Australia thrashed England by an innings and 99 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday, wrapping up a fourth straight win in the Ashes series with more than two days remaining.

Australia secured victory after tea on the third day when they bowled the tourists out for 161 to remain on course for a first 5-0 whitewash over their oldest rivals since 1920-21.

Fast bowler Brett Lee captured four wickets while Stuart Clark grabbed three, Shane Warne two and Glenn McGrath one as Australia registered their biggest win over England on home soil since 1954 and their biggest at Melbourne since 1937.

Warne, who will retire after next week's fifth and final test in Sydney, was named man of the match after taking seven wickets and scoring an unbeaten 40 in Australia's innings.

Warne became the first player to capture 700 test wickets when he took 5-39 in the first innings and finished the match with 999 international wickets to his name.

England had trailed Australia by 260 runs on the first innings after bowling them out for 419 before lunch but were unable to muster enough runs to make them bat a second time.

England's batting, which had let them down badly in each of the three previous tests, failed again with the innings lasting only five hours and less than 66 overs.

In another collective abject display, only opener Andrew Strauss, with a defiant 31 over almost three hours, and wicketkeeper Chris Read (26 not out) took the fight to an Australian attack that was as ruthless as England were inept.

Quick wickets

After polishing off Australia's tailenders then limping through to lunch without loss, England lost Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in quick succession before tea then their last six wickets in the final session.

Cook fell for 20 when he dragged a ball from Clark back onto his stumps then Bell departed for two when McGrath trapped him lbw.

Pietersen was promoted up the order from five to four after being left batting with the tail in the previous tests but the move failed when he was bowled by Clark for one.

Collingwood made 16 before he drove Lee straight to Justin Langer at short cover as England slumped to 90-4 at tea with the last six wickets falling in the final session.

Strauss was caught by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist off Lee in the first over after tea, Flintoff was given out lbw to Clark before Warne trapped Sajid Mahmood (no score) and Steve Harmison (4) both lbw.

Lee had Monty Panesar caught in the slips by Michael Clarke for 14 then finished off the match when he splattered Matthew Hoggard's stumps.

Read had earlier joined Jack Russell and Alec Stewart as the only English keepers to take six catches in an Ashes innings as the tourists polished off Australia's innings.

However, Read, who was called into the England side for the first time in the series after Geraint Jones was dropped, missed out on matching the world record of seven when last man McGrath was caught by Bell at gully off Mahmood, who finished with 4-100.

Andrew Symonds added just two runs to his overnight score of 154 when he nicked Harmison behind to Read with the total on 383.

Clark and Warne then added 34 for the ninth wicket before Mahmood had Clark also caught by Read then McGrath caught by Bell for a duck to finish off the innings after Australia had resumed on 372-7.

The fifth test starts in Sydney on Tuesday.

(China Daily December 29, 2006)