Cricket: England press for victory after Strauss ton

MANCHESTER, England - Simon Jones completed a six-wicket haul and Andrew Strauss cudgelled a century as England pressed for victory in the third cricket test against Australia.

The world champions, set what would be a world-record 423 to win, survived a tricky 10 overs to end the fourth day on 24 without loss at Old Trafford.

Michael Vaughan was forced to turn to left-arm spinner Ashley Giles and bowl his own occasional offspin as the light began to fail in the final overs -- but Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer survived.

England, looking to go 2-1 up in the five-match series after winning last week at Edgbaston, began the day by wrapping up Australia's first innings for 302 to secure a lead of 142.

They then rattled up 280 for six in their second visit, scoring at almost five runs an over, with Strauss (106) and Ian Bell (65) putting on 127 for the third wicket.

Glenn McGrath took five wickets but was lashed for 115 runs off 20.5 overs. Australia, meanwhile, were heckled for much of the final session as they resorted to go-slow tactics to dampen the scoring.

"We are not going to blow them away, the wicket is quite slow," Strauss said, looking forward to the final day.

"It's very important not to get too carried away by the fact we are on top in this game.

"The Aussies showed last week you can never write them off. Tomorrow is going to be very hard work.

"But if we get the ball in the right areas there are definitely 10 wickets out there."

Jones' figures of six for 53 were his best for England. He took the last three Australian wickets in the morning within 29 balls at the cost of one scoring shot.

While Jones bowled his reverse swing with fine control and at sharp pace, Strauss' sixth test hundred -- and his first against Australia -- was less classical.

It was bound to be, with England in a hurry to try and give their bowlers as much time as possible to win the game on the final day.

While Marcus Trescothick provided those quick runs, scoring 41 off 56 balls on his way past 5000 runs in test matches, the left-handed Strauss started scratchily and, indeed, bloodily.

Strike bowler Brett Lee had cracked him just under the jaw in the first innings and Strauss received another blow to the helmet, cutting open his left ear.

With a single to his name, he then edged Lee and bisected Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting at first and second slip.

The pair, having argued during the second test over Ponting's decision to bowl first according to some media reports, were left staring at each other.

Trescothick departed with the score on 64, a dab off McGrath spinning back into his stumps, while Michael Vaughan, a centurion in the first innings, soon followed, top-edging Lee to fine leg for 14.

That left Strauss as the senior partner and needing to accelerate as England reached tea on 128 for two.

By then, Warne and Ponting were back on speaking terms, taking so long to set fields for the left-arm spinner that the umpires intervened while the crowd booed.

Strauss responded by hitting out, launching a short Warne delivery into the stands -- Warne said before the game that he saw Strauss as his new rabbit -- and then pulling McGrath for four to get to his century.

Bell played himself in cautiously before smacking McGrath over long on. He never fully convinced, hooking compulsively and rarely connecting, but kept scampering.

When Australia got opportunities, they fluffed them. Adam Gilchrist missed two clear stumping chances off Bell to leave Warne wicketless.

The innings ended in a flurry of wickets, most of them falling to McGrath. Strauss holed out to square leg, Kevin Pietersen went leg before wicket to a fine yorker first ball and Andrew Flintoff, the other big hitter, made four before slogging across the line.

Geraint Jones, as fallible as Gilchrist behind the stumps earlier in the game, put the finishing touches with two huge sixes off McGrath. Jones made 27 from 12 balls.

Earlier it had been all about the other Jones as England took just over an hour to wrap up Australia's first innings.

Warne, seeking a first test century, got to 90 and put on 86 with Jason Gillespie before holing out to deep square leg.

The next highest contribution on the Australian scorecard came from extras (38), followed by Matthew Hayden's 34.

- REUTERS