Mitchell Johnson bowled Australia back into this Ashes series with 6/38 on day two of the third Test in Perth. Johnson's return to form helped hustle England out for just 187. Australia closed on 3/119 in its second innings, a commanding 200 run lead.

The first hour of play gave few clues as to the Australian dominance that would follow. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook reprised their overnight partnership, leaving superbly and punishing anything short.

As soon as Mitchell Johnson was brought into the attack though the mood of the contest changed. Bowling with unfamiliar aggression, Johnson manipulated the ball both ways at pace and there was a sense that if either of the left-handers could be dislodged the right-handers would struggle to contain the amount of swing Johnson was finding.

And so it proved.

Cook (32) provided the opening by slicing a Johnson drive to Mike Hussey in the gully. The fast, full inswingers the right-handers feared then accounted for Jonathan Trott (4) and Kevin Pietersen (0) both LBW. Ryan Harris forced Strauss (52) to be caught at the wicket before Johnson repeated his party trick and trapped Paul Collingwood (5) LBW with another hooping inswinger.

Ian Bell batted well for 53, supported in useful partnerships by Matt Prior (12) and Graeme Swann (11). Prior fell in horribly unfortunate fashion to Peter Siddle, playing on following a spell of bodyline from the Australians. Graeme Swann edged a Ryan Harris outswinger to Brad Haddin.

Swann's dismissal forced Bell on to the attack and he quickly gave Harris his third wicket, edging a wide one to Ricky Ponting in the slips. Thereafter the fired-up Johnson mopped up the tail, demolishing Chris Tremlett's (2) stumps before having James Anderson (0) caught at first slip.

In this form Johnson is almost unplayable and England, particularly its right-handers, had no answer to his prodigious inswing. Harris (3/59) bowled dangerously in support while Hilfenhaus also toiled hard without due success. Siddle (1/25) looked the least threatening of the Australian attack and his spell around the wicket to two right-handers with the score at 5/150 was bizarre.

With an 81 run first innings lead Australia's top order had a chance to bat the game away from the tourists but Mike Hussey was once again at the crease inside 20 overs.

Philip Hughes, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke all completed miserable matches with the bat as England worked desperately to remain in the contest.

Hughes (12) edged Stephen Finn to Paul Collingwood at third slip, failing to control a defensive prod off the back foot. Ricky Ponting once again fell cheaply and once again was caught behind down the leg side. A poor Finn delivery pitched short and moved off the seam but Ponting (1) could not capitalise, only gloving to Prior behind the stumps.

Michael Clarke, in a poor run of form, attempted to hit his way out of it. A quick fire 20 was all he could achieve today though as he played on to a Chris Tremlett delivery that climbed on him.

Shane Watson batted superbly to remain unbeaten on 61 and found support from the chanceless Mike Hussey (24*). Watson should now go on to make the big score so many of his recent starts have promised.

The view from Australia

After being dismissed cheaply on day one anything other than a dominant performance with the ball was likely to dash Australia's hopes of reclaiming the Ashes. Fortunately, Mitchell Johnson chose to return to form at his favoured hunting ground.

The task now is to secure the victory this day's performance has set up and maintain the momentum all the way to Melbourne and Sydney.

After the despondency of recent weeks, Australia now has reason to cheer and its players should revel in it while they can.

The view from England

Today has provided a wake-up call for an England side that has been well on top of this contest since day three in Brisbane. How it responds to being demolished in a day will go a long way to deciding the outcome of this series.

A chase of anywhere around 400 is not out of the question on a wicket unlikely to deteriorate significantly in the next two days. Should England pull off such a remarkable victory the Ashes would be deservedly theirs. If not, they have to regroup quickly and show the world they deserved the praise that was lavished in their direction after their victory in Adelaide.

Hero

Mitchell Johnson. The unpredictable left-armer began the day being compared to Steve Harmison but finished it in the same breath as Wasim Akram. Despite not playing Shield cricket following his dropping after the Brisbane Test Johnson was recalled to the side in Perth to the bemusement of most commentators. Whatever remedial work took place on his action during that time though has proven miraculous. The Mitchell Johnson on display today was unrecognisable from the troubled, distracted figure that looked so unsure of his game at the Gabba.

As South Africa found out in 2008/09 if Johnson is able to swing the ball in to the right-handers he is as good as any bowler in the world. This Ashes takes on an entirely different perspective if Johnson's form can be maintained.

Villain

Steve Finn. This must sound odd considering Finn is the leading wicket taker in the series so far but his four wickets in Perth have come with an economy rate of almost six runs per over. England should have dismissed Australia for close to 200 yesterday but some poor bowling from Finn at the tail ballooned that total out above 250. In Australia's second innings Finn has again dropped short too often and allowed Shane Watson in particular some easy runs. With just a four-man attack England cannot afford to have one bowler going for so many in tight matches such as this. How England must wish it had a genuine all-rounder to be its fifth bowler right now.

I'm not sure anyone else noticed but...

The needle is back...

What's next?

With Australia effectively 3/200 with three days left it's hard to see beyond an Australian victory. If England make inroads on Saturday morning and keeps its run chase below 350 it will be in with a shout but a total much more than that and the series should be tied heading to Melbourne and the Boxing Day Test.

TAB Sportsbet Odds:

Australia $1.30 Draw $13.00 England $4.25

Day 2

England - 187

Australia - 268 & 3/119 Watson 61*, Hussey 24*

TEA REPORT

Australia backed up its breathtaking morning to dismiss England for 187 at the WACA and hasten tea on the second day of the third Ashes Test in Perth. Australia's bowlers have earned a first innings lead of 81 and, with over three days left in the game, must expect to be on level terms in the series heading into the Boxing Day Test.

The afternoon began with a peculiar passage but one that ultimately proved successful for Australia.

Captain Ricky Ponting instructed Peter Siddle to bowl around the wicket to Ian Bell and Matt Prior with the Victorian delivering a full over reminiscent of bodyline. With England 5/150, it seemed an unusual tactic. Siddle's following over was back over the wicket but the ball continued to pitch nearer his toes than the batsman's.

As Ponting's logic evaded onlookers, it incredibly earned Australia the wicket of the desperately unlucky Prior. Playing back to a Siddle delivery at his body, Prior took the ball in his chest guard which ricocheted forward onto this gloves and back down on to the pitch. The ball then spun back sharply to kiss Prior's leg stump sufficiently to dislodge the bail. England's disbelieving wicketkeeper could barely drag himself from the crease.

Graeme Swann and the serene Ian Bell defied Australia for another hour as England crept towards first innings parity. Bell's footwork and timing has been as good as anyone's so far this series and must be pushing the out of form Paul Collingwood to be England's number five.

Swann's innings was ended on 11 though by Ryan Harris. The archetypal line and length delivery drew England's spinner forward enough to lure a faint edge that Brad Haddin pouched behind the stumps.

Swann's dismissal forced Bell on the offensive but this wicket is not one to take liberties with. Chasing a wide one from Harris, Bell (53) sent a thick edge high to Ricky Ponting at second slip that the Aussie skipper did well to hold on to.

With Bell gone it was only a matter of time before Australia wrapped up the tail and with Mitchell Johnson in irrepressible form the end came swiftly.

Chris Tremlett (2) lost his off stump to the kind of searing full-pitched inswinger that had accounted for a few of his more capable colleagues before James Anderson (0) swished loosely to a shorter delivery that Shane Watson took at first slip.

Johnson finished with 6/38 to turn this Test - and perhaps even the Ashes - on its head.

The left-arm quick, so demoralised after his horror first Test at the Gabba, rediscovered his mojo in exhilarating fashion during the morning session, taking four quick England wickets to breathe some life into a match and a series that looked to be heading out of Australia's reach. After cruising to 0/78, England reached lunch at a perilous 5/119 following Johnson's blistering intervention.

The day began badly for Australia. In the third over of play, Ryan Harris found Andrew Strauss' outside edge that looked a regulation catch for the wicketkeeper or first slip but neither moved and the ball raced away for four.

For most of the next hour, it looked like Strauss and Alastair Cook would make Australia pay for its profligacy. Both left anything passing over their stumps or just outside off, avoiding Australia's mistakes of the previous day, as well as punishing anything short.

However, as the vultures circled, Johnson blasted his way into Ashes folklore.

First to go was Cook. After playing so diligently for 32 Johnson tempted the series top-scorer into driving at a full ball outside his off stump. Instead of the expected leave, Cook aimed an off-drive but failed to reach the pitch of the ball and sliced a low catch to Mike Hussey in the gully.

The breakthrough livened Australia in the field and suddenly the ball began to swing like a boomerang and spit like a cobra.

Jonathan Trott became Johnson's second victim, falling LBW for just 4. If Cook was at fault for his dismissal, Trott was helpless in the face of a classic left-armer's delivery. Johnson, buoyed by his first wicket speared in a full fast inswinger that beat the right-hander for both pace and movement.

The momentum of the game was beginning to shift Australia's way and the crowd was in the palm of Johnson's hand. Tail up, the adopted West Australian required only three goes at Kevin Pietersen to send England's premier batsman back to the sheds. One again it was a full fast inswinger that undid the English right-hander, Pietersen playing around his front pad as he was surprised by Johnson's pace and movement. The UDRS review always looked futile, with the third umpire quickly confirming Pietersen's duck.

At the other end, Captain Strauss looked inured from the devastation going on around him until he tickled an excellent Ryan Harris delivery that slanted across his off-stump. The edge found Brad Haddin's gloves this time and England's anchor was on his way for 52.

The WACA was alive now and every delivery, particularly from Johnson, came with the promise of another wicket. That promise was fulfilled when Paul Collingwood became the third England right-hander to fall LBW to a Johnson inswinger. If Trott and Pietersen succumbed predominately to pace as much as swing, Collingwood fell to a ball that moved prodigiously. The wicket-taking delivery started so wide outside off stump tat when Collingwood was hit the appeal seemed unnecessarily enthusiastic. After umpire Erasmus declined the request for a wicket it looked unlikely that Ricky Ponting would even opt for the review. He will be glad he did though as the replay showed the ball hooping back miles from outside off to catch England's number five on the crease in line with off stump and going on to hit the stumps comfortably below bail-height.

So England collapsed from 0/78 to 5/98 in eight memorable overs.

Ian Bell looked poised as he led England to lunch alongside Matt Prior. Shorn of the injured Stuart Broad, England now looks to have a long tail and needs this pair to bat through the afternoon session if they are not going to suffer a first-innings deficit.

Wonderful cricket at the WACA and testament to the value of a wicket that allows the ball as much if not more chance than the bat.

Whisper it quietly, but the Ashes could be on again.