A thrilling intervention by KP has turned this very strongly back in England's favour right at the death. Shane Watson describes the last-ball removal of Michael Clarke as a "shattering" blow, and it's impossible not to agree with Watto, which is an unfamiliar sensation.
Aussies still trail by 137 and the new ball is due, as is the out-of-form Marcus North. On the other hand, Stuart Broad appears to have hurt a stomach muscle, and it's as yet unclear if he will be able to bowl on Day Five. The pitch has started to deteriorate quite badly: Swann was turning it square and even Paul Collingwood's cutters looked a real handful throughout a tense, gripping, old fashioned closing session. The weather, though, is surely the key factor now: the forecast is for all sorts of hail and wind and thunder and plagues of locusts, etc, so we will have to see. England will win if they get enough time, in my opinion. Will Andrew Strauss yet regret those nine overs of cowardy custard batting insurance at the start of Day Four? Jonathan Liew will be here from around 11pm to talk you through what could be a thrilling day, weather-permitting. Thanks very much for your emails and Tweets, I'm Alan Tyers, thanks for reading. Good day.
OVER 79.2 Australia 238/4 With the second ball of the over, KP turned one, caught Clarke's inside edge, onto his thigh and Cook made no mistake at short leg. Clarke initially began walking off and there was some confusion as he stopped and realised that Tony Hill had not given him out. Hill himself then appeared to ask for the review, which I think I am right in saying is not in his remit to do for decisions of that type. Simultaneously, as it were, England also asked for it to be looked at. Anyway, whichever way you slice it, he hit it, he was out and after a very impressive rearguard, Clarke has fallen to the part-timer and that puts England right back in charge. Clarke c Cook b Pietersen 80 KP will bowl the last over of the day. He's got Clarke! He's got him! He turns one and Clarke edges, caught at short leg by Ali Cook. Pietersen is absolutely delighted and the Aussie dressing room look sick. Devastated. That's the close of play.
OVER 79: AUS 238/3 Good length from Finn to Clarke but it's a bit too wide. He overcompensates, and Clarke flicks that off the pads for a couple. Another leg-side ball and another clipped single.
OVER 78: AUS 235/3 And what do you know, Kevin Pietersen is on for a bowl. He gets some moderate spin but Clarke plays him pretty well. A single brings Hussey on strike and Hussey tucks him away fine off the legs for three, to bring up the 100 partnership. Classy, gutsy batting: they have been aggressive, too, playing shots in the face of some good bowling on a tough pitch. MH 44* MC 77*
OVER 77: AUS 230/3 Finn continues, and it's decent stuff: just outside off-stump, slightly short of a length. Clarke pulls one away safely for two, and then takes on a shorter delivery that climbs on him. Hoik! Uppish! But it lands safe. They take a single and then Finn beats Hussey with an excellent line and length ball. Finn has done well enough so far, but I think I would rather see spin on this pitch right now.
Four overs left today
OVER 76: AUS 227/3 A full toss from Swann to Hussey and he thumps it for six over midwicket. No dental exam for that gift horse. Hussey then sweeps and makes a mess of it, ends up gloving the ball and it misses his stumps by a tiny whisker. "Oooooofffff," say the England fielders. Chastened, Hussey blocks out the rest of the over. MC 72* MH 41*
OVER 75: AUS 221/3 Finn replaces Collingwood but is not so threatening, at least in this over. A single to Hussey and then Clarke leaves five alone.
OVER 74: AUS 220/3 More class defence from Clarke off Swann. He flicks one off his pads that hits Cook at short leg, I am not going to call that a chance. Then one turns big and strikes Clarke on the glove, looping into the leg gully region. The vacant leg gully region. Come on Straussy, attack! Attack! They pick up a single and Hussey then singles in turn. Last ball of the over, Clarke has a wild swing - this spin from Swann has got him rattled - and it hits him in the pads. They appeal, but that hit him outside the line. Really good battle. I just wonder if the pressure is getting to Pup.
OVER 73: AUS 218/3 Clarke gets a single off Colly with an elegant drive and that brings Hussey on strike. Colly's line is not quite so good to the lefty, three balls out of four are too easy to leave outside off.
OVER 72: AUS 217/3 Swann to Clarke. That RIPS off the surface, bringing up a big chunk of it. It turned miles and beats everyone for four byes. More turn later in the over and this pitch has suddenly started to deteriorate rapidly. Not a nice surface to bat on. Clarke is not going to duck the challenge though, and he's down the pitch, slog-driving hard to leg, but that's turned so much he inside edges it and they get a single. Tough, tough conditions for batting. Huss defends the rest of the over. MC 70* MH 33*
OVER 71: AUS 212/3 Not quite so threatening, this over from Colly. Two singles per batsman off the over. A couple are too straight and a couple too wide. Nevertheless, he is a very handy bowler on this surface.
OVER 70: AUS 208/3 Swann, Clarke, men round the bat, sharp spin. Nimble forays down the pitch to defend. Maiden. This is tense, exciting cricket.
OVER 69: AUS 208/3 Colly is doing the business here. He gets an off-cutter to jag out of the footmarks and Hussey edges that! But it is wide of slip. Unlucky. Collingwood then gets another to grip and turn away, but Hussey leaves it alone this time. Good over. Old skool cricket: sort of medium pace spinners on a sticky pitch. MH 31* MC 67*
OVER 68: AUS 204/3 REVIEW! NOT OUT! Swann to Clarke, it turns, and they go up for caught at slip. Initially given out. The Aussie batsman calls for the review immediately. The ball squeezes between bat and front leg and it doesn't look like he hit that. Pretty clear daylight between bat and ball there, the ball hit the pad and there was certainly a big noise. Did he hit the ground? Clarke is reprieved, which is a pity for Ali Cook, because the next ball, Pup slogs very hard at one and smacks it right into Cook's bottom at short leg. Ow. Heh. Owheh.
OVER 67: AUS 203/3 Interesting choice: here is Colly to bowl. Will his cutters grip on this tacky deck, maybe? He took a wicket with his first ball in First Class cricket, you know. Sadly, the first ball of this over is a pie: short, pull, Clarke four. Prior's standing up. Clarke defends convincingly; ball not doing a lot.
OVER 66: AUS 199/3 Hussey takes a single off Swann, and Clarke is starting to motor here. He jumps down the pitch to Swann and that's four through cover. Shot. Next ball, he's down the track again and whips through midwicket where a brave dive from Broad - I wonder how his stomach muscle is doing - keeps it down to three. After a very long review by the third ump to decide if it was a four or not. MC 63* MH 26*
OVER 65: AUS 191/3 Michael Clarke brings up his fifty with a guide though gully off Jimmy Anderson. He really needed a score here; and indeed Australia really need him to carry on. He has used his feet superbly against Swann, and played the quicks pretty well as well. He celebrates by cracking Jim through point for another four. MC 56* MH 25*
OVER 64: AUS 183/3 Swann to Hussey, he picks up one through midwicket, Clarke then comes down the pitch to flick away for one to mid on. Swann beats Hussey with a jaffer! Goodness how did that miss? Drift, turn, bounce, the whole shooting match, and it just misses the stumps. Well bowled, Swanny.
OVER 63: AUS: 181/3 Jimmy Anderson bowls, Clarke takes two with a pleasant cover drive but - oof! - then has a very airy drive at one. He thick edges through where third or fourth slip would be. Only one, wide slip. Wait, what? One slip. Why? And two gullies, fair enough. Not to get all Sir Ian Botham on yo posterior, but surely we could have a few more in the cordon? The ball, which was reversing before tea, is now wet, inevitably. That's not going to help. Michael Clarke 47*, MH 24*.
06:25 Jimmy Anderson will resume to Michael Clarke, who is on 41*. Michael Hussey is 24*
06:20 Right then. England are back out on the paddock. We will be back underway very shortly; not certain for how long, though. Australia resume knowing that they are: a) 200 runs behind; b) very likely to be helped by very bad weather tomorrow but c) only a wicket away from the tail and Brad Haddin. And yep, I am grouping Marcus North in with the tail. Oh, snap! She went there! Burn! He'll probably get a ton now.
06:10 If no further rain, we will restart at 6.25am UK time (4.55pm Adelaide time) and we could go up to 8am UK time.