Perth, Australia: Captain Alastair Cook survived a dropped catch before guiding England to 24 without loss at lunch Saturday after dismissing Australia for 385 on the second morning of the third Ashes test.
Cook was on three in England's third over when he edged Ryan Harris to third slip, where Steve Smith was unable to hold a tough chance diving to his left. He continued confidently and was unbeaten on 17 in the six overs before lunch. Michael Carberry was 6 not out.
England picked off the last four wickets for 59 runs earlier Saturday to get back into the contest after letting Australia off the hook late on the first day.
Australia resumed at 326-6 with Smith on 103 and Mitchell Johnson unbeaten on 39 and didn't add a run before Stuart Broad (3-100) had Johnson caught behind.
Jimmy Anderson then snared two wickets, having Smith (111) caught behind off a very feint inside edge after a DRS referral and Ryan Harris (12) caught in the gully.
Last-wicket pair Peter Siddle (21) and Nathan Lyon (17 not out) added 31 as the tail wagged in scorching heat at the WACA.
Cracks started opening up in the baking conditions at Perth, where temperatures approached 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and the ball started to move off the seam making it more awkward for the batsmen.
Tim Bresnan hit Lyon on the left side of the helmet with a steeping short ball and finished off the innings soon after when he had Siddle caught behind. England spent 16 overs in the field before finishing the Australian innings off a half hour before the lunch interval.
Australia has batted first and scored big wins in the first two tests and is aiming to reclaim the Ashes with a third straight victory at the WACA, where England hasn't tasted victory since 1978.
The Australians batted aggressively after winning the toss on Friday but lost wickets at regular intervals and slumped to 143-5 before Smith and Brad Haddin (55) combined in an innings-reviving 124-run stand. Smith continued with Johnson to post his first century on home soil -- and second overall -- just before stumps on Friday.
