England conceded their bowling flaws were savagely exposed as Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh's relentless batting on day three of the third Test in Perth Saturday left the tourists praying for rain to salvage their Ashes hopes. Australia were 549 for four in their first innings by stumps, with Smith on 229 and Marsh on 181, having seized total control to lead England by 146 runs with six wickets still in hand.
It was a horrendous day for the visitors, who must win or draw in Perth to keep alive their hopes of retaining the urn, but claimed just one wicket all day at a cost of 346 runs. England assistant coach Paul Farbrace said the weaknesses in the English attack, particularly in foreign conditions, were being cruelly exposed. "I don't think we've learned anything from today that we didn't already know," he said in a sobering assessment of the English bowling unit.
"We don't have that extra pace, we knew that coming into that series, and we haven't got the highest quality of magical spin. "Our bowlers have been very honest ... we've got what we've got, what can we do? "There is nothing that has surprised us."
Farbrace said rookie seamer Chris Overton was being hampered by a "cracked rib", and also conceded the match turned when England lost their last six wickets for just 35 runs in their first innings to squander a potentially huge total.