.15pm (CDT) so spectators could watch the remaining hour-and-half of play for free.
Many fans took up the offer and watched Australia win by six wickets to take a 2-0 series lead.
The record aggregate crowd at an Adelaide test is 174,452 which attended the third test of the 1932-33 Bodyline series, which England won by 338 runs.
The first test in Brisbane also attracted a record aggregate Gabba crowd of 164,747.
England can still square or even win the five-match series and retain the Ashes, but it will be a huge task to regroup after this devastating defeat.
England enjoyed four strong days, but their disastrous final day will be a massive setback.
No side has ever lost after making so many runs and declaring in the first innings of a test match. England amassed 551 for six declared over the first two days here.
When it mattered on the final day, Australia lifted and England found themselves trapped in a defensive funk as the run-rate all but dried up.
By barely scoring over the first two sessions, England always kept Australia in the hunt.
Warne's amazing accuracy and control cast a web over England's batsmen, who found the legspinner's bounce, spin and turn out of the rough too difficult to negotiate.
Warne brought about an England downfall 8 for four wickets in 10 overs before lunch, including the big wicket of Kevin Pietersen, whose handling of his friend in the first innings left the legspinner with his most expensive figures of 1-167.
But Warne responded magnificently, and bowled Pietersen around his legs.
In the two other crucial dismissals, opener Andrew Strauss was adjudged caught in close despite being struck on the pad, while Ian Bell was run out after a mix-up with Paul Collingwood.
Collingwood produced a monumental effort with the bat in a brave effort to stave off Australia's push.
Collingwood scored 206 in the first innings and followed that with an unbeaten 22, scored from 119 deliveries in 198 minutes, which took to almost 12 hours the time he spent batting in this match - ultimately for nothing.
Brett Lee also bowled well today and found some reverse swing on his way to two for 35, while Glenn McGrath chimed in with two for 15 after being overlooked for most of the day by Ponting.
Australia won the first test in Brisbane by 277 runs.
- AAP, REUTERS
