Cricket:Kevin Pietersen claimed a key wicket with the last ball of the day following his earlier heroics with the bat to give England real encouragement in their pursuit of victory in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.
The batsman, who scored a career-best Test score of 227 to help England to 620 for five declared, struck with his occasional spin to unseat Michael Clarke for 80 after he had looked to be in for the long haul alongside Australia team-mate Mike Hussey.
The fourth-wicket pair had given Australia, set 375 to make England bat again, hope of forcing a draw but the dismissal of Clarke gives the tourists added impetus heading into the final day of the match.
Australia closed on 238 for four and were left hoping that the forecast adverse weather comes to their aid tomorrow in a bid to keep the series level.
Australia's survival prospects were enhanced by an opening stand of 84. But Graeme Swann, bowling unchanged for 24 overs in tandem with pace, then took two early-afternoon wickets.
Openers Shane Watson and Simon Katich, parted in the first over and without a run on the board at the start of this match three days ago, were unmoved up to and beyond lunch.
Katich had to bat and run almost on one leg thanks to an ankle injury, done no favours by more than two days in the field.
But both he and Watson approached a daunting task with an evident intent to take all reasonable scoring opportunities, rather than merely survive. The introduction of Swann, at 44 for none after just 10 overs, brought a more circumspect response from the batsmen - but still no breakthrough.
England's hope was that their champion off-spinner could make the most of footmarks created by Doug Bollinger's 29 overs of left-arm pace from the river end.
But a clutch of morning miscues and bat-pads did not go to hand, the closest call coming when Ian Bell was just unable to reach a ball which looped over his head at silly-point when Watson was on 26.
It was to be Swann nonetheless who got England up and running, as he started to find slightly sharper turn and variable bounce on a pitch expected to deteriorate.
First, Katich followed an off-break and got a faint edge behind on the back foot.
Then Ricky Ponting, on a king pair but beginning to look comfortable once he cut Swann for four after 13 balls on nought, slightly closed the face pushing forward and was expertly caught low down to his left by Paul Collingwood at slip.
Watson stayed put for his second half-century of the match, brought up with his ninth four - a resounding straight-drive off Stuart Broad, who went off shortly afterwards nursing a strained stomach muscle.
Things were really looking up for England after Steven Finn had Watson (57) edging low to slip, before play was delayed by bad light and rain with Australia on 175 for three.
When the match resumed Clarke brought up a much-needed half-century with his eighth boundary of the innings off Swann. He had earlier escaped off the bowling of James Anderson when he edged to the vacant third man area.
England thought a fourth breakthrough had been made soon after but Clarke called for a review, and Billy Doctrove rightly spotted that Swann's delivery had flicked off his pad without an inside edge before being gathered in the slips.
Beyond that Clarke and Hussey looked secure and confident, with the latter dispatching a full toss from Swann for six to boost Australian hopes of forcing a draw, with or without the assistance of the weather.
However, England secured a huge psychological boost as Pietersen removed Clarke, who inside-edged on to his thigh pad with the ball ballooning up for an easy catch by Alastair Cook. A review was required by England to secure the wicket, with replays clearly showing the ball had come off Clarke's bat.
Earlier in the day, Pietersen further demonstrated his batting prowess and Bell (68 not out) added a second half-century from as many attempts in this series before England decided they had enough runs.
They had to balance the unfavourable weather forecast with the value of further demoralising their hosts - and predictably batted on for 40 minutes on an initially sunny morning, bagging an extra 69 runs.
Pietersen went one ball after clubbing Xavier Doherty for a leg-side four to post his highest Test score, edging an attempted repeat to slip.
His 308-ball innings contained 33 fours and one six.
Matt Prior chipped some handy quick runs too - having escaped a faulty slog-sweep high into the leg-side off Doherty, Ponting and Marcus North shambolically allowing the ball to drop safely between them when either one might have made the catch.