BY the close of play, shortened by 21 overs because of rain and bad light, the Australians, who won the toss, reached 224 for seven in the third Test against England at Old Trafford yesterday.

A substantial recovery from 113 for five, the innings held together by a century of the highest class from Steve Waugh whose unbeaten 102 gave his side an edge that ought not have been there.

It was his 13th century and in his estimation the best hundred of his Test career and his fourth against England, all of them in this country. Somehow, it seems a lot more.

With him at the close was Paul Reiffel, 26 not out, who held his end up with some panache, survived a couple of chances, and added 64 for the eighth wicket, the highest partnership of the innings by a distance.

Although by repute they are not at their best in low scoring matches, the Australians recognise a good total when they see it and will not have been displeased last night. _

Before Waugh's riposte the damage had been done by England seamers, led, on his debut, by Dean Headley He removed all three left handers in the top order, Mark Taylor, Matthew Elliott - unlucky to be given out caught behind off his sleeve - and Michael Bevan, to finish with three for 67, while there were wickets, two of them, for Mark Ealham in his first international spell since he polished off the Australian second innings at Edgbaston, and one each for Darren Gough and Andy Caddick.

Perversely, on a day when his wicketkeeping lacked some of its usual polish, Alec Stewart held five catches and had he accepted a fast, but not too testing chance offered by Reiffel from Headley's bowling, or had the umpire George Sharpe agreed that the same batsman had edged Croft in the last over of the day, he would have equalled the Ashes record for an innings held jointly by Rod Marsh and Jack Russell.

The bowling, however, had been competent rather than spectacular on a pitch that lacked the snap and spit of Edgbaston and Lord's for the early part of that match, but was sufficiently grassed and clammy to offer extravagant help at times. The ball moved off the seam for Headley, Gough and occasionally Caddick, and swung nicely for Ealham, precisely the conditions England had been promising themselves would be at Australia.