Ashes series: WACA bounces back to life

The WACA bounce is back — breaking bats, helmets and English hearts before the tourists rallied deep in the afternoon.

England’s Dawid Malan watches as Australia’s Cameron Bancroft and captain Steve Smith miss a slips catch at the WACA yesterday Picture: AAP.

England have counterpunched hard after the Australian pace attack broke their bats and helmets but not their resolve on a fast day-one pitch in the third Test at the WACA Ground.

At last the English batting clicked as Dawid Malan posted his maiden Test ton and his side’s first of the series, guiding them to 4-305 at stumps after an engrossing opening day.

Malan (110) and Jonny Bairstow (75) have added 174 to rescue England from a precarious 4-131 after they won the toss and batted.

The English would still be waiting for their first hundred of the series had Cameron Bancroft held a catch at third slip when Malan was 92. Malan flailed at Mitchell Starc’s first delivery with the second new ball and while the edge flew fast, they all fly fast at the WACA. Bancroft’s angst was amplified by the fact the ball was tracking to the safe hands of Steve Smith at second.

With rain forecast for days four and five, the tourists would hope to push past 450 to at least put the match out of Australia’s reach, meaning the series will remain alive in Melbourne.

Australian keeper Tim Paine said the attack might have bowled a fraction better but the pitch — while faster than in recent times — was good for batting.

“Traditionally in Perth when two batters get in, it can be really difficult to get them out,” Paine said. “And you can score really quickly and really freely, so I thought they played really well.

“We let one of them off late there, but apart from that they batted really well and showed us how you have to apply yourself on that wicket and if you do there’s lots of runs out there.”

On a day when a spot fixing storm raged briefly before taking a back seat, the WACA pitch — fast and true while providing premium value for shots — was the star of the show in what is billed as its final Ashes Test.

THIRD TEST: Scoreboard

After all the thousands of words about not falling into the trap of bowling too short at the WACA, the Australians often bowled too short at the WACA.

When they adjusted their lengths they reaped the rewards and would have been happy to have Alastair Cook (seven) and Joe Root (20) out with the score only 131.

Root and Mark Stoneman (56) were building a stand of substance before the Australian pacemen lifted with the quickening pitch.

Josh Hazlewood led the charge in a spell just as fiery as the one that delivered the denouement in Adelaide.

Hazlewood found Stoneman’s edge when the opener was 52 but newly-installed first slip Mitchell Marsh dropped a catch that more than a few at the ground suggested the discarded Peter Handscomb might have taken.

Then Hazlewood fired down a bouncer that sent pieces flying off Stoneman’s helmet and attendants scurrying onto the field.

The left-hander zigged when he should’ve zagged, taking his eyes off the ball to be hit on the grille. The busted helmet went the same way as the bat broken by Mitchell Starc earlier in Stoneman’s innings. Presumably both went in the bin that accepted Matt Prior’s bat in the 2013-14 Ashes.

It’s dangerous to look away even for an instant when the WACA wicket is playing to its script, and so it was the very next ball when Stoneman was nearly caught by a diving Nathan Lyon charging in from point.

Hazlewood’s fiery maiden was unrewarded but these days it’s all about bowling in partnerships and four balls later Pat Cummins struck. Root’s good fortune in winning the toss soon turned bad when he was caught behind from a failed glance.

Starc took Hazlewood’s place and almost immediately had Stoneman out for 56 in contentious circumstances. Sensing a weakness in Stoneman’s formidable defences, the Australians peppered him with bouncers.

Stoneman appeared to glove a steepling Starc ball to Paine — who soared to take a spectacular one-hander. Marais Erasmus was unmoved, so the Australians went upstairs. Aleem Dar overturned the decision on what appeared to be unconvincing evidence.

But later replays appeared to show the ball pushing back the thick padding on the batsman’s top glove, vindicating Dar’s call.

The DRS has been a leading and unwanted player in the series and so it was again, especially when Stoneman was stopped by teammates in the viewing area who waved at him to turn around.

It was a forlorn hope. The decision stood and it was left to Malan and Bairstow to build again.

Their 50 stand came soon after tea; the 100 partnership ticked over just after drinks in the final session; and the 150 almost 10 minutes into extra time.