Thorpe sharp catch buoys England in Test leadup

At stumps on the second day of the four-day game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Victoria, minus eight first team regulars, were 177 for five in reply to England's first innings 373.

Amid a day of rare English cricket dominance on their Australian tour, injury-prone Graham Thorpe provided a moment of encouragement for Alec Stewart's men.

Thorpe, who missed the second Test defeat in Perth last week, all but confirmed he would be fit for the third Test starting on Friday in Adelaide.

In his first outing since a course of acupuncture to ease pain around his lower back, the Surrey left-hander made 19 on Saturday but Sunday demonstrated his back ailment had abated.

Perched at first slip to the pace bowling of Dean Headley, Thorpe snapped up a reflex catch that a person with a dodgy back could not have taken.

Thorpe moved low to his right to nonchalantly collect the edged catch from Graeme Vimpani's attempted cut shot.

His nimble instinctive catch would have delighted the English tour management, who would have been happy with Headley and content with the form of batsmen Mark Ramprakash (78) and Graeme Hick (67).

The pair were dismissed in a familiar collapse as England's limp tailend crashed to lose their last five wickets for 17 runs.

Victorian allrounder Jason Bakker took three wickets, while first-gamer Ashley Gilbert and off spinner John Davison each claimed two victims.

Paceman Dean Headley enjoyed a purple patch that included two wickets, a catch and a run out as Victoria stumbled in their first innings.

Late in the day Victoria were rescued by an unbroken 90-run partnership between Peter Roach (54 not out) and Shawn Craig (39 not out).