Cricket: Botham's verdict - Damien's a great omen for England.

Byline: Ian Botham 

SOONER or later it had to happen - and finally, on the stroke of lunch yesterday, it did. England pulled off a run-out with a direct hit.

Michael Vaughan's brilliant pick-up and throw, with only one stump to aim at, dismissed Damien Martyn and underlined the value of sharp fielding.

Disciplined bowling on a slow pitch often counts for nothing if you don't back it up by taking any half-chances that come your way in the field, and Vaughan's athleticism was a priceless strike for England.

One aspect of Australia's aggressive brand of cricket is their running between the wickets, especially their willingness to take on the fielder's arm going for quick singles.

But it cost Martyn his wicket and England could have made even bigger inroads because Ricky Ponting would have been run out before he had scored if Kevin Pietersen's shy from the covers had not whistled just wide.

It was not the first time in the series that an Australian batsman had sacrificed himself by gambling on England's ability to hit the bull's-eye in a photo finish.

At Lord's they lost Justin Langer and Brett Lee in the second innings to needless run-outs and Vaughan will be well aware of the Aussies' gung-ho tendency when he sets his fields now.

Nothing galvanises bowlers more than flawless ground fielding and safe-as-houses catching. It gives them licence to bowl attacking lengths and allows captains to set aggressive fields.

It was a feature of England teams in my playing days: with Derek Randall on one side of the bat and David Gower on the other, entire acres became no-go zones for batsmen tempted to pinch a quick single.

You can spend a whole session building up pressure, only for a dropped catch, sloppy ground fielding or a missed run-out opportunity to release it.

Vaughan's direct hit sent England into lunch with a spring in their step, and he can be well-satisfied with his side's tenacity over the first two days of this match.

Ashley Giles should feel a lot better now he has contributed some useful late-order runs and crucial wickets to the cause.

I said the best way for him to respond to any criticism after the Lord's defeat was on the pitch, and his reaction yesterday was excellent.

CAPTION(S):

HIGH FIVE: For Vaughan; BULLS'S EYE: Damien Martyn is caught short