Cook and Bell put in England in charge

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A dominant Alastair Cook scored 189 and Ian Bell his first century against Australia as England took a commanding first innings lead of 208 at the close of play on the third day of the fifth Ashes test on Wednesday.

England, who need just to draw the match to secure a first series win in Australia for 24 years having already retained the Ashes, were on 488-7 with Matt Prior (54) and Tim Bresnan (0) at the crease when bad light stopped play.

Cook had been given a rousing standing ovation by the 40,000 crowd after taking his series tally to 766 runs in five tests, making him the second-most prolific English batsman in an Ashes series after Wally Hammond, who made 905 in 1928-29.

Image: England's Alastair Cook celebrates hitting a century on the third day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011.

Text:Reuters
Image: AP