Smith and Head push England towards final Ashes loss

Sydney Cricket Ground’s third of five ashes test is tomorrow.

England 384: Root 160, Brook 84, Neser 4-60

Australia 518-7: Head 163, Smith 129*, Carse 3-108

Australia leads by 134 runs.

After Travis Head’s incredible 163 on the third day of the fifth Test, England’s horrifying Ashes tour is heading for a final blow.

Head and Smith were both dropped in a disastrous opening session in Sydney on a day that was unlike any of England’s previous seven weeks.

Smith finished with a 129-run effort, passing only Australian great Donald Bradman, who is now second on the all-time list of Ashes run-scorers.

At the conclusion of the match, Australia was able to defeat 134 to claim a 4-1 victory at 518-7.

The Jane McGrath Foundation’s Sydney Cricket Ground turned pink, and England was slowly roasted as a result. The supporters who were there sang throughout the afternoon.

Zak Crawley put down Smith, and Will Jacks was the one to blame for the Head drop. England have missed 17 chances across the series, with variations in difficulty.

In an effort to cover up Matthew Potts’ and Brydon Carse’s deficiencies, Captain Ben Stokes threw himself into the ground.

Perhaps England’s only redeeming feature was that they didn’t have to endure a challenging session until late in the day.

Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum, and director of cricket Rob Key all vowed to stay in their posts even after England conceded the Ashes inside three Tests.

A 3-2 advantage might make that even more possible, but a 4-1 scoreline would undoubtedly help McCullum and Key come to terms with their focus, especially given the dismal performance on Tuesday in Sydney.

At the beginning of the day, Australia were 218 points clear of England, who were already well-versed in the match. The hosts’ lead was important by the end, but even that does not accurately reflect how strongly Australia controlled the proceedings the entire time.

A homage to the great England wheels-off Ashes horror shows, Potts was flayed by Head and the catches went down during the morning session.

When Smith finally allows England to start their second innings, they must regroup overnight and find some combat.

With Head poised on 91 overnight, Smith hungry in his final Ashes Test away from home, and a makeshift visiting attack ready to be disassembled on a flat pitch, this was the perfect storm for England to be flattened.

Head simply capitalized on any width and returned to where he left off the previous evening. Before Carse finally let him behind, Michael Neser used up 90 balls for his 24 before England burned two reviews on the nightwatchman.

When Jacks dropped a dolly on the leg-side boundary, Head had already reached the end of his third century. When Jacks realized he had stepped on the rope and had a chance, he was immediately struck by the head.

Usman Khawaja will start at the crease for what might be his final Test match against New Zealand after Head finally missed a sweep at Jacob Bethell just after lunch. In honor of the 39-year-old’s final Test before retiring, the SCG’s screen read, “Thank you, Uzzy.”

Strangely, Stokes burned through his own overs and gave Carse and Potts the second new ball, but at least Carse managed to keep Khawaja lbw for 17 at the end.

Smith and Cameron Green combined for the seventh wicket after Tongue’s Alex Carey was caught with a leg slip.

Smith had won his 37th Test hundred and 13th Ashes Test, his first victory over England since the second Test at Lord’s in 2023. His eccentric movements, opposition frustrations, and sweet drives through the covers were all present throughout. For straight sixes, he twice hit Bethell with his left arm.

When he reached 84, he passed Hobbs’ Ashes’ 3,636 mark to nestle behind Bradman before reaching three figures with a paddle off Bethell for three.

Carse took his third wicket of the day when Green holed out in a deep square leg, but Beau Webster, an all-rounder, arrived at nine to add even more support to Smith.

Webster is not out of 42 while the eighth-wicket pair adds an unbroken 81. One more futile spell of bouncers was assigned to Potts, with the enraging Smith signaling a wide and hitting strikes in the style of tennis.