Steve Smith’s side remain in a commanding position leading by 268 after England were shelled out over 215 runs short of the hosts’ first innings total.
But James Anderson and Chris Woakes at least sent the tourists back to the dressing room wondering whether a miracle awaits them on day four of this Test, taking two wickets apiece as Australia wobbled.
Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon and Peter Handscomb held out a late charge but Australia’s top four, including captain Smith, were all sent packing.
It may be a long shot but an outside chance is better to cling to than no chance at all which, at one stage yesterday, seemed the most likely.
At 39-1 Australia appeared to have weathered the new ball storm but Anderson and Woakes got the pink ball moving in the second half of the final session to inject a semblance of hope.
If England do go on to lose this match, it will be in their first innings batting and bowling effort that it slipped away.
England coach Trevor Bayliss had called for Joe Root’s side to “bat big and long” suggesting they needed to go stretch their first innings into day four.
But a top order collapse in the morning session undermined that hope. And despite some lower order resistance England managed to bat two sessions and four overs, failing even to get to the follow-on target of 243.
It was a minor triumph for England that Australia captain Steve Smith decided his bowlers had spent just that little bit too long in the field to enforce with England all out for 227 in 76.1 overs.
Craig Overton had shown England’s failing top order what could be done with a some courage against the short ball and intent against spin ending up unbeaten at the close and top scoring with 41.
His partnership with Chris Woakes, which added 66 for the eighth wicket, was not a thing of beauty, but it was effective. Moreover, it will have made uncomfortable viewing for those already back in the England dressing room.
James Vince, Root, Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow were all guilty of poor shot selection, execution or a combination of both. Only Dawid Malan of the top seven got a really good ball, the always dangerous Pat Cummins getting one to jag back at him and flicking the glove.
The upshot of their shortcomings was by the time Overton came to the crease, when Bairstow became the second of three consecutive caught and bowled dismissals, England were already struggling big time at 142-7.
Overton’s confidence will have been done no harm by the fact he was the leading wicket taker in Australia’s first innings (for all that they came at a cost of 105) but his grit under fire with the bat was impressive.
Cummins was not the only threat with Josh Hazlewood cranking up his pace to the lower fringes of 90mph and the fastest man in the middle Mitchell Starc varying his angles between head and toes and both with unerring accuracy.
Yet Overton and Woakes kept their eye on the ball, ducking at times and taking it on at others, and showed what plenty of locals had been suggesting, namely that England had had the best of the pitch and conditions here and still failed.
There is still a bit of life left in the Test but England will need to produce some magic to get anything out of it.