Ashes 2017-18: Australia v England third Test, day three – live!

81st over: Australia 272-4 (Smith 128, M Marsh 12) England haven’t taken the new ball. What doing? Anderson stays around the wicket to Smith. A single puts Marsh up there. “Jimmy, what are you doing wanting to bowl with the old ball?” asks Michael Vaughan. Marsh agrees, smashing him down the ground for a superbly struck straight drive. Tasty. Oh, that does it – they take the new ball immediately after the boundary. And guess what? Gets an edge first ball. Into the ground, though. “They just have to go for it in the next 40 minutes. Don’t worry about an extra cover. This isn’t about runs, it is about taking six wickets.” What he said.

“Ian Healy’s interview with Steve Smith’s fiancé is a new low in cricket commentary,” writes Daniel Griffiths. I didn’t hear it, but judging by the giggles in the press box from those who were tuned in, I should have been.

80th over: Australia 265-4 (Smith 127, M Marsh 6) Overton has the last over with the old ball. Surely they will take the new one after 80. Smith to point for one. Then Mitch Marsh away with a lovely flick past square. Excellent timing. You can probably tell, I’m a bit of a fan. I’ve twice been on radio commentary carrying on about it being *his day* before getting out next ball. I owe him one.

79th over: Australia 260-4 (Smith 126, M Marsh 2) Right, Anderson here? Not Moeen, for the last over from this end with the old ball. Unorthodox, but maybe that’s Root’s plan. Do the unexpected. He’s going to tackle the Australian captain from around the wicket. “He’s going to bowl leg theory,” says Vic Marks to my left. “It’s like an off-spinners field this, with a slip and a leg-slip.” A couple of catching midwickets too, with a cow corner and long leg as well. Smith knows the drill here though, slipping back into his Brisbane zen. Ali Martin has the Channel Nine commentary on (I’m with TMS) and Smith’s fiance is on the call talking about how her fella is when he is not out overnight. Apparently he just stays in ~the zone~. Must be great company at dinner – “NO BREAD ROLL!” He allows himself a controlled hook to end the set, keeping the strike.

This is a fantastic piece about Mitch Marsh from during the week.

78th over: Australia 259-4 (Smith 125, M Marsh 2) Smith off strike the first ball of Overton’s new set. Oh, Marsh bunts a defensive stroke about 30 metres over mid-on. I think that’s what it was? A lot of discussion about Marsh’s game improving due to soft hands (so says his coach Justin Langer). Quite the opposite there. Smith again finds fine leg. This is like white-ball cricket for the captain now, accumulating through the non-power play overs with singles as he pleases. Marsh watchful, playing himself in.

77th over: Australia 256-4 (Smith 123, M Marsh 1) Righto. Moeen from the Prindiville Stand for the first one after drinks. Smith cutting off the back foot to the sweeper at point, walking through a single. Extra catcher in for Marsh, at forward short leg. He’s defending, again with that lunge. Wouldn’t mind a silly point here either. Nup, he’s off the mark with a guided tickle behind point. That’ll feel good. Smith again locates that sweeper. Easy runs. They move the short leg to second slip for the last ball of the over. But he’s defending well again. “I think his head just falls over to the off-side,” Michael Vaughan observes of the new man. “A lot of runs lads, 150, come on!” bellows YJB through the stump mic. That’s true. And the Australian lower order collapse routinely. They must retain their belief here. Second new ball not far away.

76th over: Australia 253-4 (Smith 121, M Marsh 0) Ducked and hit! Smith cops one on the left shoulder, Overton’s bouncer not getting up. There’s a half-appeal. Glenn McGrath discusses on the radio the time he had Sachin given LBW off his shoulder. I’ll dig that youtube out for you, actually. Very pre-DRS world, that. Shoooooot. Smith rocks onto the back foot next up, not at all fussed by the whack, steering to third man. There is a fielder there but he’s timed it so well, the ball wins the race to the rope. He’s back again, hooking one fine. Eventful over, worthy of a drink. Australia exactly 150 behind as the Perth punters stretch their legs.

75th over: Australia 248-4 (Smith 115, M Marsh 0) Mitch Marsh replaces his older brother. Huge roar from the Waca crowd, backing in their local boy. His first Test Match since Banglalore in March. He’s back into the XI earlier than he thought after a shoulder reconstruction. Gets a big stride in to both the remaining Moeen balls, knocking them on the head.

From absolutely nowhere! Nine taken from Moeen’s first three balls of the day, Marsh whacking him through midwicket then using his feet to clip with utter class. Next ball? He edges to slip! Not much spin, but enough with some extra flight. Tried to almost glide rather than stroke it. Has paid the price. Very good snaffle from Root. Blimey, how they needed that.

74th over: Australia 239-3 (Smith 115, Marsh 20) Overton is at least banging it in. There has been extra bounce from this end throughout the match. Half a shout for LBW from one that really hoops back. It’s high, and there is no review, but it is something at least. Much, much better set.

73rd over: Australia 238-3 (Smith 114, Marsh 20) Better from Woakes for the most part, looking the quickest of the England quartet this morning. But still, there is the customary gift on the pads. Marsh takes two from it.

72nd over: Australia 236-3 (Smith 114, Marsh 18) “They look almost defeated in the field,” says Ed Smith on TMS of the England body language. Overton is outside the leg stump to Smith early in the over, in keeping with the theme. A single taken to cover when he’s a fraction full. Marsh keeps the strike with one to mid-on. Only one maiden this morning. What does Root do?

71st over: Australia 234-3 (Smith 113, Marsh 17) Steven Peter Devereux Smith. To the third ball of Woakes’ spell he is thumping a drive through the gap at cover. He’s absolutely creamed that. With it, he has 1000 runs in the year for the fourth time in the row. Only the second man to do that (Hayden the other, who made it five from 2001-2005, TMS reveals). Again on the pads he gets another single. All four bowlers have struggled with line this morning. Marsh leaving alone for the rest.

Enjoyed this from Geoff earlier today. Malcolm Gladwell says 10,000 hours. Smith 10,000 balls. Neato.

70th over: Australia 229-3 (Smith 108, Marsh 17) Craig Overton for the first time today, the first change of the morning. Replacing Broad from our end. Marsh doesn’t take long to get stuck in, stroking beautifully wide of mid-on. The Perth crowd lap that up. He’s on the pads later in the over to both men, who milk the easiest of singles. No, no, no. 50 partnership is up.

69th over: Australia 223-3 (Smith 107, Marsh 12) Better from Jimmy, gets Smith’s edge to begin. But along the ground. Marsh pushes solidly for another single. Accumulating well. Looks good. Then again, he always does until he doesn’t. Smith defends the rest.

68th over: Australia 221-3 (Smith 106, Marsh 11) Broad to Smith. Barmy Army playing The Great Escape. “That’s pretty telling when you are still ahead in the game,” Ali Martin says next to me. Smith hacks one to fine leg to get down the other end. Marsh does the rest to see out the Broad set. How about this on the West Australian: he has been batting in professional cricket since the millenium bug was a thing, only now finding out he needs glasses. Good grief.

67th over: Australia 220-3 (Smith 105, Marsh 11) The ball after getting to 100, Smith clips a single to square leg. Marsh turns it over to cover. Then Smith pushes to point to keep the strike. This already looks too easy, doesn’t it? Uh oh.

There it is! With a boundary, of course. Just a tuck to midwicket that trickles to the rope off Anderson’s first ball. Off comes the helmet, a celebration we are so familiar with now. His second ton of the series. One of his very best. 138 balls, 16 boundaries, one six. Seventh against England, third at the WACA. The quickest of his career as well, Andrew Samson on TMS informs me.

66th over: Australia 213-3 (Smith 99, Marsh 10) Shoooooot! I don’t have a clue how Smith does that. From about off-stump he drives perfectly along the carpet, wide of mid-on. Off the back foot, almost. That’s an incredible shot for normal people. To 98 he goes. Earlier in the over he tried something similar and missed, annoying Broad. A single out to square leg moves him to 99 from the last ball. So he’ll keep the strike.

65th over: Australia 208-3 (Smith 94, Marsh 10) Anderson to Marsh. Has to use his bat throughout, except for the final ball where he elects for a close leave. A few oohs and aahs. Maiden.

64th over: Australia 208-3 (Smith 94, Marsh 10) Broad running away from us here at the Lillee-Marsh Stand End. Are the cats barking for him today, as Barney put it? Not initially, Smith helping himself to a single past point. Next up he’s on Marsh’s mums and dads, clipping neatly to midwicket for three. Into double figures goes the home town boy. Broad finds his range to Smith, who has to get his bat down low to the final delivery that looks to keep a fraction low.

I neglected to mention the Craig Overton news before play. He had a scan this morning, bowled in the nets in a fitness test, and came through both in good shape. So he’ll bowl today.

63rd over: Australia 204-3 (Smith 94, Marsh 7) Jimmy to Smith. Cue Jerusalem from the Inveratity Stand as the Barmies clear their throats. Heavyweight stuff on the 22 yards that matter. But one slip? Come on, Joe. Belt and braces line and length to begin, then one on the pads clipped away to open the Aussie captain’s account. They now trail by 199. Yes, they have avoided the follow-on. A second slip in for Marsh, for what it is worth. Oh gosh, he looks for a quick single to finish the over. Stay there, mate, says Smith. Or something like that.

They’re out on the field!

As we start, something a bit bold and bolshie from Matt Biss.

“This is the first day in 20 years I have felt that Lara’s record could be really under threat,” he writes. Do go on. “Fast outfield, bowling attack with nagging underlying injuries and no discernible plans to him, enough time in the game to not declare until mid-afternoon tomorrow, the snugness with which it would fit England’s grand narrative of everything going dramatically wrong: it couldn’t happen… could it?”

Hooley dooley.

Changing gears, Anya at #SPOTY

Before we kick-off again here at the Waca, I must give this a plug. Anya Shrubsole is a wonderful human being and a brilliant bowler. She’s also the first woman cricketer to get nominated for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year gong, coming up on Sunday. Cricket hasn’t had a winner since 2005. Let’s give it a red hot go by mobilising as many people from our sport as we can.

The vote is conducted live on the night, but the #VoteShrubsole is going great guns on social media to rally support. The ECB have bunged together a couple of infographics on their twitter account featuring the the famous moment at Lord’s. GO YOU GOOD THING! #VOTESHRUBSOLE

Barney on Broady.

Some absolute lines in this. My fave: “Rig up an old pumpkin on a splint with a baseball glove and a floppy hat with a hidden tape recording of a measured, pained voice talking about finding your natural game and you could probably save the Test team its share of that £400,000-a-year salary.”

Speaking of Smith… (and Hugh)

“Yes on England needing to get Smith or they’ll get stuffed,” emails Robert Wilson. “Absolutely. He’s a pestilential curse of an opponent (and no one really understands how he’s doing it). But we shouldn’t neglect the glaring possibility that England will get stuffed even if they do get him out.”

He adds a sledge: “You’re asking for contacts in Perth council? I thought you’d been the Aussie Josh Lyman in a previous life? Jeez.” Well, have this then! The first piece of correspondence I’ve had to help is SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HUGH GRANT and is going to email him to lend me a hand. Evening, Hugh.

Opening up on the email is Benedict Carter. “Here in China, the cause of cricket progresses: my Chinese students now know what the Ashes are; can place Australia and England on the map; and they know who Joe Root and Steve Smith are. I have yet to introduce WG Grace, the immortal Wilfred Rhodes or Sir Geoffrey Boycott to them but definitely civilisation advances.”

If you want to teach them how to bat like Smith, check out this brilliant masterclass from Press Association’s man on tour, David Clough. In Guardian row, we laughed loud.

Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts at the WACA (sort of).

Not for the Test. But indulge me, for I’ve been quite consumed by a story I stumbled upon on Thursday. In 2002, a Perth romantic had an idea involving the famous bench from Notting Hill. It carries an touching inscription that Anna Scott (Roberts) reads to William Thacker (Grant) in the film: “For June who loved this garden, from Joseph who always sat besides her.” Anyway, this legend deceided to buy it, fly it to Perth, and give it to his girlfriend.

Sadly, their union didn’t last as long as Scott and Thacker (so I like to believe). So he gave it to the local council anonymously, on the condition that it would sit in Queens Gardens next to the Waca. That is where it has lived since 2006. Isn’t that bloody magnificent? See below photo I took yesterday.

My aim is to now find this mystery man, buy it off him (on the condition that I’d always leave it where it is now) and “give” it to my girlfriend for Christmas. I’ll need a bit of luck to pull that off, but I have persistence. Anyone out there know someone who knows someone in Perth City Council? Or a better idea?

Adam will be here shortly.