Alastair Cook's masterful 244* builds commanding lead

England 9 for 491 (Cook 244*, Root 61, Broad 56, Hazlewood 3-95) lead

Australia 327 by 164 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It was difficult to know what the most satisfying sight for England fans was on the third day at the MCG. Was it Alastair Cook straight-driving a boundary to bring up his double-century? Was it Stuart Broad backing away and swiping yet another bouncer to the square leg fence to raise his fifty? Was it Australia's players shaking Cook's hand at the end of a second consecutive day's play, once again not out? In the end, it was probably nothing more than the sight of the scoreboard, which showed England holding a 164-run lead.

If this was England's day, it was more specifically Cook's day. If a Cook's tour is parlance for a quick trip around many venues, it neatly summed up his Ashes campaign until now: Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, never more than a couple of hours at the crease at once. He entered this Test having failed to reach fifty from any of his past 10 innings, the longest such drought of his career. Questions were being asked about his place in the team.

But you don't play 149 consecutive Tests and score 11,000 runs without a healthy dose of resilience. Cook took a conscious decision to be more proactive in this innings, to play a more positive brand of cricket. The end result was 27 boundaries, an unbeaten 244, more than 10 hours at the crease and 409 balls faced, the longest innings by any visiting batsman in a Test in Australia since Cook himself accumulated an unbeaten 235 at the Gabba in 2010.

More correctly, that was the end result for now. Because at stumps, England were still batting, on 9 for 491, with James Anderson yet to score. Cook and England had batted through the day, building the kind of first-innings advantage that leaves Australia's dreams of a clean-sweep all but over. If England achieves nothing else in this series, denying Australia a 5-0 score line would be an outstanding recovery.

There were all sorts of fascinating figures from this day's play. Cook's innings was the highest score by any visiting batsman in a Test at the MCG, beating Viv Richards' 208 from 1984. Cook began this innings in tenth place on the list of all-time Test run scorers and will finish it in sixth, having passed Mahela Jayawardene late on the second day, then Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and finally Brian Lara with a cover-drive for four from the penultimate delivery of day three.

He compiled a 100-run partnership with Broad, remarkably just the second time they had batted together in 113 Tests featuring both men. But perhaps the most telling figure was Cook's control rate - despite spending such a long time at the crease, Cook was in control of his strokes 91% of the time. Australia had one chance to dismiss him on day three, when he flicked Pat Cummins to square leg on 153 and Smith spilled a difficult catch, but it was a very rare mistake.

His double-century, the fifth of his career, came up with an impeccably timed boundary driven straight back past the bowler Jackson Bird along the ground, from his 360th delivery in his 563rd minute. His partner at the time, Broad, was jumping for joy at the non-striker's end as soon as he saw the ball leave Cook's bat.

Broad, for his part, played an invaluable role by scoring 56, the first time an England No.10 had made a half-century since Chris Lewis in 1991. In one of the least surprising tactical decisions of all time, Australia's fast men peppered Broad with bouncers, but he found ways to evade, survive, and then swing and score from the short stuff. He struck eight fours and one six, and brought up his fifty by backing away and swivelling a hook for four off yet another bouncer.

Broad was eventually out when he slashed Cummins high towards third man, where Usman Khawaja made good ground to take a catch low to the ground while diving. Replays were needed to see whether Khawaja had collected the ball cleanly, and although the ball bobbed out of his hands and became invisible under his body as he dived, the soft signal of out from the on-field umpires was enough to ensure Broad was sent on his way.

The morning had started with Cook at the crease alongside Joe Root, who had 49. Root had no trouble registering his third fifty of the series, but on 61 he threw his innings away with a top-edged pull off Cummins that pinpointed Lyon at deep square leg. It continued Root's frustrating habit of getting out after reaching a half-century; his career conversion rate of fifties to hundreds is 27%, roughly half that of his counterpart Smith.

Still, the Root-Cook partnership had been worth 138 and had delivered England to a position from which they could push for a first-innings lead. Dawid Malan then fell in strange circumstances when on 14 he was adjudged lbw to Hazlewood and decided against using a review, although replays confirmed a thick inside edge. It made Malan the second England batsman this innings to be lbw off his inside edge, after James Vince also failed to review on the second day.

Lyon, who is virtually assured of finishing 2017 as the year's leading Test wicket taker, removed Jonny Bairstow, caught behind for 22, and Moeen Ali, whose disappointing tour continued when he was well caught by Shaun Marsh at short cover trying to clear the infield for 20 off 14 balls. Chris Woakes combined with Cook for a 59-run stand that ended when Woakes gloved one through to the wicketkeeper off Cummins for 26, and Tom Curran followed soon afterwards, caught behind off Josh Hazlewood for 4.

But all the while Cook remained. At one point, Smith even resorted to an eccentric-looking field containing three catching covers that resembled a displaced slip cordon in a futile attempt to force an error from Cook. It worked about as well as the short-pitched barrage to Broad. It was yet another sight to please England fans, a sign of Australia's desperation. But Cook was not to be moved. By stumps, he had a strong chance of becoming the first England batsman in 20 years to carry his bat in a Test innings. It would be well deserved.


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Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh heap pain upon England

Australia 4 for 549 (Smith 229*, M Marsh 181*) lead England 403 by 146 runs

Scorecardand ball-by-ball details

It would be hard to imagine a day of greater Australian dominance than this one. It was a day on which Steven Smith made his second Test double-century, Mitchell Marsh scored his maiden Test hundred, England claimed just a single wicket and Australia piled on 346 runs. A day that began with Australia trailing by 200 finished with them 146 runs in front, and with a realistic chance of pushing for victory - and the urn - over the next two days. Remind us why Australia would want to move Ashes Tests away from the WACA

But a caveat is necessary, for it was not a day that necessarily ended England's movement. The pitch remains good for batting - that is stating the obvious - and there is rain forecast over the next two days in Perth. It remains very possible that England will escape from this match with a draw, and as the holders of the Ashes, that would keep them alive in the series. Alive, but demoralized. They might have known that Smith could score a mountain of runs, but Mitchell Marsh eyeing off a Test double-century by stumps? They'd have been more likely to expect the Spanish Inquisition.

This was a day that can best be illustrated by the numbers, and at the close of play, the numbers were these: Smith was on 229, Marsh was on 181, and Australia had 4 for 549. Hundreds were also piling up in England's bowling analysis: Craig Overton, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali had all conceded centuries by the close of play, and if James Anderson - currently at 0 for 85 - joins them on the fourth day, it will be just the eighth time in Test history that a team has had five or more bowlers concede 100 in the same innings.

Some more numbers: by stumps, the Smith-Marsh partnership was worth 301 runs, the most prolific partnership Smith has ever been involved in at Test level. And Marsh's score was already the sixth-highest of all time by an Australian No.6. Along the way, Smith passed 1000 runs in a calendar year for the fourth consecutive year, joining Matthew Hayden as the only men to achieve this feat, and Smith has done so averaging 60-plus in every year.

The day had started in vaguely reasonable style for England, when they claimed the wicket of Shaun Marsh, who edged Moeen to slip for 28. It was the only reason England had to celebrate all day. Reasons for optimism were rare: occasionally Smith edged, but his soft hands always ensured the ball dropped short of the slips, and an lbw review from England against Smith found that  James Anderson had over-stepped, although in any case the umpire's on-field call of not-out would have been upheld by the ball tracking.

               Mitchell Marsh roars after hitting his maiden Test hundred ABOCcricnfo

No matter what Joe Root tried, it failed. In the morning, Smith brought up the fastest century of his Test career, a 138-ball effort that showed just as much ability to read the circumstances as had his slowest Test hundred, scored at the Gabba earlier in this series. He continued to be strong when cover-driving, when walking across the stumps and whipping to leg, and frankly playing wherever he wanted to.

Marsh was especially powerful driving straight down the ground and through the off side, and also found the gaps when cutting. He let out a roar after bringing up his home-town hundred in the final over before tea, with a pair of boundaries through point off Broad, the milestone coming from his 130th delivery. His efforts had continued a fine summer of selections from the Australian panel, who have found excellent contributions from Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine and now Mitchell Marsh, three selections that sparked much debate.

And still the runs kept piling up. Late in the day, Smith moved past his previous highest Test score of 215, and had been at the crease for nearly 10 hours. He was just the fifth Australia captain to score an Ashes double-century, after Billy Murdoch, Don Bradman, Bob Simpson and Allan Border.

Marsh by the close was eyeing off a double-century, a sentence which on its own tells all that need be told about this day. The result was that England was sunk, if not in the series, then at least in their hopes of winning this test.


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Overton strikes after England lose 6 for 35

Tea Australia 2 for 88 (Smith 24*, Khawaja 14*) trail England 403 (Malan 140, Bairstow 119, Stoneman 56, Starc 4-91, Hazlewood 3-92) by 315 runs

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Craig Overton removed both of Australia's openers during an impressive spell of bowling after England's lower order collapsed rapidly on the 2nd day at the WACA. During the opening session, Jonny Bairstow scored his first Test century in 18 months and with Dawid Malan compiled England's all-time highest Ashes fifth-wicket partnership, before England lost their last six wickets for 35 runs to be all out for 403. By tea, Australia was 2 for 88, with Steven Smith on 24 and Usman Khawaja on 14.

Cracks in the WACA pitch were contributing to some inconsistent bounce, but it was simply fine bowling from Overton that accounted for David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. On 22, Warner edged behind when Overton angled one in and straightened it just enough, before Bancroft was lbw on review for 25 to leave Australia at 2 for 55.

Overton might have added Khawaja to his wicket tally if he could have held on to a very difficult diving return chance as well, and Smith survived a late scare when from the last ball of the session he was struck by a bouncer that reared off a crack and the ricochet nearly spun back on to his stumps. Although there were plenty of runs still in the pitch, there were the beginnings of some demons.

During the morning, Bairstow had brought up his hundred from his 185th delivery with a single to fine leg, and fittingly celebrated with an understated headbutt to his own helmet. The innings was Bairstow's first Test century since he made an unbeaten 167 against Sri Lanka at Lord's in June 2016, ending a drought of 37 innings without reaching triple-figures. His efforts certainly justified England's decision to promote Bairstow back up to No.6 ahead of Moeen Ali.

Earlier, Mitchell Starc had finished with 4 for 91 and Josh Hazlewood picked up 3 for 92 as the WACA's bounce troubled the England lower order. The last man out was Stuart Broad, who walked across his stumps in an effort to hook a Starc bouncer - in the previous over he had cleared the boundary in a similar manner off Hazlewood - and lobbed a catch to Bancroft at short leg.

Malan and Bairstow continued to frustrate the Australians during the morning, including when Steven Smith called for an ill-advised review when Starc swung one in to strike the pads of Malan, with the ball clearly heading down leg side. Malan and Bairstow broke the 79-year-old England Ashes record for a fifth-wicket partnership, which had been held by Denis Compton and Eddie Paynter, who put on 206 at Trent Bridge in 1938.

The 237-run partnership finally ended when Malan was brilliantly caught by substitute fieldsman Peter Handscomb off the bowling of Nathan Lyon for 140. Malan failed to get to the pitch of the ball and in trying to hit Lyon over the top, succeeded only in spooning an edge up into the off side, where Handscomb ran briskly from backward point and took the catch while diving forward at full stretch, the kind of effort that Australia needed to turn their game around.

Moeen lasted only two deliveries before the extra bounce from Pat Cummins troubled him and the ball lobbed off his glove to Smith at slip. Another fine catch, this time from Cummins at long leg, ended Chris Woakes' innings on 8 off the bowling of Hazlewood, before Starc curled one in to rattle the stumps of Bairstow, who was bowled for 119.

A short delivery from Hazlewood accounted for Overton, who on 2 managed only to fend the ball to Bancroft at short leg, and the fall of that ninth wicket led to the extension of the session, which had been on the verge of the lunch break. Australia wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Broad, and the six-wicket session was a major confidence boost for Smith's men, who will reclaim the Ashes if they win the Perth Test