Scorecard

Australia tightened their grip on the first Ashes Test at Lord's on Saturday by reducing England [Images] to 156 for five at the close on the third day.

England had been set an unlikely victory target of 420 after Australia were dismissed for 384 in their second innings.

Leg spinner Shane Warne [Images] took three for 46 and fast bowler Brett Lee [Images] two for 58 as England collapsed after reaching 80 for no wicket.

Simon Katich scored 67 after Australia resumed on the third day on 279 for seven. Australia led by 35 on the first innings.

Only three teams in history have scored more than 400 to win a Test.

West Indies [Images] made 418 for seven to beat Australia at St John's, Antigua, in the 2002-3 series, India tallied 406 for four against West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1975-6 and Australia reached 404 for three against England at Leeds in 1948.

England's highest winning total is 332 for seven against Australia in Melbourne in 1928-9. The biggest at Lord's is West Indies' 344 for one in 1984.

Australia batted with remorseless concentration throughout the morning session to tighten their grip on the first Ashes Test against England.

The Australians, who have held the Ashes since 1989, led by 407 and already the game is looking to be beyond England's reach.

After play began on time under a threatening sky with rain forecast for the weekend, Brett Lee had runs on the board immediately with a thick edge off Steve Harmison through the slips for four.

But he added only four more before becoming the second runout victim of the innings in a welcome bonus for the hard-pressed England side.

After fending a lifting delivery from Harmison on the off, Lee was called through by Katich for what always looked a risky run. Ashley Giles ran around from gully, picked up the ball and threw down the stumps at the bowler's end to beat Lee's scrambling dive.

With Jason Gillespie now at the crease, Katich square cut Andy Flintoff to the boundary to bring up the 300. He repeated the shot for another four then added to the bowler's misery with a deft leg glance which also raced to the boundary.

Gillespie, watching the ball carefully and employing a minimal backlift, then turned Harmison with a similar shot for four.

Matthew Hoggard [Images] took over from Flintoff at the Nursery End and was in turn replaced following four ineffectual overs by Simon Jones after England had taken the new ball.

With his second ball the increasingly impressive Jones induced an edge from Gillespie. However, wicketkeeper Geraint Jones made a mess of what should have been a straightforward catch, diving to the right but spilling the ball out of his right glove.

Gillespie gloved Simon Jones to the fine-leg boundary to bring up the 50 partnership but was then comprehensively bowled leg stump for 13.

Katich glanced Flintoff for a single to bring up his seventh Test half-century from 81 balls with eight fours. He was the last man out for 67.