Michael Clarke after reaching his century in Adelaide on Monday

Adelaide: Matthew Hoggard captured seven wickets as England took a 97-run lead over Australia with nine second-innings wickets in hand heading into the final day of the second Ashes Test.

Hoggard claimed seven for 109, the best figures by an Englishman at Adelaide Oval since Jack White took eight for 126 in 1928-29, to help dismiss Australia for 513 and earn his team a 38-run advantage on the first innings.

England extended their lead by the end of Day 4 but lost Alastair Cook for nine along the way to reach stumps on 59 for one on a lifeless pitch still offering little assistance to the bowlers.

Andrew Strauss posted his best score of the series to remain unbeaten on 31, while Ian Bell is on 18. A draw is looming as the most likely result, barring a dramatic batting collapse on the final day.

Australia briefly looked as though they might sneak past England’s massive first-innings total of 551 for six declared when Michael Clarke (124) posted his first Test hundred in two years and Adam Gilchrist (64) made a timely return to form.

But England picked up the last four wickets for 11 runs — Hoggard adding three to the four he claimed on Sunday — to restrict the Australians to 513 as they attempt to retain the Ashes they won at home last year. Hoggard picked up three of the last four wickets to complete his seventh five-wicket Test haul and finish with seven after picking up all four that fell on Sunday.

Ashley Giles and James Anderson also collected their first wickets of the match after Andrew Flintoff had got one on Saturday, leaving Steve Harmison as the only specialist English bowler not to take a wicket.

Australia had started the day on 312 for five, needing 40 more to avoid the follow-on, but any real hopes of a result faded once they passed the follow-on point in the first hour and both teams resorted to go-slow tactics.

Gilchrist briefly threatened to go on the rampage, racing to his half-century off just 70 balls, but threw his wicket away with the total on 384 when he swept Giles straight to Bell in the deep.

Clarke, once regarded as the golden boy of Australian cricket after making 151 on debut in India and then 141 in his first Test at home against New Zealand, pressed his claims for a permament recall with a flawless hundred.