But Australia's hopes of wrapping up the tail were hindered when Harris was forced off the field when he broke down in his 28th over, later confirmed as a stress fracture which will require surgery.

BBC: England close in on Ashes victory in Melbourne

But XTO, with a smaller capital structure than the supermajors', is happy to invest in the neglected fields, using new techniques of 3-D imaging, horizontal drilling and so-called fracture stimulation--blowing open rock formations by injecting mudlike fluids down wells to get at big methane reservoirs.

FORBES: Oil & Gas Operations

This year he completed what is believed to be the first ever fracture stimulation procedure in Turkey: injecting a mixture of water and sand at high pressure down the wells to break up rock and release gas.

FORBES: Magazine Article