(updates at tea)
By Tony Lawrence
BIRMINGHAM, England, Aug 4 - England, buoyed by
the absence of Glenn McGrath and the batting of Marcus
Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff, continued to hammer Australia's
attack as they raced to 289 for four at tea on the opening day
of the second test on Thursday.
Trescothick smashed 90 off 102 balls to set the tone in a
112-run opening stand with Andrew Strauss (48).
Australia battled back with three wickets for 23 runs, two
of them falling in four balls to Michael Kasprowicz, before
Kevin Pietersen (40 not out) and Flintoff (68 not out off 60
balls) put England back on top with an unbroken run-a-ball
102-run stand.
England added 157 in 27 overs during the afternoon and were
averaging in excess of five an over for the first two sessions.
Flintoff never looked totally secure, particularly against
Shane Warne's leg spin, but he had been heaved for five sixes
and six fours by the tea break.
McGrath's freakish injury -- he damaged right ankle
ligaments after stepping on a cricket ball just before the toss
-- seemed to set the tone.
Without their man of the match from Lord's, Australia's
attack struggled to stay in line after Ricky Ponting had put
England in on a slow pitch and in cloudy conditions.
Ponting had counted on some early movement. Instead, there
were just early boundaries to all parts, Trescothick hammering
three of them off Brett Lee through extra cover in the third
over of the day.
SKIMMED LOW
When Jason Gillespie did get it right, the edge from
Strauss's bat skimmed low to first slip where Warne failed to
hold on to the chance with his left hand.
Even Warne could not help.
Strauss kicked away his first three balls, then drove him
over his head for four. Next over, there were two more Strauss
boundaries.
The plan was to unsettle Warne and Trescothick joined in
with a straight drive for six then, in the final over before
lunch, with an upper-cut six off Lee and three more fours as 18
came off six balls.
But Australia hit back after lunch as England slid from 164
for one to 187 for four.
Trescothick, with two sixes and 15 fours to his name,
needlessly followed a Kasprowicz leg-cutter and was caught
behind, Ian Bell followed in the same over with another edge
behind and Michael Vaughan made 24 before he miscued a short
ball from Gillespie.
England looked vulnerable, especially with Flintoff just
clearing mid-off with his first scoring shot.
The all rounder, however, then outshone Pietersen with a
series of mighty drives and pulls. Warne twice disappeared into
the midwicket stands and Lee went the same way over square leg.
Flintoff's 48-ball 50, completed with a cut for four off
Warne, was even applauded by the leg spinner.