When England began batting on the second day of the third Test, they wouldn't have thought that they would be bowled out by tea for 214. But that is what has happened, leaving them a deficit of 29 at the WACA.

And with Australia powering to 119 for one in their second innings for the loss of just one wicket, it's beginning to look the same old story of Aussie dominance with England's slim hopes of retaining the Ashes now all but gone.

After Justin Langer was bowled by Matthew Hoggard without a run on the board, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting shared a century partnership - the best stand of the match - with the England attack looking far less lethal than in the first innings.

To win, Andrew Flintoff's men will have to bat last on a pitch which could do anything - and more than likely chase a pretty formidable score. Even if they bowled out Australia for 200, leaving themselves 230 for victory, I wouldn't be confident of them achieving those runs, particularly with them having to face Shane Warne on a wearing pitch.

Again the problem for England is that they do things in measures. When the bowling is good, the batsmen go missing. Or the batsman put on a big score but the bowlers can't get the wickets.

From the last Ashes series you would have thought they would have remembered that the only way to beat Australia is to bat and bowl well all the time.

Kevin Pietersen was the only one of the middle order to play to any sort of level. He smashed Warne for one huge six in a knock of 70, but the supreme irony was that last-wicket pair Steve Harmison (23) and Montey Panesar (16 not out) shared the biggest stand of the innings - 40. A real embarrassment to the rest of the England batsmen.

If Geraint Jones is in the team for his batting, then he should be dropped because for the second time in as many innings, he played the wrong shot at the wrong time.

Australia didn't really have to do much. They just bowled the ball and the English batsman obliged with some injudicious shot-making.

Ponting's captaincy will again come under some heavy criticism for placing seven fielders on the boundary. Unless a four is needed from the final ball of the match to win it, there is really never any justification for doing this. At the very least it is unimaginative and unsporting and isn't in the spirit of the game.