Perth: England were battered and all but beaten with Australia on the verge of regaining the Ashes at stumps on the third day of the third Test here on Sunday.
Australia led by 134 runs on the first innings after the England tail folded meekly again before lunch and the home side were dismissed for 251.
The Australians were 235 for three in their second innings at the end of play for an overall lead of 369, with Shane Watson on 29, and Steve Smith on five and two days left to play.
Opener David Warner (112) capitalised on the shoddy wicketkeeping of Matt Prior, who missed two stumping opportunities from the left-hander, to post his second century of the series and take his tally for the series to 457 runs at 91.40.
By contrast, England’s highest scorer in the series is Michael Carberry, whose 157 runs at 31.40 is only 10 ahead of Australian tailender Mitchell Johnson’s aggregate.
Australia lead the five-Test series 2-0 after comprehensive victories in Brisbane and Adelaide and can regain the Ashes, which they last won in 2007, with victory in Perth.
As if England’s predicament wasn’t already dire enough, the tourists returned to the field for the Australian second innings without their best fast bowler Stuart Broad.
Broad injured his right foot when struck by a swinging yorker by Johnson, who may have delivered the final blow to England’s hope of hanging on to the Ashes.
Broad was trapped lbw by the delivery for five, and limped to a fitness test in the WACA nets between innings, before being taken from the ground for scans.
Earlier in the day, England resumed at 180 for four, but offered little resistance to the Australian pace trio of Ryan Harris (3-48), Johnson (2-62) and Peter Siddle (3-36). The last six English wickets fell for just 61 runs, the rot starting when overnight batsman Ian Bell was given out lbw to Harris on a third umpire review for 15, after he was initially given the benefit of the doubt. (AFP)
