"Faces flush from the exertion, Ben Stokes and his men trudged off at stumps seeing pink elephants. Steve Smith's 37th Test century, 129 not out from 205 balls, had followed the second half of Travis Head's sizzling 163 from 166 and with it Australia had reached 518 for seven from 124 overs. The lead sat at 134 runs overnight and looked an ominous one."
"The surface on day three was great to bat on, as was the attack to bat against. No bowler shirked but the figures were still grim, not least Matthew Potts shipping 141 from 25 overs on his return to the side and suffering the indignity of three-figures via a monstrous pulled six from Head. Travis Head celebrates reaching his 150. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/PA It also helped that three more catches went to ground."
"They honoured the victims and first responders of the Bondi atrocity fittingly on the first day of this fifth Test, and on the third the Sydney Cricket Ground became a sea of pink to once again generate welcome funds for the McGrath Foundation. Out in the middle, however, Australian charity was in far shorter supply. Across three sessions their batters ground England's bowlers into the dust and answered the questions about their motivation since winning the Ashes, not least following the madness of Melbourne."
Australia produced an overwhelming batting performance at the SCG, reaching 518 for seven from 124 overs. Travis Head scored 163 from 166 balls and Steve Smith added a 37th Test century, finishing 129 not out from 205 balls. The match atmosphere included tributes for Bondi atrocity victims and a sea of pink raising funds for the McGrath Foundation. The surface played very well for batting, and England's bowlers laboured; Matthew Potts conceded 141 runs from 25 overs. England dropped several catches, burned reviews, and saw their fielding and bowling answers questioned after previous Ashes drama.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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