Head finally missed a sweep at Jacob Bethell to be lbw just after lunch, bringing Usman Khawaja to the crease for what could be his final innings in Test cricket. Screens at the SCG read, “Thank you, Uzzy”, in honour of the 39-year-old’s last Test before retiring.
Curiously, Stokes burned through his own overs and gave the second new ball to Carse and Potts, but at least Carse trapped Khawaja lbw for 17.
After Tongue had Alex Carey caught at leg slip, Smith added 61 for the seventh wicket with Cameron Green.
This was Smith’s 37th Test hundred, 13th in Ashes Tests and first against England since the second Test at Lord’s in 2023. It was full of his idiosyncratic movements, frustrations of the opposition and punctuated with sweet drives through the covers. He twice hit Bethell’s left-arm spin for straight sixes.
When he reached 84, he went past Hobbs’ Ashes tally of 3,636 to nestle behind Bradman, then went to three figures with a paddle off Bethell for three.
Green holed out to deep square leg to give Carse his third wicket of the day, yet Australia’s elongated batting order had all-rounder Beau Webster arriving at nine to provide yet more support to Smith.
The eighth-wicket pair have added an unbroken 81, with Webster on 42 not out. Potts was asked to bowl one more futile spell of bouncers, with the maddening Smith playing tennis-style smashes and signalling a wide to the umpires.
The ground emptied, Australia passed 500 and the Barmy Army chanted with unlimited energy. Theirs was comfortably the most impressive performance of England’s day.
