England show stomach for battle

Matthew Hoggard believes England's fightback in the second Test has shown Australia they can remain competitive for the remainder of the Ashes series.

Australia's comprehensive 277-runs triumph in the opening Test at Brisbane prompted fears the tourists would struggle to prevent it becoming another one-sided contest. But it is England who have claimed control after the third day at the Adelaide Oval with Hoggard claiming four for 76 as Australia slipped to 312 for five still trailing by 239 runs.

"I think it was vital we put in a good performance in this game to show the Australians that we've come to Australia to compete and not just roll over," stressed Hoggard.

"The first game didn't go to plan, but in this game we've shown them we're here to fight and we're here to compete with them. I think we've fired a shot over the bows to say we're here and hopefully we're here to retain the Ashes."

Yorkshire seamer Hoggard succeeded where nearly every other bowler failed on a batting-friendly surface by claiming two wickets at either end of the day with the new ball.

His efforts enabled England to fight back after Ashley Giles dropped Ricky Ponting on 35 and enabled him to go on and score his 33rd Test century.

Hoggard said: "It was a very satisfying performance. We knew it was going to be hard work today and the pitch wasn't too responsive and you had to put the ball in the right areas for a lot of the time to put the pressure on the batsmen - I thought we bowled well as a unit unlike we did in Brisbane.

"It was a typical sub-continent pitch, not too bouncy and not too quick and very slow turn for the spinners so there's not a lot in it for the bowlers - you just have to sit in and be patient."