Smith and Mitchell Marsh embrace to celebrate latter's maiden Test hundred. Getty
Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh shared an unbeaten record-breaking 301-run partnership on day three at the WACA to put Australia in total control of the third Test. The home side reached 549-4 by the close, a lead of 146, and any hopes England may have had of winning the game before the day started all but evaporated by the end.
Smith scored his second Test double hundred against England on Saturday (December 16), to go with the one at Lord's in 2015, while Marsh, averaging 21 with the bat before this match, made his maiden Test century as the tourists failed to make any noticeable impression with the ball. England took just one wicket and conceded 346 runs as they struggled to find any sort of sideways movement. It was a chastening day in the dirt.
Smith was on 92 overnight but brought up his 22nd Test century within the first half hour. The 28-year-old reached the landmark with a typical flick through midwicket for four, a feature of this innings, and celebrated passionately. Smith's Test average of 62.89 is now second to only Sir Don Bradman among players who have played over 20 innings. At the same age, Ricky Ponting had twelve less Test hundreds. Australia's captain is one hell of a player.
Smith's most productive area was through the covers and he nudged the ball through the leg-side with his usual efficiency, too. Apart from scoring 28 boundaries and one six, Smith's ability to get off strike by knocking the ball into the gaps has been a masterly lesson in batsmanship. There were three genuine edges in the middle session but none of them carried to the slips as the right-hander played with soft hands. Apart from that, he didn't give a chance. He was quite magnificent.
Smith found excellent support from Marsh, who finished on 181 not out, and finally proved - to those who doubted his potential as a Test match all-rounder - that he has a game for this level. Considering his previous best Test score was 87, this was quite a statement. He has been in good form for Western Australia this summer and he showed that by scoring fluently throughout his innings. Marsh hit the ball hard, particularly down the ground, and 116 of his runs came in boundaries.
His selection for this match has been yet another success - along with the selection of his brother Shaun at the start of the series - for Australia's selectors. They have had a rather better time of things than their English counterparts. By not giving Joe Root any genuinely quick bowler to pick, England's selectors have limited what England's captain can do with his bowling attack. Although the tourists tried manfully, they looked insipid on a flat WACA pitch. It was all too friendly, all too nice. England are crying out for some pace.
Root's men bowled straight and full early on but Smith and Shaun Marsh were up to the task of keeping them out. Once the first five overs had passed and Smith had reached his century, things became easier and the boundaries began to flow. Smith drove the ineffective Chris Woakes through the covers and Marsh took consecutive boundaries off Moeen Ali. Craig Overton, nursing a cracked rib, was the most impressive bowler on show, discomforting Smith a couple of times in the first session, but even he was expensive.
Just when it was looking like the pair had settled in for the long haul, Moeen pitched one into the rough just outside Marsh's off-stump which turned and the left-hander prodded it straight into the hands of Root at first slip for 28. It was Moeen's first wicket for 45 overs in this series and he seemed as surprised as anyone.
England didn't get another wicket as Mitchell Marsh and Smith bludgeoned the tourists' attack all over the WACA. Whatever England tried, they could neither contain Australia's batsmen nor find a breakthrough. The run rate throughout was above four runs an over and four of the bowlers have conceded more than 100 runs each. Seldom have England had a day as traumatic as this - a few last winter in India were as bad - although they largely stuck to their task and the fielding remained committed.
In the nine overs before lunch, Australia scored 49 runs and ended the session just 89 behind England. By Tea, that had become a lead of 18 runs and by the close, the lead had grown by another 128. At no time were the home side under pressure. Marsh reached his century off just 130 balls midway through the middle session and Smith brought up his double hundred, off 301 deliveries, just before Tea. Marsh moved past 150 in the final session and Smith had reached 229 not out by the close, his highest Test score.
Could England have been more aggressive? Perhaps they could have tried more of the short stuff, the absence of which was conspicuous. Perhaps they could have tried to get stuck into Smith and Marsh verbally. Perhaps they could have tried more slower balls and cutters to get the ball to move. But in truth, this attack did what this attack can do. It lacks variety, pace and an in-form spinner.
The best England can now hope for is a draw in this match. Given they were 368 for 4 in their first innings, that that is the state of play at the end of day three is quite a turn of events. With their huge partnership, the biggest for Australia in Perth and the third highest fifth-wicket stand against England ever, Smith and Mitchell Marsh have reasserted Australia's dominance. The home side have two days to finish the job and the series.
Brief Scores: England 403 (Dawid Malan 140, Jonny Bairstow 119; Mitchell Starc 4-91, Josh Hazlewood 3-92) trail Australia 549/4 (Steven Smith 229*, Mitchell Marsh 181*; Craig Overton 2-102) by 146 runs.
