Associated Press

London, July 23:

Five wickets to Australia and poor England fielding all but ruined any hope the home side had of mounting a historic run chase in the first Ashes Test at Lord’s on Saturday. Stumps were drawn early due to bad light with England 156 for five in its second innings, still 264 runs shy of its victory target. Shane Warne took three and Brett Lee two for Australia, with the not out batsmen Kevin Pietersen on 42 and Geraint Jones on 6. Australia set England a target of 420 — the highest ever fourth-innings total to win a Test. West Indies reached 418/7 to beat Australia at St John’s in Antigua in 2002-03. Only once has a team chased more than 300 runs to win a Test at Lord’s — the West Indies made 344/1 to pass a target of 342 for a nine-wicket victory over England in 1984. Shortly after lunch on Saturday, the Australians were bowled out for 384 in their second innings. A half century by Simon Katich helped Australia to a 419-run lead after England had made 155 in reply to the touring side’s first-innings 190.

Katich added just one more to his lunchtime score before he was caught by Simon Jones off the bowling of Steve Harmison for 67, leaving Glenn McGrath unbeaten on 20.

Australia had resumed at 279/7 with Katich unbeaten on 10. Brett Lee was the first man out. He was struck on the hand by a Steve Harmison delivery and hesitated before setting off for a single as the ball rolled to point. Ashley Giles ran in from gully and gathered the ball, throwing

down the stumps at the non-striker’s end to catch Lee well out of his ground. But England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones dropped a sitter off Jason Gillespie when the Australian got a thick outside edge to a Simon Jones’ delivery. A short time later, however, Simon Jones bowled Gillespie for 13. England’s woes in the field continued when McGrath was dropped by Andrew Flintoff at second slip and Geraint Jones missed another chance off McGrath.

Much of the talk in the lead-up to the first Test centered on how much England had improved. But the fielding was one area in which the home side was sorely lacking. Saturday’s three missed opportunities were among four others committed by England.

Kevin Pietersen dropped three catches, the most costly coming off Michael Clarke. The Australian was on 21, with the tourists 139/3 in their second innings, when he hit a Simon Jones delivery straight to Pietersen, who spilled the chance at extra cover. Clarke went on to top score with 91. Strauss also lucked out on an attempt at what would have been a spectacular over-the-head catch at gully to dismiss Warne in Australia’s first innings. England looked comfortable as Strauss and Marcus Trescothick combined for an 80-run partnership.

That was until Lee took a caught-and-bowled wicket, running down the pitch toward gully and diving forward to dismiss Strauss for 37. Trescothick followed for 44. Ian Bell, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff then fell cheaply, and the best England could hope for was to hold out for a draw with rain forecast on Sunday.