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The 2009 Ashes are underway in Cardiff. Follow all the action here on our regularly updated live blog, read our round-up of yesteday's action and check out the AOL Ashes video hub for the best cricket clips on the web.

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Ashes 2009 -- Day Three

18:45 -- BAD LIGHT. The Aussies have taken the light. That's probably it for the day, and despite a bonus wicket for England it was not a good afternoon's play.

1831 -- WICKET! We spoke too soon! Michael Clarke has been caught by Prior from a ball by Broad, and that's a timely breakthrough. Come on lads -- few more please.

18:26 -- Barely 11 minutes later and we're already flagging. Neither Broad or Flintoff look like getting a breakthrough. Aggers suggests the Aussies would take the light if offered, but it looks like they're having enormous fun out there to us, pushing around the England bowlers without a care in the world.

18:15 -- The players are back out on the field. England should look at this as an opportunity to nick some wickets.

18:09 -- Latest word is that play will resume, possibly under the floodlights, at 6.15.

17:50 -- RAIN. The rain has technically stopped but the covers are still on. TMS reckon if play doesn't start again before 6pm that will be it for the day.

16:57 -- RAIN. Alas. No it won't -- the covers are going back on.

16:43 -- RAIN. Play will resume at 17:05.

16:12 -- RAIN. Here's a surprise. The players have gone off for rain, and you'd have to say England won't be too upset about that. They're pretty much playing for a draw at this point, and considering tomorrow looks set to be a washout they might just get one.

16:03 -- Okay, we're back. We feel like we've been saying the same thing since about 12pm but England really need to impose themselves on the Aussies in the next hour.

15:40 -- TEA. Dear oh dear -- another strong mid-afternoon batting performance leaves Australia ahead by around 20 runs on 458-4. England didn't look like taking a wicket at any stage of the last two hours.

15:23 -- That's it -- Australia are ahead. They're on 436-4 and there's no sign of a wicket at the moment. Flintoff is back on but he's been swept away in his first over. Even the Aussie women are back on top.

14:47 -- Anderson is back on now, hoping to add a couple more wickets to the two he's taken so far today. New poll up -- who's been England's best bowler?

14:42 -- Clarke is moving on to his 50 and Australia have just 33 more runs to go before they match England's total as the players take on drinks.

14:36 -- Swann is on and doesn't look like he has many ideas. On the other end of the pitch Monty is toiling and restricting the run rate, but it's been 64 runs since the last wicket and England need to get a move on.

14:15 -- Some signs of excitement now as the ball starts to turn a little more sharply than it has since lunch. Broad bowls a maiden -- but then Clarke drives Panesar for six! Only the second six of the match.


14:01 -- There's a low sort of listless hum around the ground at the moment. The hospitality lunches have sucked up a good number of the crowd and the rest are apparently in the bar. Broad isn't threatening to take a wicket and Panesar has lost his intensity. Time for Swann?

13:48 -- The players are back out, and it's Panesar and Broad attacking Clark and North. England will want some quick wickets here.

13:02 -- That's lunch. England are still behind in this match, but another good session and they could be back in the hunt. Or, more likely (since the weather forecast is very bad for tomorrow), they could secure a draw by the close of play today. England's women, on the other hand, are having remarkable success. They've restricted the Aussies to 70-5 in Worcester.

12:55 -- Coming towards lunch now. England would love another wicket before the break -- the man on strike, North, looks vulnerable...

12:42 -- WICKET! -- Monty bowls Ponting! Brilliant stuff from the spinner. "He's in seventh heaven" says Blowers on TMS. That's the one England wanted. We're back in this now -- maybe. Ponting made 150 in 224 balls, and it really was an excellent innings.

12:38 -- Flintoff has just bowled his last over of the session. No wickets for Freddie but he lifted Anderson to his two breakthroughs, and the big man deserves a rest. Stuart Broad is coming on in his place, and at the far end Strauss is handing the ball to Panesar.

12:21 -- WICKET! Hussey is caught behind after a fairly standard ball from Anderson. Still, England won't care about the quality of the delivery -- they have another breakthrough and Hussey's miserable form continues. Now, how about Ponting...

12:13 -- England are still bowling well, but they have to take a couple more wickets before lunch to make the most of the new ball. Flintoff has delivered a couple of bouncers and nearly struck Hussey on the chin a few moments ago, but we need real results... Ponting has been at the crease for far too long already. As if to prove the point he top-edges a no-ball for the first six of the match.

11:53 -- WICKET! Katich is out -- Anderson gets him LBW. Great innings by the Australian who ended on 122, but England have to be very relieved by that breakthrough.

11:49 -- Well it's slim pickings so far. The ball is starting to move around a little but Ponting and Katich still seem in imperious form. On the other hand England's ladies are doing much, much better -- they have the Australian women 23-4 in their opening Ashes match. Hooray!

11:35 -- Hah -- we spoke to soon. Anderson takes the new ball and Ponting promptly hits two boundaries. Here's hoping Freddie can do more.

11:29 -- England haven't made any breakthroughs. The ball has started to turn a little, but Swann seems incapable of bowling a proper length. Strauss needs to take the new ball as soon as he can.

11:10 -- This isn't a bad start by England. Broad and Panesar both get maiden overs, and in better style than they managed all of yesterday. The Aussies eventually get a couple of singles but this is promising from the home side.

11:02 -- It's Broad bowling at Katich to start. He had a bad day yesterday, a quick wicket would really boost his confidence -- and ours.

10:57 -- Jerusalem is being sung and the players are making their way to the pitch. Will Strauss put in Freddie to try and hammer out Ponting's wicket, or will he try to sneak some wickets with our under-performing spinners?

10:46 -- Nice forecast today, it's around 21 degrees in Cardiff and the Aussie commentators on TMS are predictably excited about Ponting and Katich resuming on 249.

9:41 -- Waiting for play to start -- here's hoping the English bowlers have had a pride transplant over night and are ready to actually take some wickets. Otherwise this could be a very long 7 hours of pain.