Third Test, Headingley, day four (stumps): England 273 and 239-4; India 628-8 dec
India will need an early wicket on Monday to prevent their frustration boiling over as Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart used their ample experience to keep the tourists at bay.
At tea, England's position looked utterly desperate, four wickets down already in their second innings and four sessions left to play.
But Hussain (90 not out) and Stewart (40 not out) have gelled admirably well, remaining patient when required and attacking when necessary.
Together they have added 91, bringing England to within 116 runs of making India bat again.
Australia's veteran batsman Mark Waugh believes that England's young side have every chance of winning the Ashes for the first time in 15 years.
Waugh is rejoining former county Essex for the remainder of this season to get in shape for Australia's forthcoming test campaign.
The 37-year-old Waugh expressed concerns that the freshness of the England team could trouble Australia.
"England are looking quite good, I think," Waugh said.
"There's a new breed of player in there, some younger players coming in with Michael Vaughan, Flintoff, Hoggard - those sort of guys, who we haven't played much cricket against.
"So it'll be interesting, I think it'll be a very competitive series.
Trent Bridge is to host the opening match of the one-day series between England and Zimbabwe in 2003.
The third Test between England and South Africa will also take place at the Nottinghamshire ground later in the year.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Nottinghamshire have agreed a long-term deal over the staging of Test matches and one-day internationals until 2011.
Australia vice-captain Adam Gilchrist believes his country's upcoming nine-month campaign is an ideal opportunity for young players to shine.
He said: "There's no hiding that some careers are coming towards an end. It's an exciting time with plenty up for grabs."
Gilchrist will be aiming to protect a Test average of 60.00 when Australia play Pakistan in October, wherever that series is played.
Beyond that, there is the home Ashes series to come, and an awful lot of one-day cricket too, with the World Cup next February looming large.
Eric Simons has arrived back in South Africa with the rest of the Protea squad and called on the national selectors to show faith in the squad that lost to Sri Lanka in the final of the Morocco Cup.
Simons said, "Clearly it wasn't easy to bat second on those pitches and the toss had a lot to do with the outcome.
"Still, it was disappointing to lose the final. But the tournament as a whole was good for me as well as the players."
Given that it was the first series with Simons at the helm and that it was the first real action most of the players were seeing for the season, Simons was pleased.
Former KwaZulu Natal Dolphin Kevin Pietersen has turned his back on South African cricket, insisting he will rather wait and qualify to play for England.
The 22-year-old right-hand-batsman who is enjoying the form of his life for county outfit Nottinghamshire looks set to follow in the steps of players like Basil D’Oliveira Robin Smith and Allan Lamb who also gave up the opportunity to play for South Africa in favour of England.
And in the same way that the decision’s of players like D’Oliveira, Lamb and Smith were the direct result of Apartheid, so too is Pietersen’s race related.
In an astounding revelation Pietersen, who has scored four centuries in consecutive county innings, bemoaned South Africa’s development program when he told The Electronic Telegraph , "South Africa's system does not give a player of my capabilities the right opportunities.
"Black players are thrown in at the deep end. The international set-up in England is fairer."
County news
County Championship, D1, day three of four, The Oval: Hampshire 190 & 303-8 v Surrey 576
Saqlain Mushtaq snared his second five-wicket haul of the match as Hampshire neared certain defeat on day three at The Oval.
Pakistani Saqlain took six for 115 as Hampshire descended to 303 for eight in their second innings - still 83 runs short of making Surrey bat again.
The Division One leaders resumed play on 410 for five, and centurion Ali Brown was the first batsman to fall when he was removed by Shaun Udal, who took four wickets, for 135.
Martin Bicknell (24) and Ian Salisbury (27) played supporting knocks, but 'keeper Jonathan Batty was mostly responsible for Surrey's score reaching the levels it did.
Batty was the last man to fall, for 89, a fine knock that boasted 10 boundaries and a six, when trapped in front by Lawrence Prittipaul.
Each of Hampshire's top four batsmen got starts but none could pass 40, and a fair start that saw the visitors to 142 for two was soon a memory when Saqlain stepped in.
