PERTH: Glenn McGrath — who else? — knocked the idea that England might score 557 to win the third Ashes Test on the head by taking two wickets in three balls at the very moment when the impossible dream began to have a touch of reality. McGrath came back after another long, hot and wearying day with just four overs left, had the battling opener Alastair Cook caught behind the wicket after making 116 and two balls later comprehensively bowled the night watchman Matthew Hoggard.

Dashing the hopes

As his over began 557 seemed to be close; when it finished the England target was over the horizon. Those two deliveries have probably settled the match although Kevin Pietersen, in his most imposing form, and Andrew Flintoff, the England captain, are still at the wicket.

Pietersen believes victory is possible and for once this trip Flintoff, with only his own batting to concern him, seemed relaxed in the few balls he faced. Yes, with 292 still wanted and five wickets down, victory is impossible but these two special players may give Australia anxious moments.

Making merry

Day four belonged to Cook who made his debut century in Nagpur earlier this year and who is the first England batsman to hit four Test hundreds before his 22nd birthday. He is a cool customer as we learnt when he went to London to pick up the esteemed award as Young Cricketer of the Year and then returned to Chelmsford to make a double hundred off the Australians the next day.

He will be 22 on Christmas Day and an embedded Test player at a time when most cricketers of his age are being sent back to the county second team to learn their trade.

Cook has little to learn although he needs a few more innings of this type before he will, unless I misjudge my man, come back to Australia to create havoc in four years' time.

Shane Warne did not tempt him, McGrath and Stuart Clark could not shake him and he treated Brett Lee with a resolute defence in his 390 minutes at the crease. He batted all day, first with that other calm cricketer Ian Bell who once again did all the hard work required for a century and then threw his wicket away with a soft shot.

It is not the first example of Bell getting near a century and not making sure he is remembered for his innings but only for his dismissal.

Warne's histrionics

The rest of the day was Warne's. He bowled 24 overs without a break except for lunch, over the wicket, round the wicket and from in front of the umpire where he yelled and complained and stretched the rules of tolerance to their limit. Is it time that the match referee Jeff Crowe stepped in? I believe it is.

Warne may be the most successful bowler of all time - Bell's wicket was his 696th - but he cannot be allowed to continue with his continual assault on the umpire's credibility. He and Rudi Koertzen appear to get along famously at the end of each over whether or not Warne has been granted his wishes but these histrionics have nothing to do with the umpiring. It is all part of the Warne plan to unsettle the batsman and it is time he was stopped.

It is as much about the influence he has on young cricketers who are imitating the stars to the extent that a junior match is different from a Test only by the lack of a huge crowd. At Perth in the last four days these excitable aces have been watched by a record 90,000 spectators and on the final day there will be a rush for the last few tickets since most watchers are romantics and some will be convinced that a startling finish is still possible.

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