NOTTINGHAM, England (Reuters) – England were scenting victory after claiming three late wickets to reduce Australia to 174 for six on a fluctuating fourth day of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge yesterday.

The touring side, chasing 311 for victory, battled into a strong position on 161 for three before losing captain Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and Phil Hughes in quick succession to tilt an extraordinary match back England’s way.
Brad Haddin, on 11, and Ashton Agar, one, will resume in the morning with Australia still needing 137 to win and the home team requiring four wickets.
“You never know what is going to happen in this game,” Clarke told a news conference. “It’s going to be a tough one.
“We need Ashton Agar to play the type of innings he played in the first innings. Brad Haddin has plenty of experience and Mitchell Starc has made 99 in a Test.
“The wicket is dead but the ball is reverse-swinging,” Clarke added. “We need to start well tomorrow morning and think positively.”
Earlier, Ian Bell made 109 and Stuart Broad 65, stretching their important seventh-wicket partnership to 138 as England made 375 in their second innings.
“It was my best Ashes innings,” Bell said. “To put an innings together when we most needed it was very satisfying.
“But I’ve played too much Ashes cricket to feel complacent now. They have quality players and dangerous players and we need to get wickets early.”
Bell and Broad, resuming on 326 for six, quickly reached the individual milestones their tenacious stand deserved.
Broad slashed James Pattinson for four to get to his half-century and Bell pushed Starc for a single to post his 18th Test century, a marathon effort of intense concentration lasting more than six hours.
The 31-year-old Bell, often criticised for failing to deliver under pressure, leapt up and punched the air after completing his run before raising his bat to all sides of the ground.
Broad’s fine knock ended when he edged paceman Pattinson through to wicketkeeper Haddin.
The England fast bowler walked straight off to ironic cheers following a controversial incident on Friday when he edged Agar to slip and stayed at the wicket having been given not out by the umpire.

GOOD DELIVERY
Bell nicked a good delivery from Starc to Haddin and left the field to a standing ovation after hitting 15 fours.
Australia wrapped up the England tail quickly. Graeme Swann, on nine, edged the persevering Peter Siddle to Clarke at slip and the same bowler had James Anderson caught by Hughes at mid-wicket for a duck.
Openers Shane Watson and Chris Rogers then survived seven overs before lunch without any major alarms to reach the interval on 28 for no wicket.
The pair also batted confidently through the first hour of the afternoon session as England struggled for inspiration under blue skies.
Watson peppered the boundary with eight fours and he looked certain to reach his half-century before a lapse in concentration allowed Broad to trap him lbw for 46 with a full-length delivery, ending a stand of 84.
The opener referred the umpire’s decision to give him out but replays showed the ball would have hit the stumps and once again Watson had failed to turn a good start into a really significant contribution for his team.
Ed Cowan, on a king pair, got off the mark with a cut for four off Steven Finn and the 35-year-old Rogers reached his first Test half-century, off 104 balls and including eight fours.
Cowan was out for 14 three balls before tea, rashly trying to drive a wide ball from part-time spinner Joe Root and edging a simple catch to Jonathan Trott at slip to leave Australia on 111 for two.
Rogers, on 52, tried to work Anderson through the leg side and chipped a simple catch to Bell at mid-wicket.
Clarke and Smith dug in as the tension mounted and survived a couple of huge appeals before the skipper, on 23, feathered Broad through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
The umpire checked to see whether the ball had carried and Clarke then referred the decision, only for it to be confirmed by the television official.
With the crowd still celebrating, Smith was trapped lbw for 17 by Swann and three runs later the England off-spinner removed Hughes for a duck in identical fashion.
The 19-year-old Agar, promoted up the order after his superb 98 at number 11 in the first innings, again showed great composure on his Test debut.
He and Haddin batted through the remaining overs with few alarms and Australia still feel they have a realistic chance of winning this remarkable Test.

ENGLAND first innings 215
Australia first innings 280
ENGLAND second innings
A. Cook c Clarke b Agar              50
J. Root c Haddin b Starc              5
J. Trott lbw b Starc                  0
K. Pietersen b Pattinson             64
I. Bell c Haddin b Starc            109
J. Bairstow c Haddin b Agar          15
M. Prior c Cowan b Siddle            31
S. Broad c Haddin b Pattinson        65
G. Swann c Clarke b Siddle            9
S. Finn not out                       2
J. Anderson c Hughes b Siddle         0
Extras: (nb-9, w-1, b-2, lb-13)             25
Total: (all out, 149.5 overs)       375
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-11, 3-121, 4-131, 5-174, 6-218, 7-356, 8-371, 9-375.
Bowling: Pattinson 34-8-101-2, Starc 32-7-81-3, Agar 35-9-82-2, Siddle 33.5-12-85-3, Watson 15-11-11-0.

AUSTRALIA second innings
S. Watson lbw b Broad                          46
C. Rogers c Bell b Anderson                    52
E. Cowan c Trott b Root                        14
M. Clarke c Prior b Broad                      23
S. Smith lbw b Swann                           17
P. Hughes lbw b Swann                           0
B. Haddin not out                11
A. Agar not out                 1
Extras: (nb-1, lb-9)                              10
Total: (for six wickets, 71 overs)            174
Fall of wickets: 1-84, 2-111, 3-124, 4-161, 5-161, 6-164.
Bowling: Anderson 17-4-44-1, Broad 16-5-34-2, Swann 28-5-64-2, Finn 8-3-17-0, Root 2-0-6-1.
Bowling: Pattinson 34-8-101-2, Starc 32-7-81-3, Agar 35-9-82-2, Siddle 33.5-12-85-3, Watson 15-11-11-0.