Australia complete crushing win to level series

Australia complete crushing win to level series

Leeds: Australia crushed England by an innings and 80 runs in the fourth Test on Sunday to level the Ashes series at 1-1 with one match to play.

The touring side picked up the last two England wickets in 20 minutes after lunch on the third day, Mitchell Johnson bowling Graham Onions to dismiss the hosts for 263 in their second innings.

Graeme Swann, who made 62, had shared an entertaining century partnership with Stuart Broad in the morning session to frustrate Australia and ensure that England avoided a record margin of defeat.

England resumed on 82 for five following their collapse on Saturday and nightwatchman James Anderson struck the second ball of the day for four but he edged the next one from Ben Hilfenhaus to Ricky Ponting at second slip.

Matt Prior played two sumptuous square drives for four but he fell for 22, nibbling at a Hilfenhaus outswinger and edging the ball to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin who took a brilliant diving catch.

Difficult Chance

Broad was dropped by Peter Siddle on 18, a very difficult chance at mid-off, and he struck several crisp boundaries including four in one over from Stuart Clark.

He reached his half-century, made from only 42 balls, with a crashing straight drive for four off Siddle and Swann also went on the attack, the pair adding 49 runs in three overs from Clark and Siddle.

Broad was dropped again on 53 by Johnson running back at long-off and Swann`s quick single brought up the 100 partnership off 73 balls.

Broad survived yet again when Simon Katich failed to grasp another tough catch on the boundary but his luck finally ran out on 61 when he pulled Siddle and Shane Watson held the chance at deep square leg.

Swann continued to play his shots, reaching his half-century with a hook for six off Siddle and England took lunch on 245 for eight.

Swann was first to go after the interval, driving at a wide ball from Johnson to give Haddin an easy catch and Johnson clean bowled Onions for a duck to complete impressive figures of five for 69.

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Sixth swine flu death in India

The swine flu
deaths have been on the rise across the country. In all there have been six deaths so far - three in Pune
and one each in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Chennai.

In the latest and the sixth case of swine flu death, a 4-year-old child died in Chennai. The child was in hospital since last week. He was admitted to the hospital with diarrhoea, which in two days became multi organ failure. The brother of the boy has also tested positive for swine flu.


The first victim of the H1 N1 virus was 14 year-old Reeda Sheikh from Pune. Reeda's family claims that it was a clear case of misdiagnosis. The young girl was not only treated too late but treated for the wrong illness.

India's second swine flu victim was 53-year-old Fahmida Panwala from Mumbai. Fahmida came to the Kasturba hospital in Mumbai with a highly complicated case of diabetes and hypertension and died of acute respiratory distress.

The third death was reported from Pune late Saturday night. A 42-year-old teacher Sanjay Kokare from Kedgaon was in a critical condition and had been on ventilator in the ICU.

The fourth case was from Ahmedabad where a non-resident Indian Pravin Patel died of the flu on Sunday morning. The 43-year-old NRI had come to Ahmedabad with his wife on July 31. He had developed complications on August 5. He was shifted to civil hospital on August 8.

The fifth casualty of swine flu death was Dr Babasaheb Mane, a 36-year-old ayurvedic doctor
, who died at the Sassoon Hospital in Pune on Monday morning. He had acute respiratory distress syndrome with pneumonia with cardiac arrest. He was admitted to Sassoon on August 7. The doctor was from Verwada in Pune.

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