Fantastic Finn races along road to redemption

More than two years since being sent home from the tour of Australia having been deemed 'not selectable' by then-coach Ashley Giles, Finn has returned with a bang against the same opposition.

He removed Steven Smith cheaply before tea and sparked a collapse in the long evening session by having Michael Clarke and Adam Voges caught in the slips off successive balls.

Mitchell Marsh survived the hat-trick delivery but was soon bowled emphatically and Finn returned to take the wicket of Mitchell Johnson as Australia ended the day 168-7 in their second innings, just 23 runs ahead.

Finn said: "We knew there was a lot of hard work to do today, so to get that lead and then put that pressure on as group of bowlers was fantastic.

"It's been a while since I played Test cricket so to get a five-for on my game back feels fantastic.

"My first over went for 14 but after that I settled in well and bowled some decent balls."

An England win inside two days looked possible at one stage, but they had to return today to finish the job.

"You never want to look too far ahead, there was a sniff at one stage but they played well in the middle of the innings," said Finn. "There's still pressure on us, we've got to do a professional job."

The one sour note for the home side was an injury which forced James Anderson off the field.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed nothing beyond 'a tight side', and Finn added: "No news, I've heard nothing yet.

"But pulling up halfway through an over, for someone like Jimmy, he wouldn't stop like that if it wasn't hurting."

With Australia staring defeat in the face, Johnson admitted: "It's not ideal, it's not something we're happy about.

"We've got 23 runs ahead and we need to fight."