5th Test, Day 3: England 384 all out trail Australia 518-8 (Head 163, Smith 129*; Carse 3-108) by 134 runs
SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND — England’s Ashes series was alive for 11 days of actual cricket. Now the final, merciful indignity of a wretched tour is close after a third day of this fifth Test that saw Australia surely administer the last rites on the failing Bazball regime.
As has so often been the story over the past decade or so, Steve Smith was the chief tormentor as the Australian great’s 37th Test century – and 13th in Ashes combat – took this game decisively away from Ben Stokes’ beleaguered and beaten-looking team.
By stumps, England’s lead of 218 at the start of the day had been turned into a 134-run deficit. Expect an Australia victory, probably by an innings, at some point on the fourth day.
It would cap a miserable tour for this team, who now look destined to finish on the wrong end of a 4-1 series scoreline.
When the post-mortem begins, one of the main things that will be looked at will be coach Brendon McCullum’s decision to dispense with a fielding coach. Carl Hopkinson was sidelined right at the start of the New Zealander’s tenure in 2022, pushed solely into a role in the white-ball set-up.
'An absolute howler!' Travis Head is dropped by Will Jacks just as England try a new plan to stop the Australian! pic.twitter.com/kCheKLXZUV
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) January 6, 2026When McCullum took over that as well at the start of last year, Hopkinson was ushered off into the sunset after six years with England.
England’s catching, especially of big chances, has been a running theme of this abysmal series. On this third day that sloppiness that sums up how ill-prepared this coaching set-up was heading into this huge tour reared its head again as England put down another four chances.
It brings their total for the series to 17, with the drop of Smith on 12 the costliest of the lot as the Aussie icon finished day three unbeaten on 129.
The chance that flew to Zak Crawley at leg slip wasn’t regulation. It wasn’t that difficult either, the kind the Australians have been taking routinely throughout the series.
Fielding coach Carl Hopkinson (left) has not worked with the Test team since McCullum got rid of him (Photo: Getty)It’s not as if England couldn’t see this coming either. Last summer in five Tests against India they dropped 18 chances.
In all, the cost of all these drops in Australia will probably be counted in jobs: namely those of McCullum, his slimmed-down backroom staff and managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key.
But in terms of runs, they have cost England a grand total of 554 and counting considering Smith is still in with the power to add.
For those who want to relive the gruesome details of England’s carelessness in this series, here’s a rundown of all 17 chances they’ve spurned.
England’s dropped catches in full
First Test, Perth
No drops
Second Test, Brisbane
1st innings: Travis Head on 3 – Jamie Smith fumbles nick behind off Jofra Archer. Easy. Cost: 30 1st innings: Alex Carey 0 – looped to Ben Duckett at gully off Brydon Carse. Should have been taken. Cost: 63 1st innings: Josh Inglis 21 – carved to Duckett at gully off Stokes. Cost: 2 1st innings: Michael Neser 6 – Carse misses catchable chance at extra cover off Archer. Cost: 10 1st innings: Carey 25 – edged past Joe Root at first slip off Gus Atkinson. Tough. Cost: included above 1st innings: Mitchell Starc 27 – Archer misjudged coming up from long-off off Carse. Probably takes it if he dives. Cost: 50Total cost in Test: 155 (Australia won by eight wickets chasing a target of 65)
Third Test, Adelaide
1st innings: Usman Khawaja 5 – Harry Brook at second slip off Josh Tongue. Came at speed but should have been pouched. Cost: 77 1st innings: Carey 52 – low to Carse’s left at short cover off Archer. Tough. Cost: 54 2nd innings: Travis Head 99 – Brook at gully off Archer. Low but should have been taken. Cost: 71Total: 202 – England lost by 82 runs
Fourth Test, Melbourne
2nd innings: Scott Boland 0 – flies to Jacob Bethell at gully off Atkinson. Hard but one that should have been taken. Cost: 6 2nd innings: Head 26 – a slow-moving Will Jacks high at point off Tongue. Cost: 20Total: 26
Fifth Test, Sydney (so far)
1st innings: Jake Weatherald 9 – Root gets hand to high, tough chance at slip off Matthew Potts. Cost: 12 1st innings: Weatherald 14 – Duckett spills chest-high regulation chance at square leg off Carse. Cost: included above 1st innings: Head 121 – Jacks on the midwicket boundary off Carse. Easiest high catch you’ll see. Cost: 42 1st innings: Head 124 – Carse at deep third off Potts. Tough one-handed effort but got fingers on it. Cost: included above 1st innings: Smith 12 – Zak Crawley low but catchable at leg slip off Tongue. Cost: 117 – so far 1st innings: Head 156 – Jacks tough return catch chance. Cost: included aboveTotal: 171 and counting
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