England remove Katich, Ponting after lunch in Adelaide

[~IronMan~]

Mon, Dec 6 09:52 AM

Enlarge Photo Australia's Ricky Ponting (L) watches as England's Matt Prior (2nd L), Ian Bell (2nd R)... Australia lost opener Simon Katich and captain Ricky Ponting to the spin of England's Graeme Swann soon after lunch on Monday, hampering their desperate fight to save the second Ashes test.

Katich was the first to go in the fifth over after lunch, getting a faint outside edge from a Swann delivery to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

The 35-year-old thought about asking for an appeal but decided against it, hobbling off the field still clearly hampered by his Achilles heel injury.

Ponting, who got a golden duck in the first innings, survived 21 minutes and a thorough examination from Swann for nine runs before getting a thick edge to the 19th ball he faced with Paul Collingwood taking a good catch at first slip.

His dismissal reduced Australia to 98-2, still 277 runs behind England's first innings total of 620-5 declared.

Weather permitting, England are in a strong position to take a 1-0 lead in the five test series after the first test in Brisbane was drawn.

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)





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