England centurion Mark Butcher admitted he had needed his fair share of luck to reach three figures in the final Test against Australia today.
Butcher cracked 124 as England reached 264 for five at the close of the first day's play at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It was a welcome return to form for Surrey left-hander Butcher after scoring just 160 in the first four Tests but he was dropped twice and given two further reprieves by the umpires.
Butcher, whose five-and-a-half-hour knock ended when he played on to Brett Lee four overs from the close, said: "I felt pretty good but it would have been better if I'd managed to see out the last three or four overs.
"It's been tough for all of us. My form has not been as good as I would have liked, particularly after the first test when I thought I got out of the blocks well.
"It was fantastic to score a hundred in front of a huge crowd but it was not until after tea that I felt in any kind of form. Before that I just hung in there for dear life and fortunately it paid off".