Key events
Steve Smith scored his 37th Test century today and his 13th against England. The Australian master blaster will resume tomorrow on 129 not out and looks determined to lead his side to a commanding lead, a thumping fifth Test victory and a 4-1 series scoreline that reflects Australia’s dominance of their old enemy in this 2025-26 Ashes.
“It’s a nice batting wicket out there,” Smith understated to Fox after play. “Nice to start my innings on the back of a great innings from Travis Head too. When you’re out there with him they forget about you and I was able to get into my work. It worked out well today (with) a couple of nice partnerships… Greeny batted really nicely and then Slug (Beau Webster) came out and kept it going.”
Stumps Day 3: Australia are 518-7 leading by 134 runs
So ends another punishing day for England cricket. First, Travis Head hammered them all over the SCG for a magnificent 163 from 166 balls (24 fours, one six) and then Steve Smith smashed them for an unbeaten 129 from 205 balls (15 fours, one six). Along the way they dropped four catches, missed a run out and burned all their remaining reviews. In the end, the tourists crawled to stumps broken and battered, 134-runs in arrears, utterly bereft of ideas and physically and mentally spent. It’s going to be a long, sleepless night.
Tomorrow Ben Stokes’ men must find fresh legs and fresh ideas as to how to derail the Smith juggernaut and snuff the blossoming innings of Beau Webster (42 not out from 58 balls) before they attempt to extract two familiar tail-ender thorns in Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. By then they could by 200, even 300 behind the game. And for a touring party 3-1 down in the series and shellshocked by an enemy that took the Ashes inside 11 days, that will very likely be a bridge too far.
Without the injured Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, England’s attack looked pedestrian. Stokes and Josh Tongue bent their back and gave their all but their best wasn’t nearly good enough and the toil of their deputies, Mark Potts and Brydon Carse, was treated with disdain by the voracious Australian batters who partnered up and powered into the ascendancy. First it was Head and Michael Neser (a partnership of 72), then Head and Smith put on a fast 54) before Usman Khawaja-Smith (51), Smith and CameronGreen (71) and Smith and Webster (an unbeaten 81) ground England into the dust.
On Jane McGrath Day, when millions was raised for cancer nurses across the nation, Australia find themselves firmly into the pink while England are again fading to black. What will Day 4 bring? Another Australian batting onslaught? Or some British Bulldog bravery from England’s bowlers? Will Steve Smith roll to a double-century? Or can his old nemesis Ben Stokes conjure a final spell of magic to rouse his side?
Join us from 9.30am AEST/ 11.30pm GMT tomorrow to find out. Thanks for following the action today. Over and OUT!
124th over: Australia 518-7 (Smith 129, Webster 42) Almost a run-out in the final over! Webster cut Jacks deep behind square and turned for a second before he saw Smith had slipped over. He had to turn mid-pitch to beat the throw from the boundary. He pushes another two through gully to finish the day.
123rd over: Australia 514-7 (Smith 129, Webster 38) Tongue rolls in for a 27th over, probably the penultimate assault of the day. Webster sees out three dots before a slap-shot through point gets him three. He now has more runs than his rival Cameron Green. He also has his wicket intact.
122nd over: Australia 511-7 (Smith 129, Webster 35) Australia are rapidly heading for a 150 lead by stumps as Smith pulls Jacks behind square for his 16th four of the innings. Brutal.
121st over: Australia 504-7 (Smith 128, Webster 29) Will Australia shut up shop? Or will they blaze England a new nightmare to sleep on? Here’s our answer. Webster punches Tongue off the back foot for four! That was short of a length and the big man from Snug gave it the full welly. Now Smith joins the feast, caressing another boundary through cover.
120th over: Australia 493-7 (Smith 124, Webster 23) “Catch it!” goes the cry. But Webster’s errant flick falls safely at short leg. Jacks jags another out of the rough and an appeal rings out but no dice. Good bowling.
119th over: Australia 492-7 (Smith 124, Webster 22) Smith lights the fuse on a hot half-hour to finish Day 3 by greeting the return of Josh Tongue with a smashed cut shot through point for four. That was imperious. If England can’t get Smith tonight they have a long sleepless night ahead of them.
118th over: Australia 486-7 (Smith 120, Webster 21) Finally, Will Jacks is recalled from the doghouse for another spell. He has dropped two catches today, the first a sitter in the outfield, the second a tough return chance. Hard luck for a normally safe fielder. But it has cost England dearly and Ben Stokes hasn’t thrown him the ball since. Now he gets his chance to claw back some respect late in the day. He’s flat and straight but easily picked off as Australia jog four singles and get their lead to 102.
117th over: Australia 481-7 (Smith 117, Webster 19) Here we go! Webster steps back, ready to launch. Potts follows him at speed. But the Australian allrounder is good enough to heave it off his chest to the mid-on fence. Steve Smith then gets in on the act pulling Potts square for another boundary. Desperate, Potts sprays a bouncer way over the batter’s head. Smith enters panto-mode and calls for a wide and the umpires give it to him.
116th over: Australia 470-7 (Smith 112, Webster 14) Top-edged but safe! Bethell threw it up and Webster launched an aggressive swat which he sent flying over first slip. It runs away for three and Australia extend their lead to 86 runs.
115th over: Australia 467-7 (Smith 112, Webster 11) Rod De Martin emails to proclaim that “Australia is better than England at both Bazball and Test cricket”. Hard to argue with that, Rod. Steve Smith now tries to prove he’s as good at tennis as cricket by back-pedalling from a wide legside delivery by Potts and attempting a bizarre overhead smash shot down the wicket. Weird, even for Smith.
114th over: Australia 465-7 (Smith 112, Webster 10) Beau Webster works Bethell for another easy run past mid-on. Smith jogs one of his own and the young bowler spits like a llama to show his frustration. England look out of puff… and ideas.
113th over: Australia 463-7 (Smith 110, Webster 9) Here’s a change to the bowling at least. Matthew Potts, sitting shitty on 0-125 from his 22 overs, re-enters the fray. It’s been an unhappy match so far for the 17-year-old. He came into his 11th Test with 36 wickets at an average of 29. But that’s all gone up in flames here with just one maiden and zero wickets and run-leakage of five+ per over. Australia ease him around for another four here, the bright spot for England a mistimed Smith chip that falls short of third man.
112th over: Australia 459-7 (Smith 107, Webster 8) No Stokes, only more Bethell. What is happening? England need someone to stand up and fight fire with fire (or at least staunch the flow of runs). An unfussed Australia now lead by 75 runs.
111th over: Australia 456-7 (Smith 106, Webster 6) Uh-oh, England. Smith celebrates his century in the last over by flogging Carse through the covers for another four (his 12th). The floodgates could open here. Surely Stokes comes back into the attack and brings this to a head champion-to-champion.
110th over: Australia 451-7 (Smith 101, Webster 5) As Steve Smith waves his bat with typical cool, England look knackered. Smith’s 13th Ashes ton is a real gut punch to their hopes of winning this Test and walking away with a respectable 3-2 scoreline in the series. Can they find something, anything?
Steve Smith’s 37th Test century
A short ball from Bethell and a swipe across the line from Smith gives Australia’s ‘best-since-Bradman’ his latest hundred – his 13th ton against the old enemy. He runs a rapid three and then hoists his bat and kisses the coat-of-arms on his helmet to a standing ovation from his home crowd. Delirious scenes at the SCG as the crowd rises to their feet and roars echo around the ground. We saw England’s master batter Joe Root light up the arena on days one and day two and now Smith has ignited day three. Marvellous stuff!
109th over: Australia 446-7 (Smith 96, Webster 5) Smith tucks and runs Carse to go within three runs of his century. Irked, the big right-handed quick thumps one in short at the 194cm Webster which flies way over his helmet. The big Tasmanian shoots back a laconic grin and crashes the next one through covers for FOUR. Cop that!
108th over: Australia 441-7 (Smith 96, Webster 1) Smith strokes Bethell for another single and gives Webster a look at the youngster with 1-38 from his 11 overs. At 32, Beau Webster is entering his prime. He had a break-out season in 2023-24 leading the Sheffield Shield run-scorers with 938 at 58.62. Importantly, he also took 30 wickets at 29.30 to help Tasmania reach the Shield final. That made him just the second player behind Sir Garfield Sobers, in 1963-64, to score more than 900 runs and take more than 30 wickets in the same Shield season. No wonder the Australian selectors have the Slugger from Snug in the frame to usurp the faltering Cam Green.
107th over: Australia 440-7 (Smith 95, Webster 1) Curious crossroads for Australian cricket as allrounder Cameron Green departs and allrounder Beau Webster enters. This is the popular Tasmanian’s eighth Test and he has four fifties and eight wickets to his name already. Can he out-shoot his younger rival and steer Australia to a 100+ lead?
WICKET! Green c Duckett b Carse 37 (Australia 435-7)
Carse bounces Green and the big allrounder takes an almighty swing. It’s high enough but not hard enough and Ben Duckett runs in to pouch an easy catch. Another wicket for England and another frittered opportunity for Cameron Green who was just starting to look at ease and instead has channelled Jamie Smith a blood rush brain fart of a shot.
106th over: Australia 435-6 (Smith 94, Green 35) England’s boy wonder batter Jacob Bethell has been given yet another over (his 10th) while Will Jacks – supposedly England’s best spinner – cools his heels in the field with just four overs to his name. Punishment for dropping two catches earlier today? Or reward for Bethell snagging the scalp of Head? Either way, it’s not slowing down Smith and Green who have cantered Australia to a 51-run lead.
105th over: Australia 432-6 (Smith 92, Green 35) Carse’s 20th over is immediately in the channel. He draws a flash-and-miss from Smith and backs it up with some irritable chuntering. Smith shrugs and finally works a single. He’s in the nineties now and closing in on a 37th Test century.
104th over: Australia 432-6 (Smith 91, Green 35) Bethell finds a footmark and it draws a yelp from Smith as his blade edges a ball that fizzed appreciably. That’s got me eating humble pie. Then again, remember when Allan Border’s “left-arm nothings” got 11-for on this same ground?
103rd over: Australia 429-6 (Smith 90, Green 33) Brydon Carse has been recalled to the attack. Born in South Africa, he is the son of Zimbabwean cricketer James Carse who also played plenty of seasons for Northamptonshire. At 30, Brydon has got the pedigree but can he find the precision he showed in Melbourne. He starts this new spell with a maiden.
102nd over: Australia 429-6 (Smith 90, Green 33) Jacob Bethell continues with the meek left-arm nothings that somehow did in Travis Head. After getting some chip from Harry Brook at short leg, Smith can’t hide a smirk as he sweeps for four. Young master Bethell is a talent but I’m not sure it’s as a bowler…
101st over: Australia 424-6 (Smith 86, Green 31) Wooshka! Stokes slammed it in short and Green swivelled and swung it high and hard over the backward square fence. What a shot! The timid titan who walked out with his career on the line is starting to motor into the next-gen giant selectors are craving. England need to get the clamps on fast or this last hour could rip the last of their hopes to pieces.
Don’t forget, it’s Jane McGrath Day here at the SCG and you can do your bit to raise funds for cancer nurses by donating here if you’re able.
100th over: Australia 414-6 (Smith 85, Green 23) Bethell returns for a seventh over of spin and Smith’s scampered run to point takes him past Sir Jack. Now he has only Sir Don ahead of him on 5028 runs. Good luck, Smudge! Australia have inched their way to a 31-run lead and England must feel this Test slipping away.
99th over: Australia 411-6 (Smith 83, Green 22) A slapped single through covers draws Steven Peter Devereux Smith equal with Sir John Berry ‘Jack’ Hobbs for Ashes runs on 3636. Huzzah!
98th over: Australia 407-6 (Smith 82, Green 21) Stokes needs a wildcard so brings back Jacob Bethell. Steve Smith greets him with a hot-step down the wicket and SIX down the ground. Shot! The batters stroke three singles before Green dances down and cuts low for a couple more. Australia lead by 23.
All this sightscreen talk takes me back to this classic catch…
97th over: Australia 396-6 (Smith 74, Green 18) Smith is officially fuming. A Nanna delivering a couple of Whippies has now earned his ire. What are security doing up there? The delay is such that a slow hand clap starts up. Finally, Josh Tongue enters his 24th over and he’s steamed up too, hurling a sizzling bouncer over Smith’s helmet to send the master batter rolling back onto his backside. Surreal scenes at the SCG.
96th over: Australia 395-6 (Smith 73, Green 18) Drinks are flowing at the SCG and it’s interrupting Steve Smith’s flow. There’s a stream of revellers cascading down the aisles to seats beside the sight-screen and it has Smith mad as a mastiff chewing a wasp. Finally they seat themselves and Stokes can roll in. Bouncer. Yorker. Bouncer. Three dots ensue. At last Smudge nudges a run to creep Australia’s lead out to 11 runs.
95th over: Australia 394-6 (Smith 72, Green 18) Smith is playing on, despite that ankle twinge in the last over. He’s chasing a 37th Test century today but more importantly he wants to extend the six-run lead Australia now hold. He works a single to point and watches Tongue flash one into Cam Green’s midriff. Good duel between the tall boys here. Green responds to his gut punch by cracking a boundary in reply.
94th over: Australia 389-6 (Smith 72, Green 14) Bending his back and sweating profusely, Stokes charges in for a 23rd over. ‘Hello, my old friend,’ sings the swish of Steve Smith’s bat as it winds up and whacks him to the boundary. Magnificent shot! But oh no, Smith has rolled his ankle running a single from the next and is grimacing in pain. Smith theatrics? Or legit injury?
93rd over: Australia 383-6 (Smith 66, Green 13) After that mighty heave in the last over, Green is growing in confidence now and climbs into Josh Tongue’s second ball. Good fielding keeps it to a single though. Now Tongue puts Smith on his backside with a rearing short ball! Great chin music from the big quick who is relishing scrambling the seam on this harder ball. Australia now trail by one run.
92nd over: Australia 382-6 (Smith 66, Green 12) Time for the final session of Day 3. It’s a huge one for both sides and sure enough Ben Stokes takes the ball to set the tone. Cam Green is understandably wary, still poking and prodding nervously. He uncoiled a gorgeous drive before Tea and waits five balls before showing us another on the last of Stokes’ over.
Happy as they were to see Travis Head flay a big century, the SCG crowd were disappointed to see Sydney-raised Usman Khawaja dismissed for 17 in his final Test. Will it be the last time we see the 88-Test veteran after such storied history on this ground? Ussie started here with a bang back in 2011-12. Can he finish in a blaze of glory?
Tea: Australia are 377-6 trailing England by seven runs
That was Australia’s session again but England bit back in the final hour, gutting the middle-order of Head, Khawaja and Carey with the new ball. With seven runs required to pass the visitors’ total, it’s still the home side on top but Ben Stokes will be pleased with the fightback after Travis Head (163 off 166) clobbered his men in the first three hours.
England’s bowlers shared the spoils in that session, with Carse and Tongue bagging one apiece, while No 3 batter and relief bowler Jacob Bethell won the prize wicket of Travis Head with a shooter that kept low and caught the Australian champion napping. But it’s been the same old lament for England, with easy catches going down, half chances spilled and all three reviews burned.
Can Big Ben and Josh Tongue remove Steve Smith and rout the Australian tail? Will struggling allrounder Cameron Green repay the faith selectors have shown in him at last? Or will next-man-in Beau Webster steal his spot with another dash from the lower-order? Grab a cuppa and we’ll find out shortly!
90th over: Australia 377-6 (Smith 65, Green 8) England have their tail up after taking three wickets for 78 runs. Travis Head, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey are all back in the pavilion. The bad news is that Beau Webster and Mitchell Starc are next in and both dangerous batters. Three singles from this Tongue over means Australia trail now by only seven. Time for Tea.
90th over: Australia 374-6 (Smith 64, Green 6) Cam Green is a notoriously nervous starter and Potts squares him up with a short ball, no mean feat given the allrounder stands two-metres tall. He brings that height to bear on a short half-volley on a fifth stump line which he strides into and straight drives to the rope. That’s a confidence-booster.
89th over: Australia 368-6 (Smith 63, Green 1) Cameron Green walks forlornly to the crease averaging 18 for this series. The big young allrounder is under serious pressure and has his direct rival, fellow allrounder Beau Webster, breathing down his neck as next-man-in. He gets off the mark with a tap to forward square and Smith adds another. Australia trail by 16.
WICKET! Carey c Bethell b Tongue 16 (Australia 366-6)
Stokes sets the leg slip trap and Carey falls for it – again! Great captaincy and good bowling by Tongue to execute. Carey couldn’t resist that juicy floater down leg side and he flicked it straight into the soft hands of Jacob Bethell. England are back in this match!
88th over: Australia 362-5 (Smith 62, Carey 16) Smith is in a flap again, this time over a waitress in his eyeline. Poor lass is forced to duck and run as the crowd hisses. Smith recovers to unfurl a gorgeous cover drive to the fence and send Potts’ figures deeper into the pit. He now has 11,050 first-class runs on this ground. Incredible. Potts gets one to skid through but the batter is up to the task and when the next ball is short and wide he cuts it to the rope in a flash.
87th over: Australia 358-5 (Smith 54, Carey 16) Finally, Josh Tongue arrives into the attack. And he’s straight under the ribs of Carey who parries it away awkwardly and scampers a single. Smith drives on the up from the next and gets a run. Carey cracks the next two but can’t breach the field. Tongue is wicketless so far but he’s bowled well and finishes his 19th over with 0-58. An appeal for caught behind from the last but it’s embittered by the fact England have no reviews.
86th over: Australia 356-5 (Smith 53, Carey 15) Good grief, Alex Carey is creaming them again. He smoked the second ball he faced for four from Potts and now he’s flayed Carse for two consecutive fours through the covers. Now he drives down the ground and only a staggering Stokes prevents a third boundary. Carey has 15 from seven balls and Australia trail by 28 runs.
I was remiss not to mention the Richies firing up at 2.22pm. Reminds us of this fabulous tribute to the thirsty chain-smoking French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg back in 1988.
85th over: Australia 344-5 (Smith 52, Carey 4) Alex Carey is having a helluva series. He survived an LBW shout from Carse first ball and spanked the second through covers for four. What can Potts manage against Smith? A jaffa! Just missing the straight bat of Smudge. Great ball, probably his best of the day. Now Smith is complaining about the glint of sun off the mid-on fielder’s glasses. Carse laughs it off. Typical Smith eccentricity.
WICKET! Khawaja LBW Carse 17 (Australia 339-5)
Struck low and straight by Carse and Khawaja is struck OUT! Great bowling by the Englishman. Is that the last time we see Ussie bat in Test cricket?
84th over: Australia 343-4 (Smith 51, Khawaja 15) Ouch! Khawaja is struck on the right hand trying to pull Potts square. He fronts up again and glances to fine leg for a couple. That brings up the fifty partnership for this pair. But now he have a huge appeal for LBW. Umpire says OUT. Khawaja wants to review though. He’s in real trouble here… and yes, there was no bat and he was struck just above the shoes. Gone!
83rd over: Australia 337-4 (Smith 51, Khawaja 15) Smith’s half-century has come from 95 balls, four them sent to the rope. That’s his 45th Test fifty and a handsome one it’s been too. He now has 3604 Ashes runs at 56.3 and needs another 33 to surpass Jack Hobbs (3636). Can England keep old Jack’s record alive for another day?
82nd over: Australia 336-4 (Smith 51, Khawaja 14) Brydon Carse will share the new ball and his excitement results in a full bunger straight up. Smith is shocked and fends it off. Next ball is wide outside off and Smith meets it on the half volley and sends it blazing to the point boundary. I know Ben Stokes is probably knackered but surely he and Josh Tongue establish a fighting intent better than Carse and Potts? Smith won’t complain. He drives the sixth ball to the rope to bring up fifty.
81st over: Australia 328-4 (Smith 43, Khawaja 14) Intriguing move by Stokes. He’s thrown Matthew Potts the new ball. Normally Potts is a miser but he’s been a bit of a hot mess in this return to Test cricket, going at six runs per over and his short, wide early spells were punished particularly savagely by Travis Head. He starts his 18th with 0-104 and manages five dots to Khawaja with a ball showing extra bounce and seam until Khawaja steps down and drives him for four from the last.
80th over: Australia 324-4 (Smith 43, Khawaja 10) Thanks, Rob. Great shift! Greetings cricket fans, pleasure to be with you for the second half of Day 3. It’s a gorgeous sunny day in Sydney and Australia are bossing the action so far. But there’s a new ball around the corner. Can England make it sing? Will Jacks gets a final fling with the old Kookaburra and he’s got Steve Smith in his sights. An easy single for Smudge from the second and Khawaja then yanks across the line for a run to cover. That’s it for the old pill. Time for a fresh cherry.
Drinks: Australia trail by 62 runs
79th over: Australia 322-4 (Smith 42, Khawaja 9) No luck at all for Stokes, who squares Khawaja up with a good delivery and concedes four runs when the edge bounces through the slip cordon.
Time for me to hand over to the estimable Angus Fontaine for the second new ball, which will due shortly after the drinks break. Thanks for your company, see you tomorrow.
