Video: best ball of Ashes series?

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Ryan Harris celebrates the dismissal of Joe Root, thanks to a peach of a delivery. Source:AFP

HAVING squandered the opportunity to build a more significant first innings lead, the Australian bowlers set about the task of restricting to England to a manageable total in still difficult batting conditions.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

In that quest, there was some early success. Having swung hard with the bat for his 28, Ryan Harris bowled opener Joe Root for 2.

At lunch on day three of the fourth Test, England was 1-24, still eight runs behind. Although, the Australians might feel their advantage should have been greater.

Resuming at 5-222, Australia was dismissed for 270, a first innings lead of just 32. Handy runs, but not as many as they might need to ensure they don't have to chase to big a target against the impressive English seamers and the spin of Graeme Swann.

That meant Australia had failed to capitalise fully on Chris Rogers' hard fought maiden Test century, and the veteran opener's innings savings day two partnership of 126 with Shane Watson.

Swann, who again looms as a major danger to the Australian batsmen on yet brown wicket, had helped limit the damage for England. The off-spinner dismissed both the overnight batsmen Rogers and Brad Haddin, before James Anderson and Stuart Broad knocked over the tail with the new ball.

Follow all the action from the Ashes with our Match Centre, featuring videos of every wicket and boundary, and get all the best reaction from social media with our live blog.

Haddin added only one run to his total before being trapped LBW by Swann for 13, a decision he unsuccessfully referred. More in hope, given Australia still had two reviews remaining, than with conviction.

Rogers followed soon after for 110, the victim of a smart catch by wicketkeeper Matt Prior - and the DRS system, which, after an England review, showed a small Hot Spot on his glove.

Mercifully, given the emphasis on technology in this series, Peter Siddle's dismissal was more straightforward. A regulation catch to first slip Alastair Cook from Anderson.

Nathan Lyon also fell to Anderson, trapped in front for four and Ryan Harris, who had provided most of Australia's advantage with some lusty hitting, was trapped LBW by Stuart Broad.

Not by New Zealand umpire Tony Hill, whose failure to raise his finger continued a poor run of form, but by DRS.

Despite the decision being so obvious that Harris jogged off the ground before it was confirmed to prepare to open the bowling.

Broad finished with 5-71, fair reward for the brilliant spell of swing bowling that had helped reduce Australia to 4-76 on day two. Under overcast skies, Broad had been a time virtually unplayable as he collected the top order wickets of David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Michael Clarke.

Rogers, 35, became the second oldest Australian batsman to record his debut century, behind Arthur Richardson who was 37 and 351 days when he scored his first century against England at Leeds in 1926.

That was an emotional moment for player whose sole Test, before this series, was more than five years ago, and who admitted he believed he would not play at the top level again.