Nervous England start to reel in Australia lead

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Reuters) England made a nervous start to their second innings as they tried to fight their way back into the fourth Ashes test against Australia today.

The opening pair of Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss survived a torrid 52-minute workout from Australia's seamers to reach lunch on 28 without loss on the third day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Cook was unbeaten on 15 and Strauss not out 12 with England still 232 runs behind after Australia led by 260 on the first innings after being bowled out for 419.

Australia had resumed on 372-7 and added another 47 for the loss of their last three wickets with Shane Warne finishing not out 40 and England wicketkeeper Chris Read taking a record-equalling six catches for the innings.

Read, who was called into the England side for the first time in the series after Geraint Jones was dropped, joined Jack Russell and Alec Stewart as the only English keepers to take six catches in an Ashes innings when he caught two of the last three batsmen today after taking four catches the previous day.

Read missed out on equalling the world record of seven when last man Glenn McGrath was caught by Ian Bell at gully off Sajid Mahmood, who finished with 4-100.

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds added just two runs to his overnight score of 154 when he nicked paceman Steve Harmison behind with the total on 383.

Stuart Clark and Warne then added 34 for the ninth wicket before Mahmood had Clark caught by Read then McGrath caught by Bell for a duck to finish off the innings.

Warne, who is retiring from international cricket after next week's final Ashes test in Sydney, slammed six boundaries in his quick-fire innings to complete a fine double after taking five wickets, incuding his 700th career victim, in England's first innings of 159.

McGrath almost made an early breakthrough in England's second innings when he struck Cook flush on the pads but the appeal was turned down by South African umpire Rudi Koertzen.

Reuters SBA VP0735