SYDNEY, Jan 2 (AP): Glenn McGrath took two wickets in five balls to give Australia's attack some impetus in his farewell Test before Andrew Flintoff revived the England innings with an unbeaten 42 on day one of the fifth Ashes match.
At stumps on Tuesday, England was 234 for four after Flintoff won the toss and elected to bat.
The England captain struck five boundaries and a big driven six over long-on off Stuart Clark after coming to the crease when England slipped from 166 for two to 167 for four.
At Tea: England 149/2 in 52 overs
At Lunch: England 58/1 in 17 overs
Paul Collingwood was unbeaten on 25 when bad light stopped play seven overs before the scheduled close on a rain-shortened first day.
With only the tailenders to come after the fifth-wicket pair, the pressure was on Flintoff to produce his biggest innings of the series if England had any hope of avoiding a 5-0 series whitewash by the Australians.
Flintoff was averaging only 22 as England slumped to four losses in the series and had only one 50, a meager return compared with his performances with bat and ball in England's 2-1 series upset in 2005.
He and Collingwood defied the Australian bowling for almost 1 1/2 hours, giving England slight honors on the first day of what will be the final Test match for two of cricket's greatest bowlers and 104-test veteran opener Justin Langer.
Shane Warne and McGrath, No. 1 and No. 3 on the list of all-time wicket takers in Test cricket, are quitting Test cricket after the Ashes.
McGrath had the only success of the departing Australian trio, who led the hosts onto the field in the morning after the start was delayed 70 minutes by rain.
Just when Ian Bell (71) and Kevin Pietersen (41) appeared to be getting on top of the Australian attack in a 108-run third-wicket stand, McGrath struck twice in consecutive overs to remove both batsmen.
The veteran paceman saw Pietersen stepping down the wicket at him, pitched one in short and the England No. 4 miscued to mid-wicket, where Mike Hussey took a diving catch.
Bell was out first ball of McGrath's next over, bowled between bat and pad, before Flintoff and Collingwood guided England to stumps with a 67-run partnership.
McGrath finished with 2-57 from 21 overs, while Brett Lee and Clark took one wicket apiece and Warne went for 59 runs from 19 overs on a pitch that offered little assistance to the spin bowlers.
The Australians took a wicket in each of the first two sessions, with Lee having Andrew Strauss (29) caught behind and Clark removing Alastair Cook (20) in the same mode from an inside edge without addition to the lunchtime total of 58 for one.
McGrath created chances in the morning session, having a loud shout for lbw against Strauss declined and a chance put down off the England opener at third slip, with Langer getting two hands onto a thick edge before putting it down.
But it took McGrath 20 overs for his breakthrough, and lifted his world record for a fast bowler to 559 wickets by stumps.
Australia is aiming to be only the second team to sweep a five-Test Ashes series, the first since Warwick Armstrong's side achieved it in 1920-21.
Scoreboard
England 1st innings
A. Strauss c Gilchrist b Lee 29
A. Cook c Gilchrist b Clark 20
I. Bell b McGrath 71
K. Pietersen c Hussey b McGrath 41
P. Collingwood not out 25
A. Flintoff not out 42
Extras (lb1 w3 nb2) 6
Total (4 wkts) 234
Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-58, 3-166, 4-167
Bowling: McGrath 21-4-57-2 (2nb), Lee 15-3-50-1 (1w), Clark 19-3-54-1 (2w), Warne 19-1-59-0, Symonds 6-2-13-0
Still to bat: Chris Read, Sajid Mahmood, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar, James Anderson.
Overs: 80
Toss: England
Bad light stopped play at 6:20pm (0720 GMT)
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) Billy Bowden (NZL)
TV Umpire: Peter Parker, Australia
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
Series: Australia leads 4-0.
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