Day three at Adelaide Oval—yeah, that one definitely belonged to Australia. Travis Head put on a show with the bat, and the bowlers did everything right to shove England closer to another loss. Let’s break down how the day played out, session by session, as the hosts tightened their grip on the series.
| Score at the end of day 3 | Australia 371 England 286 Australia 271/4 |
| England’s top performer | Jofra Archer with two wickets and a brilliant 50 down the order |
| Australia’s top performer | Travis Head 142* of 196, 13 fours & 2 sixes |
| Fielder of the day | Harry Brook to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne |
First Session: England’s Resistance Comes To An End
First up, England started the morning hanging on at 213 for 8, still 158 runs behind. Ben Stokes was on 45, Jofra Archer on 30, and honestly, they were the last bit of hope for England. They dug in, sweating it out under that brutal Adelaide sun, and somehow managed to frustrate the Aussies for a while.
Stokes was the first to go. Starc finally knocked him over. He battled his way to 83 from 198 balls. Then shortly after that, Archer departed, caught by Labuschagne off Boland after fighting his way to 51. That partnership with Stokes made it possible for England to keep the deficit under 100. England were bowled out for 286, thus Australia got a lead of 85 runs. The bowlers did their job—Pat Cummins took three wickets, Nathan Lyon grabbed two.
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Second Session: England’s Sparks With An Early Breakthrough, But Head’s Resilience Sums Up The Session
After lunch, Australia started their second innings, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Jake Weatherald fell early—LBW to Brydon Carse, and honestly, Weatherald should’ve gone for a review. At lunch, Australia were 17 for 1, and their lead was up to 102. Then, Josh Tongue gave England a little something to cheer about when he got Labuschagne, who never looked comfortable, caught at slip by Harry Brook. Labuschagne’s scratchy knock ended with Australia at 53 for 2.
But then Travis Head took over. Playing at home, he went on the attack, hitting his fifty in style. Before this match, he’d already scored 701 runs at an average of nearly 78 at Adelaide Oval, and he wasn’t about to slow down now. Usman Khawaja, filling in for the injured Steve Smith, kept things steady at the other end.
Australia put on 102 runs in the afternoon for just one wicket. By tea, they were 119 for 2, leading by 204. Head was 68 not out, Khawaja on 27, and England were looking tired.
Third Session: Head’s Century Seals Australia’s Dominance
Just after the break, Khwaja departed on 40, Carrey joined in, & then the last session was all about Travis Head. He played with total confidence, racing toward another century at his home ground. England gave him a life on 99, dropping a sitter— it took him nine deliveries to take one run and go the magical tree figures. Actually, he hit a boundary over mid-on to reach his hundred. The second player ever to hit four consecutive Test centuries at the same venue. He took off his helmet, kissed the Adelaide pitch, and the crowd went wild.
Shortly after the Head’s century, Carrey brought up his half-century and continued to show brilliance in this test match. Head and Carrey just kept piling on the runs, and Australia’s lead ballooned past 200. By stumps, the game felt all but over for England—Australia is in a position to wrap up the Ashes with two games to spare.
Conclusion
Day 3 showcased the gulf between the two sides. While Stokes and Archer showed fighting spirit in the morning, Australia’s complete dominance with both bat and ball has left England staring at another heavy defeat. Travis Head’s masterful century has all but sealed the fate of the series, bringing Australia one step closer to retaining the Ashes.
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