Mitchell Marsh scored his maiden Test hundred and Steven Smith batted through the day for a double as England were ground into the dirt at the WACA

The Report by Brydon Coverdale16-Dec-20172:23

Vaughan: Smith has the special skill and hunger of greatness

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt 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 campaign. 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 demoralised. 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 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•Getty Images

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 were sunk, if not in the series, then at least in their hopes of winning this Test.

Spinner says he has lost the “buzz” when it comes to playing Championship cricket, after accepting a white-ball-only contract

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2018Adil Rashid admits that he has lost the “buzz” when it comes to playing Championship cricket, after speaking out for the first time about his decision to accept a white-ball-only contract with Yorkshire this summer.Rashid, who is an integral part of England’s plans in both 50-over and 20-over cricket, particularly leading into next year’s World Cup on home soil, was overlooked for selection in this winter’s Ashes, in spite of being the team’s leading wicket-taker on the Test tour of Bangladesh and India in 2016-17.However, he insisted that that omission had not been a significant factor in his switch to a white-ball focus. Instead, he said that his “heart would not have been there” had he carried on turning out for Yorkshire in Championship contests, and he feared letting his county down had he done so.”It’s very much my decision,” Rashid said. “It’s something that I’ve thought about and felt I had to do, and has been inside me for a little while.”The enjoyment, the spark, the buzz. All that came into it. I couldn’t go through another season doing this — it could affect my performance, my bowling and that could easily rub off into other competitions and white-ball stuff.”Rashid’s relationship with Championship cricket has been under scrutiny for some time, ever since he controversially made himself unavailable for Yorkshire’s title showdown with Middlesex at Lord’s in 2016, citing “fatigue and family reasons”. Yorkshire went on to lose the match, and their chance to secure a third County Championship title in as many seasons.”Last year playing red-ball cricket for Yorkshire, my thought was that if I wasn’t giving 100 percent then I would be letting the team down and also myself down,” he said. “It was a decision made purely because of how I felt playing red-ball cricket at this time. My mind’s not there, my heart’s not there, I’m letting the team down but also myself down.”Rashid’s stance puts his Test career on indefinite hold, with his 10-match haul of 38 wickets at 42.78 hinting at what might have been. With Alex Hales also choosing a white-ball contract with Nottinghamshire this week, and others – notably Liam Plunkett and David Willey – reported to be considering similar moves, there is a concern in English circles that this trend could mark the beginning of a schism in the domestic game.”Yes, maybe … that’s the way the game’s going,” Rashid said. “Personally, when I made that decision, I didn’t think about that — ‘Oh, people might follow, what if [they do]?’. That’s not my job, what people do or how they feel or ‘you may follow me or not follow me’. I just made the decision purely because of how I felt. If people want to follow — ‘he did that, so we can do it’ — then that’s their decision.”However, Rashid made the important point that his own decision had been influenced to a large degree by the itinerary of the county season, with the majority of red-ball matches being squeezed to the beginning and end of the season. This leaves spinners in particular as bystanders for long periods of seam-dominated games, but Rashid said that he would reconsider his position in 2019 if the fixtures were more favourable.”That was a big part of it,” he said. “Early season, I may not bowl much. A couple of overs here and there. Doing that, I wouldn’t get my rhythm — two overs before lunch, a few overs before tea. That wouldn’t help my confidence. At the stage, I’d just be going through the motions.”It’s not a permanent thing. It’s for this season, to see how it goes, how it unfolds and what happens. See what my mind says and what my heart feels. If it changes I could be going back to red ball cricket next season. That’s a long way away, and a lot can change. At this moment in time I’m very content with what I’m doing.”

Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain was pleased to take points from the game, but felt his side could have taken the bonus point too if only his batsmen did not waste the starts they got

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Jan-2018Sri Lanka’s bowlers dismissed Zimbabwe for what both captains agreed was a sub-par score, but Dinesh Chandimal felt Sri Lanka’s batsmen could have executed the chase better.His grouse is perhaps with Sri Lanka’s middle-overs stutter, which delayed victory and probably cost Sri Lanka a bonus point. Having been 103 for 1 in the 22nd over, they lost four wickets for 42 runs, and the rate of scoring consequently slowed. There were 52 boundary-less deliveries at one stage in the innings, and a 10-over stretch in which only 31 runs were scored.Chandimal suggested all this could have been avoided, if only set batsmen capitalised on their starts. Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis – whose 70-run stand was the foundation of Sri Lanka’s chase – were out in quick succession for 49 and 36, sparking that mini-collapse.”We are pleased with the win, but we should have played better,” Chandimal said. “The bowlers did their job very well. When batsmen get us a good start, they need to do a slightly better job of finishing the game.”Before we went in to bat, we had a plan to get bonus point before 40th over. But after the 25th over, we changed our minds since it was a tough wicket to bat on. The first aim was to win the game.” A finish before the 40-over mark would have earned Sri Lanka a bonus point.Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer too was critical of his batsmen. Only Brendan Taylor made a fifty following quick top-order wickets, and the tail offered little resistance. Cremer had won the toss and batted first expecting there to be runs in the surface, but his side could not muster a competitive score.”I thought we were 30 runs short with the bat,” Cremer said. “The wicket played a lot different to the last game. I thought we adjusted well when Brendan was in. We thought it was 230 that was par instead of 270. We just lost too many wickets in the middle overs. It didn’t help when Sikander Raza got out. I thought it was a crucial point in the game. If we got 230, we would have a really good chance of winning.”Although at the toss Cremer had expected batting conditions to become worse as the match wore on, he suggested the opposite was true, after the game had ended. Sri Lanka used the bouncer to good effect, with Thisara Perera taking three top-order wickets with short deliveries. Zimbabwe’s quicks had less success with short balls.”With the wicket being a little bit two-paced, I think Sri Lanka saw that quite early, and used [short balls] to their advantage. I think, in the evening, there was a little bit of dew, and it came on to the bat better – not like in the afternoon when it got stuck. We will keep that in mind when we bowl in the next game.”

Burnley are reportedly in talks to sign Sporting CP midfielder Renato Veiga, and an update has shared how much a deal could cost the Clarets.

What’s the latest Burnley transfer news?

Vincent Kompany and those at Turf Moor have been extremely busy so far this summer with a number of new players brought in for the club’s Premier League which began with a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last week.

In total, 11 new players have made the move to Burnley, with the club so far spending around £77m. Zeki Amdouni, James Trafford, Jordan Beyer, Dara O'Shea, Michael Obafemi, Luca Koleosho, Sander Berge, Wilson Odobert, Nathan Redmond, Lawrence Vigouroux and Jacob Bruun Larsen have all arrived, and it looks as if there could be further additions before the September 1 deadline.

The club are without a game this weekend with their scheduled top-flight fixture away against Luton Town postponed in advance, which could result in the club putting their focus firmly on the transfer market, looking to secure moves to add strength in depth to Kompany's squad. It appears as if Veiga is a player who the Clarets have their eye on, with an update emerging.

Journalist Dominik Schneider took to X in the last 48 hours to share what he’s heard on Veiga. He stated that the midfielder is being eyed by Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, however, the player’s representatives are in concrete talks with Burnley and Swiss outfit FC Basel, with a €6m fee wanted, although there is scope for a loan move with an option to buy.

“Renato Veiga is on the list of Borussia Monchengladbach. First their priority transfer is backup for Tomas Cvancara. Veiga's representatives are in concrete talks with Burnley FC + FC Basel. Sporting wants €6m transfer fee. Loan with option is also possible.”

Who is Renato Veiga?

Veiga is 20 years of age and is primarily a holding midfielder, although he can play as a centre-back or a left-back, so would offer plenty of versatility to Kompany’s squad.

The Portuguese youngster, already sponsored by Adidas, has represented and captained his country at U20 level and has been on the books of Sporting CP for a number of years.

Standing at 6ft 2, the left-footed gem is yet to make a senior appearance for Sporting CP, however, he did go out on loan to German club FC Augsburg last season, where he went on to turn out on 13 occasions in the Bundesliga.

Veiga has featured on nearly 50 occasions for Sporting CP’s B and U23 teams, and with his contract expiring in 2025, now could be the ideal time for Burnley to make their move.

Valued at €1m by Transfermarkt, Burnley and Kompany may see Veiga as an exciting youngster who could only get better in time with the right coaching. He appears to be a player in demand in the final few weeks of the window as well, so a move could be one to keep an eye on prior to the end of the month, wit the Clarets seemingly involved in talks.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Davinson Sanchez's exit could finally be advancing as Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra shares some news.

Who will leave Spurs?

Spurs' most high-profile exit this summer, not to mention the most devastating, was star striker Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich – coming after the Bavarians reached an agreement to sign him for a potential £103m total fee.

Kane's departure leaves manager Ange Postecoglou with a gaping hole in quality going forward, but they do have alternatives lined up, perhaps most notably highly-rated Gent striker Gift Orban.

Alongside Kane, midfielder Harry Winks completed a permanent move to Leicester City earlier this window, while Lucas Moura left upon the expiry of his contract in June.

Joe Rodon also put pen to paper on a season-long loan move to Championship side Leeds United, but Postecoglou is adamant more players need to leave before Spurs make further signings.

“We just can't keep bringing players in, we need to move some players out,” Postecoglou said recently.

"That's kind of where our focus is right now.

“Over the next three weeks what we don't want to do is have it all happen really late in the window which means we're caught short in any areas. It's got to work that way.

We can't just keep accumulating players. We've got a massive squad as it is at the moment and we need to work on that. Over the next three weeks the priority is to trim the squad down and see where we're at and then fill the gaps where we need to fill the gaps.”

Sanchez, who has been subject to criticism from sections of the Tottenham fanbase for some of his performances, is another player who could make way before September 1.

Tottenham had accepted a bid from Spartak Moscow for the Colombia international, but due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, a deal fell through – leaving Spurs to start from scratch in their attempts to sell.

In some good news for the club, it appears Sanchez's exit may well be gathering pace, as "several" sides have already made an approach to find out the conditions of a deal.

That is according to Sierra on X, who also says that AS Monaco are moving for the 27-year-old.

Indeed, there is "already advanced dialogues" between Monaco and Tottenham over a sale, and a formal offer has been expected imminently.

"Several teams have approached Tottenham to find out the conditions of Dávinson Sánchez (27)," wrote Sierra.

"AS Monaco would make an official offer in the next few hours; there are already advanced dialogues The thing about Spartak Moscow fell due to the sociopolitical issue with Russia."

What's been said about Davinson Sanchez?

The South American, who has over 50 caps for his country, hasn't had the best time at Tottenham overall since his move from Ajax last decade.

However, he has been praised in parts, namely by former Spurs boss Antonio Conte, who called Sanchez a "reliable" player last summer.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

“I want also to tell Sanchez. He played his last game in the starting 11 two months ago. He worked very hard and very well. To see him tonight to have this performance, makes me and my staff very happy,” Conte said .

“When we have players like Sanchez and Joe Rodon. A reliable player who doesn’t play but works very hard, the staff are very happy.”

Manchester United have issued a fresh statement on forward Marcus Rashford in the wake of crunch talks with manager Erik ten Hag.

• Rashford missed Newport win
• Has been spotted nightclubbing
• Met with Ten Hag for talks

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rashford was back at Manchester United on Monday for talks with Ten Hag after missing Sunday's FA Cup win over Newport County. The Red Devils said Rashford was absent from the game due to illness, but he has become embroiled in controversy after being spotted in a nightclub in Belfast and missing training. United have now issued a further update on the situation.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT MAN UTD SAID

  The club said in a statement: “Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Manager Erik ten Hag has history of exiling players who do not fit in with his methods, or who misbehave outside of the club, with Jadon Sancho one such example. He claimed the United boss had made him a "scapegoat" and thereafter, refused to apologise. He was subsequently loaned to Borussia Dortmund.

  By comparison, Rashford is back in training and is available for selection against Wolves on Thursday.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  United take on Wolves looking to bounce back from a loss to Nottingham Forest and a draw with Tottenham in the Premier League. They were last in action against Newport County, winning 4-2 in the FA Cup.

Sheffield United captain Anel Ahmedhodzic has criticised Rio Ferdinand for his "clearly biased" coverage of the penalty incident against West Ham.

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Ahmedhodzic calls Ferdinand 'biased'Ferdinand believes West Ham should have had a penaltyClaims Ahmedhodzic pulls Bowen to the groundWHAT HAPPENED?

Oli McBurnie's late penalty in the 103rd minute gave the Blades a 2-2 draw with the Hammers at Bramall Lane on Sunday, and West Ham manager David Moyes was incensed with several refereeing and video assistant rulings. Essentially, it was a potential foul on Jarrod Bowen as Ahmedhodzic and the West Ham attacker grappled inside Sheffield's box. The 24-year-old Bosnian lost sight of the ball as he wrapped two hands around the England international, which caused the pair to go down. The West Ham players immediately called for a penalty, but referee Michael Salisbury decided that there was not enough in the incident to warrant a spot-kick.

TNT Sports pundits Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand both stated that West Ham ought to have received a penalty after the game. However, Ahmedhodzic retaliated against the two last night, calling the former West Ham academy graduates "clearly biased."

AdvertisementWHAT AHMEDHODZIC SAID

In a video shared by TNT Sports on , the Blades captain said: "Clearly biased. You can see in the unedited footage where he pulls me down with him which makes me lose sight of the ball. Obviously, it’s been edited to make it look like a pen to West Ham."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Moyes was also left bemused when McBurnie was found to have been fouled by Alphonse Areola, even though the Hammers keeper was helped off the pitch as he sustained cuts on his nose and mouth, which allowed the Blades to equalise in the 103rd minute. For the Blades, the draw meant they breached the double-digit point-tally, becoming the last team to do so this season. West Ham, meanwhile, have fallen further behind Spurs in the battle for fifth and now sit within striking distance of Manchester United.

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DID YOU KNOW?

The goal by McBurnie was the latest on-record goal scored in the Premier League, overtaking Dirk Kuyt's penalty for Liverpool against Arsenal in April 2011 scored at 101:48 as per OptaJoe.

Tamil Nadu coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar has admitted to being aware of M Vijay’s injury that kept him out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Mumbai in Chennai on Thursday. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) had subsequently left Vijay out of the squad for the remaining games after he had “failed to report” to the ground citing “shoulder pain”.The TNCA had also stated in a press release that the state body, selection committee and the team physio were unaware of Vijay’s injury.Kanitkar, however, acknowledged the possibility of a “communication gap”, and said Vijay had informed him of his unavailability on the morning of the match. He also said the team wasn’t caught unawares. “Vijay had told me on the morning of the match that he wouldn’t be able to play,” reports quoted Kanitkar as saying at the end of the Tamil Nadu-Madhya Pradesh match on Friday. “I think there was some communication gap with the association. I knew about it before coming to the ground. I also already knew who to replace him with. It wasn’t a surprise because we were prepared for it.”Even during the Ranji Trophy match against Tripura earlier this season, he opted out on the morning of the match with a neck sprain. But on that occasion he came to the ground to get it treated. I know Vijay has always played with commitment for the state.”A top TNCA official, however, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the association’s decision to replace Vijay with young batsman Pradosh Ranjan Paul remained unchanged and that “the matter was closed.” The TNCA official had said on Friday that Vijay had informed the Tamil Nadu coach at about 7.30am on the day of the match. The TNCA was upset by Vijay’s last-minute withdrawal and had generally been unhappy with his “attitude” over a period of time.Although the TNCA official had confirmed there wasn’t any disciplinary action initiated against Vijay, he said that going forward national players wouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose matches once they had confirmed their availability for a tournament. He further said the issue was likely to come up for discussion at an executive committee meeting of the TNCA.Meanwhile, an injury-ridden Tamil Nadu side suffered another blow with captain Vijay Shankar ruled out of the Andhra game on Sunday. Offspinner Malolan Rangarajan has been added to the squad, which will now be captained by B Aparajith. Lead spinner R Ashwin, who picked up seven wickets from four games, is also set to miss the game. The official clarified Ashwin had sought permission of the TNCA in advance, and the association, in consultation with the selectors, granted his request.

Celtic are set for a 'crucial' period of the transfer window as Brendan Rodgers looks to acquire new talent and retain key assets at Parkhead, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest news involving Celtic?

The Hoops have been active in the market as Rodgers looks to maintain dominance in Scotland alongside making strides in the Champions League and have brought in six arrivals in the form of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Odin Thiago Holm, Maik Nawrocki, Marco Tilio, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Yang Hyun-jun, as per Transfermarkt.

Celtic have started the Scottish Premiership campaign in dominant fashion following their domestic clean sweep last term, defeating Ross County 4-2 and claiming a 3-1 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie in their opening two league matches, as per Sky Sports.

Retaining key assets will be an important part of Celtic's summer transfer business and the club have moved to open talks with Reo Hatate and Liel Abada over extending their deals at Parkhead, as per The Daily Record.

Club captain Callum McGregor, star striker Kyogo Furuhashi and Japan international Daizen Maeda have all penned extensions at the Celtic that will tie them to the club for the long-term future.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer guru Romano has stated that Celtic will place importance on keeping their best players at Parkhead alongside making further inroads to secure arrivals in the latter stages of the window.

Romano stated: “The next few days and weeks are going to be important for Celtic to keep their players at the club. This is crucial, and they know that after the Starfelt deal with Celta Vigo, it’s important for them to keep the players at the club, and then we will see the next moves at the end of the window.”

Who could Celtic sign and who could leave the club this summer?

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has taken to Twitter X to detail that Celtic are keen on Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Daniel Podence, stating the following: "Celtic are keen on Wolves winger Daniel Podence. He has one year left on his contract & wasn’t included in the squad last night. Wolves want around £12m, but it’s understood Celtic see room for negotiation, if they make an approach."

According to The Northern Echo, the Hoops are believed to be readying a 'formal approach' for Newcastle United outcast Ryan Fraser, who is out of the picture at St James' Park alongside Republic of Ireland international Jeff Hendrick and Isaac Hayden.

Fraser has been training with Newcastle United's second string and Celtic boss Rodgers has identified him as a 'viable target' to strengthen the wide areas.

Nantes full-back Quentin Merlin is also on the radar at Parkhead and has been scouted by Celtic on several occasions; however, it is said that the French youth international will cost in the region of £7 million, according to Mailplus.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier is reportedly a target for Celtic, though they will have to fend off competition from the likes of Crystal Palace, AS Monaco, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Saudi Pro League outfit Al Nassr, as per 90min.

A shattering spell of reverse swing by Tom Curran foiled Australia’s chase of a modest total as England took the one-day series 4-1

The Report by Daniel Brettig28-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA shattering spell of reverse swing by Tom Curran foiled Australia’s chase of a modest England total and in turn silenced a West Australian record crowd of 53,781 in the first ODI to be played at Perth’s new stadium. A trio of players from out west – Mitchell Marsh, AJ Tye and Marcus Stoinis – had prospered earlier in the match, but it was the effervescent Curran who had the final say, years after he had been childhood friends with Marsh when growing up in Zimbabwe.Australia seemed to be travelling comfortably in pursuit of 260 for victory, after England’s batsmen had squandered a series of starts, when Stoinis fell within sight of a hundred upon his promotion to No. 3 in the home side’s batting order. Having earlier ended a poor series for David Warner with a lively yorker, Curran was called back by Eoin Morgan and had his second ball curling back to confound the recalled Glenn Maxwell.Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Tim Paine followed, leaving England 4-1 victors in the 50-over series and underlining the fact that Australia are currently a long way from putting together a strong limited overs combination, less than 18 months away from next year’s World Cup. England were also well served by David Willey, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, while Jake Ball overcame considerable physical distress to complete his 10 overs. Winning the match without Mark Wood, Chris Woakes or Liam Plunkett was testament to the depth of the England ODI squad.The visitors had seemed headed for a tall total when Jason Roy was hitting the ball with plenty of power early on, but he, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales all failed to go on from promising starts to leave Joe Root more or less stranded with the England tail. In the game after taking his first international wickets, Tye used his vast array of pace variations to scoop five, reaping the rewards of some earlier good work by Marsh and also Zampa, who delivered his best spell of the series.Warner again departed cheaply, but his exit provided the chance for Stoinis to demonstrate his combination of poise and power in a way that will put him very much in the mix to be a more permanent fixture at No. 3. A promising stand with Travis Head, again looking comfortable as an opener, was ended by Morgan’s direct hit run out, which found the left-hander to be fractionally short of his ground.Smith has looked out of sorts all series, and did little to change that impression by being nearly stumped off Rashid and then comfortably stumped off Moeen, who drifted one away from Australia’s captain before sliding it past the outside edge and into Buttler’s gloves. Marsh was victim to a simply outstanding return catch from Moeen, who thrust out his right hand and plucked a fiercely struck straight drive just as the umpire was ducking for cover.For a time it appeared that Stoinis and Maxwell would take the Australians home, leaving the hosts needing just 70 from 97 balls with six wickets in hand. But when Stoinis failed to clear long-on when electing to loft Rashid, he opened up an end for Curran, who made the most of it, turning figures of 1 for 23 after five overs into a match-winning 5 for 35 after 9.2.Smith admitted that his decision to bowl first was based largely on unknowns about the stadium’s drop-in pitch, which offered an odd-looking mosaic of dry grass and greener areas. But it played well from the moment Roy flicked Starc’s first ball of the match through square leg, the vast square boundaries for a stadium devised primarily for football matches allowing an all-run four.Having begun the series with a whirlwind 180 at the MCG, Roy seemed intent on ending it in a similar manner, driving powerfully down the ground and through cover across a fast outfield. The ball after hitting Starc back over his head for six, he edged a ball angling across him through to Paine, only to be reprieved by the detection of a no-ball on replays after the event. Starc beat Roy for pace with the subsequent free-hit, but the no-ball looked likely to be costly as England strode to 44 in the first five overs.Some tighter bowling from the West Australian duo of Marsh and Tye forced Roy’s scoring rate to slacken, and ultimately drew his wicket when trying to force the pace once more – beaten by one of Tye’s slower ball variations and skying to mid-on. Bairstow then took it upon himself to drive the scoreboard forward, but he too was dismissed after making a start, dragging an indeterminate prod at Starc onto the stumps after Smith brought back his No. 1 strike bowler.Marsh, who bowled with notable economy, also ensured Hales would not go on from his own start by coaxing a top edge from a short ball, and Morgan swiped unsuccessfully at another ball banged into the pitch, taken by Stoinis running in from deep point. Buttler briefly threatened to go on the offensive before he too was fooled by Tye’s subtle changes in pace, leaving Root to try to lift the tally with the bowlers.He paid a price in pain when one of Tye’s deliveries came through slower than expected, Root through the shot and struck a painful blow in the ribs that he took some time to recover from. None of Moeen, Rashid or Willey could endure, and when Root found Warner at long on, the end was Tye’s. Australia went to the interval with confidence, but they were to be humbugged by Curran, much as they have been by a more focused and tactically alert England throughout this series.