WITH three Tests gone and three to come, the England and Australian teams go into recess with the score equal at one apiece. The fourth Test at Headingley does not begin until July 24th, and, in the interim, Mike Atherton's team return to their counties to take stock of the hiding they have just received.

Meanwhile, the Aussies, minus Shane Warne, who is flying back home for a few days to bill and coo at his newborn child, will be playing low-profile fixtures at Jesmond and Edinburgh before resuming their preparations at Cardiff and Lord's.

Providing the weather held up, there was no doubt that, having done the hard work on Sunday evening, the Australians yesterday would have the game sewn up by early afternoon at the latest. In fact, lunch was still half-an- hour away when Andrew Caddick, after some defiant blows, flicked a tame catch to mid on to end the match.

All out for precisely 200, of which John Crawley made a vibrant 83 before stepping on his stumps, England had lost their remaining five wickets in less than 23 overs for the addition of 70 runs.

And they were hustled out not by Warne, as might have been expected on a dry, wearing, fifth-day pitch, but by another cracking display of in-your- face pace bowling from Glenn McGrath. The pair bowled unchanged throughout the session.

McGrath was superb yesterday. Bowling from the Stretford End, he found his rhythm more effectively than at any time in the game. He took the first four wickets to fall, and nearly had a full house with a confident but erroneous leg before appeal against Caddick.

Instead the coup de grace was left to Warne, and McGrath walked from the field, with the wickets of Ealham, Croft, Crawley and Gough added to a fast- growing collection, with figures yesterday of 11-2-22-4 and 4 for 46 in all, giving him 7 in the match and a remarkable 18 in the series so far.

But no one could fail to acknowledge the influence exerted by the genius at the other end. Warne's second innings contribution - 3 for 63 - was not the carnage that many anticipated after his six-wicket haul first time around, but he preyed on the mind. Whether he is taking wickets, he represents a threat, and with he and McGrath on song there really is no hiding place.

Crawley produced what must be his best innings for England. On the fourth day, he had reached 53, profiting from some wayward wrist spin from Michael Bevan who, with runs no object had licence to spin himself silly in trying to produce just one devastating delivery (incidentally, his place must be in jeopardy now after more indifferent batting).

But yesterday was as testing as it gets, with world class bowlers in prime form. Only once, when Crawley had reached 68, did he offer a chance, a low one to Greg Blewett's right at short leg, and the sort that David Boon used to snaffle. But Crawley survived, taking the seventh wicket partnership with Ealham to 74 before McGrath, in his fifth over of the morning, struck the first blow: Ealham's edge flew low to Ian Healy who just got a glove under the ball to pull of a stunning catch.

McGrath then proceeded to give poor Robert Croft such a working over once more that one fears for his safety in the Caribbean this winter unless he can work something out.

All the time though, Crawley was making jaunty progress, three times hitting Warne to the boundary, and he had a century in his sights when he pushed McGrath into the covers, and in pushing off for a run, caught his offstump with his right heel.