Australia's captain Michael Clarke soared beyond 150 but his team's progress was pockmarked by wasteful moments from Steve Smith and David Warner on the second morning of the third Investec Ashes Test at Old Trafford. A century beckoned for Smith until he slogged unwisely at Graeme Swann, before Warner - with Clarke's approval - used up the tourists' final review for an obvious edged catch.
Clarke and Brad Haddin took Australia to lunch with plenty of run-scoring intent, and it will now be a question of how many runs Clarke wants and also how much time he believes will be required to press for victory in a match England need only to draw to retain the urn. Clarke's unbeaten innings is his highest against England, and his stand with Smith lifted the visitors to a strong position.
But the period between Smith's dismissal and Warner's exit provided a reminder that this remains a team who can let things get out of hand quite quickly, either through poor technique or poor judgement. Despite their currently precarious position, England will remain mindful of this as the match goes on.
Early morning showers had given way to brilliant sunshine by the time the teams walked to the middle in Manchester, Clarke and Smith seeming to set themselves for a long stay as they negotiated the second new ball. Milestones came and went, the highest fourth wicket stand in an Old Trafford Test then the 200 partnership, leaving Alastair Cook looking somewhat bereft of ideas.
He resorted to Swann's offspin soon after mid-morning drinks, and the temptation of the slower, spinning ball proved too much for Smith, who aimed a heave towards midwicket but managed only to send a skier into the hands of Jonny Bairstow. It was profligate by Smith, who had shown so much patience to that point, but England will argue that it was in fact the fourth time in the innings they had dismissed him.
Warner thus walked to the wicket with Australia in decent fettle, accompanied by the inevitable boos following his earlier attack on Joe Root in Birmingham during the Champions Trophy. Clarke was by this time in flowing form, treating Tim Bresnan in particular with rare disdain as he crested 150. But Warner's was a brief and skittish stay, one firm push to the cover boundary undone when he snicked Swann's offbreak to slip via Matt Prior's pad.
Unable to tell he had hit the ball having simultaneously thudded bat against pad, Warner sought advice from Clarke, who surprisingly assented to the review. Replays revealed the thickness of the edge, sending Warner off to even louder departing boos than those to have greeted him. On the Old Trafford balcony, the rest of Australia's players and coaches were less than enchanted with events.
Haddin watched all this then marched to the middle, quickly reasserting his side's strong position with a trio of lofted boundaries that conveyed both the true nature of the pitch and Australian desire to mount their tally in a timely fashion.
Like Clarke to Swann at short cover earlier in the session, Haddin did offer one exceptionally difficult chance with an inside edge through to Prior, but the catch went down as England pondered how many they might be chasing.
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