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Superb Warne puts Aussies on brink

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SYDNEY, Australia -- Shane Warne marked his farewell Test by showing his prowess as a batsman, hammering an explosive 71 as Australia stayed on course for an Ashes whitewash over feeble England in Sydney.

Warne helped Australia to make 393 in their first innings, for a lead of 102, then wrapped up a good day's work by dismissing Andrew Flintoff just before the close as England subsided to a dismal 114 for five.

Brett Lee and Stuart Clark ripped through England's top order to capture two wickets each with their probing seamers, leaving Kevin Pietersen (29 not out) and nightwatchman Monty Panesar (nought) together at the close.

Lee dismissed Alastair Cook for four and Ian Bell for 28, both caught behind by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, while Clark trapped Andrew Strauss lbw for 24 and had Paul Collingwood caught by Matthew Hayden at gully for 17.

The third umpire gave Flintoff out stumped by Gilchrist after the wicketkeeper combined with Warne for the second time, following their heroics with the bat.

Australia were briefly in danger of falling behind England's first-innings total of 291 before their middle and lower order piled on the runs, with Gilchrist (62), Andrew Symonds (48) and Clark (35) joining Warne in the run-feast.

Warne, playing in his last Test, delivered on his pledge to go out with a bang by belting nine fours and two sixes in his 12th test half-century.

He shared a 58-run partnership with Gilchrist to put Australia in front and a 68-run stand with Clark to stretch the advantage and keep Australia on course for their first Ashes cleansweep since 1920-21.

Warne, who has scored more test runs than any player in history who has not made a hundred, was foiled in his bid for three figures when he was last man out, stumped by wicketkeeper Chris Read off Panesar.

Read also caught Gilchrist, Mike Hussey and Lee to become the first Englishman to twice take six dismissals in an innings after his success in Melbourne last week.

Gilchrist provided another demonstration of his awesome power, cracking eight boundaries and passing 10,000 first-class runs, before he was unluckily given out caught behind off James Anderson, when television replays showed he had failed to make contact with the ball.

Australia's prospects of leading on the first innings had looked bleak when Hussey was dismissed in the second over of the day without adding to his overnight score of 37 and Symonds then threw his wicket away.

Hussey edged a simple catch behind off Anderson while Symonds, who completed his maiden Test hundred in Melbourne, wasted his chance of another big score when he was bowled by Panesar trying a wild swipe.

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