Six wickets for Fleming as tourists take 81-run lead

Damien Fleming bowled Australia to a first innings lead of 81 by taking 6-59 on the second day of the Vodafone Challenge Match at Taunton.

The pace bowler's best haul of the tour saw Somerset dismissed for 267 after Australia had declared on their overnight 348-3.

Rain delayed the start of play until 1.45pm, with 31 overs lost. But Fleming soon made up for lost time, sending back Piran Holloway, Mike Burns and Peter Bowler with clever variation of pace to leave Somerset 33-3.

Aamir Sohail, one of two Pakistan Test players guesting for the county, helped launch a recovery, with 20-year-old Devonian Matthew Wood (39) helping to add 78 for the fourth wicket.

Sohail went on to a half-century off 118 balls, with seven fours, surviving a dropped chance in the slips off Fleming when he had made only six.

He eventually fell for 50, but useful contributions down the order from Rob Turner (42), Keith Parsons (38) and Ian Blackwell (30) allowed Somerset to reach a respectable total.

Fleming returned to clean up the tail, removing Turner, Blackwell and Jason Kerr, only to be denied career-best figures when Ashley Noffke spilled a straightforward chance at mid-off offered by last man Jamie Grove.

It was left to Colin Miller to dismiss Grove in the final over of the day, leaving Australia in control.

Michael Slater did not take the field for Australia because he was resting a bruised wrist, sustained while batting of Friday. But the injury was not thought to be serious enough to threaten his participation in the Second Test Match, starting at Lord's on Thursday.