SHANE Warne declared himself "knackered" after his marathon bowling session played a massive part in England's self-destruction yesterday.

The Hampshire skipper bounced back from his first innings figures of 1-167 in the second Test at Adelaide - his most expensive figures ever in 142 Tests - to move to within six of becoming the first man to ever take 700 Test wickets.

Yesterday he bowled an unchanged spell of 27-11-29-4, which included the key wicket of his Hampshire colleague Kevin Pietersen clean bowled for just two.

That helped him end with figures of 4-49 as England wee rushed out for 129 to eventually lose by six wickets and go 2-0 down in the best of five series.

Warne bowled an impressive 85 overs during the second Test - the most he has sent down in a single Test since March 2002.

On that occasion he bowled 98 overs against South Africa at Cape Town, including SEVENTY (6-161) in the second innings out of a total of 162. That was 41 overs more than any other Aussie bowled in that innings!

Warne said he felt "knackered" after his latest marathon bowling session.

"My shoulder and finger are pretty sore," he said. "But I love being in those situations, I have all through my career.

"I've found something inside me that keeps me going."

The most overs Warne has ever bowled in a Test against England remains the 90 he sent down in his third Test at Trent Bridge in 1993 (40 in the first innings, 50 in the second).

Warne's stint yesterday morning could have changed the entire shape of the Ashes series.

That was the verdict delivered by Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting.

"Shane wants to bowl at the best players and wants to be the man that gets those players out," said Ponting.

"He stood up again and I said to him after the game that he's changed the course of this Test match and could even have changed the summer with that spell of bowling. He just keeps lifting himself and getting himself up."

It was almost easy to forget the criticisms levelled at Warne just a few days earlier.

Pietersen had played a major part in Warne recording those 1-167 figures.

And former Australian captain Allan Border and new national selector Jamie Cox had added their voices to what was a growing chorus of criticism of Warne's tactics against Pietersen last Friday.

Pounded by Pietersen in the first Test at Brisbane and again at the start of the Adelaide encounter, Warne bowled around the wicket whenever Pietersen was on strike.

Warne was in no way changing his line of attack for variety's sake. Instead, he went on the defensive by limiting the range of strokes available to Pietersen to just the sweep shot.

Some former Australian players accused Warne of raising the white flag. Border was not quite so cutting, but said: "Shane persisted with negative tactics for too long against Pietersen. He gave the initiative to England and reduced his options of getting England's most dangerous player out."

Cox added: "I was very surprised to see Warnie bowl like that because his normal game is to attack."

That was the case again yesterday, and it helped ensure Australia are in pole position to regain the Ashes and ensure Warne's position as England's no 1 nemesis remains in place for a little longer.

Ex-England skipper Alec Stewart said England were too defensive yesterday against the Rose Bowl ace.

"Warne strangled the England batting," said Stewart. "He bowled as we all know he can do. He didn't allow England to play their shots.

"In the past, when I was playing, we were almost frightened to take the attack to Shane Warne."

Before the second innings at Adelaide, Warne had gone for 5-314 in this Ashes series.

"What has been so good recently is that they have taken the attack to Warne, but in the second innings they didn't do that," Stewart rued.