Leicester, 15th - 17th July

Day One - Leicester - Match Scorecard

In the one and only first class match before the first Test at Lord's on Thursday, Australia moved up another gear taking control of the game in emphatic style. The decision to rest Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath proved a good one with Lee, one of three seamers (Lee, Gillespie and Kasprowicz) on trial for two places in the first Test, taking 4 for 53 including a first ball wicket.

Leicester chose to bat under early cloud cover struggled from the first ball, Lee trapping Darren Robinson leg before without scoring. Chris Rogers (56) and Maunders took the score on to 36 before Lee forced Maunders (17) to fence the ball to gully, Hayden the recipient.

John Sadler was fortunate to survive a vociferous call for caught behind first ball, the very next ball Lee caught him a painful blow on the shoulder. Despite battling on with the injury, Sadler retired at the drinks interval for 4 runs. Kasprowicz took the next wicket, trapping Ackerman on his crease for 12 runs. Fellow Australian guest player Jason Krejza was next in and he showed his team mates along with Rogers how to build an innings.

Rogers became Lee's third victim after scoring a useful half century that included eight fours when he mistimed a slower ball to mid off, Kasprowicz taking the catch. Gillespie came in with two quick wickets and it was left to MacGill to finish the innings ending Gibson's stoic battle. Leicester all out for only 217 runs. Brett Lee cemented his spot in the first Test with two ferocious spells at the start of each session, proving he still has what it takes despite missing the last 17 Test matches.

In reply Hayden (75) and Langer (71*) put on an opening stand of 131 with exhilarating stroke play, dominated by Hayden. By this time, batting conditions were perfect and the pair showed the foxes how it should be done scoring at five runs an over. Hayden fell to the medium pace of Maunders behind the wicket and despite a promotion to number three, Clarke was trapped leg before for only nine runs, the bowler once again Maunders. Ponting and Langer saw Australia to the close with the score on 2 for 169.

Day Two - Leicester - Match Scorecard - Australia 7 / 582, Leicester 217

When play ended at 5:45 today, Australia had amassed a staggering 413 runs, loosing five wickets in the process. Both Damien Martyn (154*) and Ricky Ponting (119) joined Justin Langer (115) in scoring centuries, ensuring that the game was safe and in the hands of the bowlers when play resumes tomorrow for the final day.

Australia cruised to 582-7 at stumps in reply to the Leicester's 217, in the process firing a warning shot to England's hopes of winning back the ashes.

For Langer, it was a welcome return to the crease, indeed it was his first competitive knock for more than three months - he certainly looked in amazing form ahead of Thursday's Test at Lord's. Langer joined the Australian squad for the second one day international against England, watching with anticipation from the balcony, eager to get stuck in to the action. When released, he wasted no time in finding the form that has dogged England for years.

Martyn's knock see him score his 43rd first class century including 14 fours and will resume his innings with Gillespie, following the fall of Gilchrist and Lee, should Ponting not declare overnight.

Langer resumed play on 71 with Ponting on six - and the pair were quickly at ease on an easy-paced pitch, despite having to bat under cloud cover which showed little sign of thinning.

Commenting on the day's play “It was a superb performance. To score that many runs and to bowl so well is a very good start to our Ashes campaign. That is what these games are about, and it has been a perfect preparation so far," Langer said.

"I have been waiting a long time to start playing cricket again, and it is always nice to get in the habit early of making runs," he said.

"I hope that can continue. A lot has been made of how little cricket I have played before the Test matches.

"But I have been playing cricket for a long time and I know my game very well."

Following a fine century at Lord's in the second NatWest challenge, Ponting adapted to the longer game with ease, striking the ball effortlessly, together with Martyn, he put on 201 runs. The innings consisted of nine fours and two sixes before eventually being bowled by West Indian Ottis Gibson.

Simon Katich failed to capitalise on some much needed batting practice, he was bowled by David Masters for just four, Michael Clarke was another casualty of the innings scoring nine runs on day one.

Day Three - Leicester - Match Scorecard

Australia were brought right back down to earth following two clear days of domination at Leicester. Fellow Australian Chris Rogers struck his maiden double century as Leicester held off certain defeat on the final day.

Ponting declared overnight leaving the home side a mammoth task to stave off a certain defeat and at the start of day three they were 365 runs in arrears. Sydney born Rogers made 209, with 32 fours and three sixes, to steer the hosts to 363-5 and keep Australia to a draw ahead of the first Ashes Test.

Both Lee (40 from his first six overs) and Gillespie were expensive at the start of the day with Robinson and Rogers taking the pair to task with a 247 opening partnership before Lee took his revenge sending Robinson's (81) stumps cartwheeling towards Gilchrist. Stuart MacGill (4-122) was the pick of the bowlers on an even paced wicket but despite taking four wickets in the final session went at an expensive six an over.

Both Gillespie ( 0 for 60) and Kasprowicz (0 for 57) struggled and it's now anyone's guess as to who will get the call to play alongside Warne, McGrath and Lee.

Ponting set an attacking field for most of the morning with the majority of boundaries coming through third man.

Robinson should have gone on eight when he tried to hook Gillespie, the resulting mix up between Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich at backward point let him off; a mistake he made the tourists pay.

All in all the tourists will be happy with the first two days play but disappointed not to have made greater inroads into the top order earlier in the final day.

Ponting talking after the match ended said “It was a pretty disappointing day for us," he conceded. "All the guys really tried their hardest, but unfortunately we weren't quite good enough to win. Everybody is pretty exhausted, there was nothing left in the tank.”

"We've got pretty much what we expected out of the game - other than a win," he said.

“We have got some really good quality time under our belts as far as the batting goes and two chances to bowl, so that has been perfect for us.”

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