Cricket/ Ashes countdown: England may be without a victory since their arrival in Australia but there were reasons to be cheerful for the tourists after a tough week Down Under.
Opening batsman Marcus Trescothick has returned home with a stress-related illness and key paceman Steve Harmison was unable to bowl in the final warm-up match in Adelaide because of a side problem.
But before Australian optimism goes into overdrive, a first-innings century for Ian Bell against South Australia, 47 off 108 balls from skipper Andrew Flintoff and 80 from Paul Collingwood should not be discounted as the first Test in Brisbane looms into view.
England's pace bowlers had some valuable practice ahead of the five-day encounter which starts next Thursday, but spinners Monty Panesar and Kevin Pietersen were the only wicket-takers on the final day of the last warm-up match, which ended in a tame draw. South Australia had reached 164 for two in their second innings when play was called off an hour early with SA still four runs short of their first-innings deficit of 168.
Matthew Elliott and Daniel Harris shared an opening partnership of 94 until left-hander Elliott clipped left-armer Panesar to mid-wicket, where James Anderson leapt to pluck a brilliant right-handed catch above his head.
Elliott, who hit eight boundaries in his form-finding 55, was dropped by Pietersen low at backward point off Anderson when on nine in the eighth over.
Cameron Borgas belted five fours on his way to 27 then swept off-spinner Pietersen high and straight to substitute fielder Ashley Giles at deep mid-wicket.
Harris (26)finished with an unbeaten 71 - 11 short of his highest score in 13 first-class matches. Geraint Jones missed a difficult stumping chance off Pietersen when Harris was 68.
In humid, overcast conditions, the low bounce of the placid pitch did not offer any encouragement for the quick bowlers, and three of them - Anderson, Matthew Hoggard and Flintoff - retreated to the dressingroom for brief spells and massages before returning. So did Bell, the century-maker on day two.
This allowed Giles, Ed Joyce, the tour replacement for Trescothick, Liam Plunkett and, significantly, Harmison to do some fielding duty. England were all out for 415 - a first-innings lead of 168 - just before lunch, with Flintoff scoring a surprisingly cautious 47 but virtually being upstaged by tailender Sajid Mahmood.
Swinging vigorously, Mahmood contributed 36 to an eighth-wicket stand of 53 in 12 overs before Flintoff missed a hefty swipe off leg-spinner Cullen Bailey and was bowled.
Mahmood made a 46-ball 41, with two sixes and four fours. He was stumped after missing a lusty down-the-pitch swing at one of Darren Lehmann's slow, left-arm teasers. Flintoff, 17 overnight, also had combined with Jones in a seventh-wicket liaison of 66 in 24 overs.
The England captain clearly was intent on having batting practice as he spent two-and-a-half hours over his 108-ball 47 (five fours).
England resumed at 303 for six, and Jones added 19 to his overnight score of 14 before moving down the pitch to a well-flighted off-break from Dan Cullen and edging a catch, via his front pad, to Mark Cosgrove at forward short leg.
England's innings ended when Anderson's sweep off Bailey ricocheted off his right boot, enabling wicketkeeper Shane Deitz to take a smart, low catch.
Shaun Tait, named in Australia's squad of 13 for the first Test, could not bowl in the first 30 minutes because of the time he spent off the field late on Saturday after cramping in his right thigh and calf. When he resumed bowling 45 minutes into the first session, Tait bowled quickly but his direction was more astray than usual. Importantly, though, he proved his fitness.
