By Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent in Manchester

With Simon Jones and Ashley Giles taking three wickets apiece, England reduced Australia to 210-7 in reply to 444 on day two of the third Test at Old Trafford.

Ashley Giles bowled magnificently from the Statham End, and found a great deal of help when he pitched the ball in the rough.

Giles was the pick of England's bowlers

The delivery which clean-bowled Damien Martyn had shades of the Warne 'wonder ball' against Mike Gatting in 1993 about it.

It landed outside leg stump, spun sharply, and there was no way the batsman could really have avoided being bowled.

It was Giles that made the initial breakthrough, parting the openers after they had put on 58 for the first wicket and had looked in little trouble.

Ian Bell produced a superb reflex catch at short leg as Justin Langer advanced down the pitch, and Giles wheeled away throughout the final session, enabling Vaughan to rotate his reverse swing merchants - Flintoff and Jones - at the other end.

The dismissal of Adam Gilchrist, who was caught behind off Simon Jones for 30, left Australia floundering.

Gilchrist has masterminded countless rearguard actions in his distinguished career and, having been dropped twice in one over from Flintoff, it seemed that England were giving him every chance to do it again.

Bell was the culprit at backward point when Gilchrist had made 12 and, unbelievably, Pietersen put down a more difficult offering a few balls later.

Why is it that so many catches are dropped off Flintoff's bowling?

Will England enforce the follow-on if in the position to do so?

It has been 17 years since Australia were asked to follow on, and there is definitely a chance that they could fail to score the 35 runs they need to avoid that possibility.

It seems very unlikely, though, that England would enforce it. With the ball now spinning sharply, neither team wants to be in the position of batting on the final day, so England would opt to bat again and set Australia a huge target.

But rain is forecast for tomorrow, and if a day and a half is lost, England would have little choice but to enforce the follow on.

The weather forecast is not promising, but England will be hoping to clear up the last three wickets, and then to get batting again.

With a first innings lead of 200 or so, it would only require a day of sensible batting to push the game beyond Australia's reach.

That's the theory - but this series has consistently thrown up surprises.