5th Ashes Test: Dominant Australia push England toward another defeat
What's the story
Australia are on the course of winning the fifth Ashes Test match and completing their triumph with a 4-1 scoreline. The hosts dominated Day 3 of the fifth and final match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, ending the day with a lead of 134 runs. The hosts finished with 518/7 in their first innings, with Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (129*) putting on a masterclass. England had earlier posted 384/10 in their first innings.
Match highlights
Australia's batting prowess shines through
Resuming the day at 166/2, Australia continued to dominate as Head completed his third hundred of the series. Such was England's misery that the Aussie innings has so far witnessed seven totals of 50-plus, including five on Day 2. While Head and skipper Smith reached hundreds, Cameron Green (37) and nightwatchman Michael Neser (24) also played valuable knocks. Beau Webster (42*) returned unbeaten alongside Smith.
Game challenges
England's struggles and missed opportunities
England's bowlers struggled to contain Australia's batting on Day 3. Brydon Carse (3/108) took three wickets but couldn't stop the Australian run machine. Josh Tongue (1/89) and Jacob Bethell (1/50) made one strikes each. Playing his maiden Ashes Test, Matthew Potts has bowled 25 wicket-less overs and conceded runs at an economy of 5.60. Will Jacks and Zak Crawley dropped catches that could have dismissed Head and Smith, respectively.
Upcoming challenge
England's batting resilience needed in 2nd innings
As Australia lead by 134 runs, England faces a daunting task in their second innings. They will have to show remarkable resilience with the bat to avoid a fourth defeat in this disappointing series. The match could end on Wednesday, marking the end of the series, and there may be questions about Brendon McCullum's future as head coach.
Ashes
Smith overtakes Hobbs
Smith finished the day with 129 off 205 balls, having smashed 15 fours and a six. He has now scored 13 centuries in Ashes, second only to Australia's Sir Donald Bradman 19. The Australian great broke the tie with England's Jack Hobbs, who recorded 12 Ashes hundreds. Across 41 Ashes games, Smith has scored over 3,680 runs at an average of 55-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Australia vs England
Second-highest run-scorer in Ashes
Smith added another feather to his cap by becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Ashes history. He went past Hobbs, who finished with 3,636 runs. Bradman (5,028 runs) is now the only player to have scored more Ashes runs than Smith. Smith has six Ashes hundreds each in Australia and England. He averages over 57 in home Ashes, where he owns 1,680-plus runs.
Career
Smith only behind these names
This was overall Smith's 37th hundred in Test cricket. England's Joe Root (41) Root is the only active batter with more Test and tons than Smith. The Aussie star has gone past 10,730 Test runs at an average of over 56 (50s: 44). Meanwhile, 18 of Smith's Test tons have come while leading the team. Only Graeme Smith (25), Virat Kohli (20), and Ricky Ponting (19) have scored more Test hundreds as designated captains.
FC milestone
15,500 runs in First-Class cricket
With his 31st run, Smith completed 15,500 runs in First-Class cricket. Across 188 games, Smith has raced past 15,590 runs at an impressive average of over 54. His FC tally includes a staggering 54 centuries and 67 half-centuries, with his highest score being 239. Notably, Smith made his FC debut for New South Wales in the Pura Cup back in 2008.
Head
Head's innings surpasses Bradman's record
Meanwhile, Head was eventually dismissed for 163 off 166 balls, hitting 24 fours and a six. He scored the joint third-fastest Ashes 150 in history in just 152 balls, bettering Bradman's record of reaching the milestone in 166 balls back in 1930. Notably, Head also owns the second spot on this list, having recorded a 143-ball 150 in Brisbane back in 2021.
Elite list
Head joins these names
Head now owns the joint-second-most tons by an opener in an Ashes series, as per ESPNcricinfo. Matthew Hayden, Sir Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan are the only other openers to score three centuries in a single Ashes series since the start of 2000. While Head has completed 600 runs in the ongoing series at 66.67, no other batter has even touched the 400-run mark. The dasher has also operated with a solid strike rate of 87.59.
Career
4,500 runs in the Ashes
During his stay, Head also brought up 4,500 runs in Tests and 1,500 runs in the Ashes. Head has now raced to 4,563 runs from 65 Tests at an average of 43.87. In addition to 12 tons, he has belted 20 fifties. 11 of his tons have come in home Tests. Versus England, Head has tallied 1,510 runs from 18 matches at 47.18. He has five hundreds and as many fifties in this regard.