England are heading towards a final Ashes defeat after Steve Smith and Travis Head dominated day three of the fifth Test. Smith scored an unbeaten century, while Head smashed a brilliant 163, leaving England struggling again on a miserable tour.
England made things worse by dropping both batters early in the day, and they made them pay. Smith’s 129 not out took him past Jack Hobbs to become the second-highest Ashes run-scorer of all time, behind only Donald Bradman.
Australia finished the day on 518-7, holding a 134-run lead and looking set to win the series 4-1. England’s fielding errors continued, with 17 missed chances across the Ashes so far, while Ben Stokes pushed himself hard with the ball to cover weaknesses in the attack.
Unless England produce something special with the bat, another heavy defeat looks almost certain.
