The best Australia could hope for from their practice match against Northamptonshire - once the rain that ruined day one finally lifted - was a quick and easy confidence booster after their Ashes defeat. 
They got neither, as a former Australia under-19s peer of Shaun Marsh and George Bailey belted an unbeaten century to take his team to a commanding 396. That batsman, 32-year-old Steve Crook, struck 24 fours and four sixes in his 142 not out from 96 deliveries.
Australia's task of surviving the final five overs of the day unscathed proved too hard, with David Warner edging to first slip for six.
They will resume the final day at 1-13, trailing by 383, with Shaun Marsh on seven and Steve Smith due to be next in. Mitch Marsh was the best of Australia's bowlers, claiming 4-56, with Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins each finishing with three wickets.
Peter Siddle was miserly with the new ball, but only bowled one over with the second new ball before leaving the ground. Lyon said he thought the fast-bowler was fine. "I think he's OK," Lyon said.
Leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed's bad week, which began with chief selector Rod Marsh publicly downplaying the prospect of him holding his position in the squad for   October's Tests in Bangladesh, got worse as he was pummelled for 48 runs in six overs. Ahmed was not used until the 42nd over and only bowled three spells.
Captain Smith chose to field first on winning the toss yet saw his team take only two wickets in the first 51 overs as hard-hitting opener Ben Duckett and Scotland international Kyle Coetzer, who played against Australia in the World Cup, each made half-centuries.
When Coetzer fell for 86 the decision of Smith's to send them in was on track to be justified. At that stage Crook, who grew up in Adelaide but has been based in England for the past 13 years, was on only four. Within 20 overs he was, remarkably, on the cusp of a century.
Crook's day was capped by him taking the catch at first slip to remove Warner, off the bowling of Chambers.
"My under-19s year had Shaun Marsh, Shaun Tait, Mark Cosgrove, Cameron White, Xavier Doherty, George Bailey, so we had quite a good crop of players," said Crook, who left Australia in 2002.
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