As Australia built scoreboard pressure as the England scoring rate slowed the breakthrough came their way as Bairstow (26) glanced the ball to Adam Voges at short leg. Replays would later show that the Yorkshireman had been hard done by after the ball struck the helmet of Voges for being caught, thus being a dead ball.
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“We spoke about the fact we wanted to try and win 4-1, maybe we got a bit caught up with that as opposed to actually focusing on what we’ve done well”.
England were much more restrained in their second essay, especially skipper Alastair Cook, who took 27 deliveries to get off strike.
Thursday’s innings saw Smith become the first Australian since Matthew Elliott in 1997 to score more than 500 runs in an Ashes series in England.
Smith put the game on Australia’s terms, playing conservatively for the majority of his 394 minutes at the crease.
“Six wickets at the end of the day…it turned out to be a pretty good one for us”, Siddle said.
Johnson picked up a wicket, Lyon and Peter Siddle picked up 2 each and Mitchell Marsh accounted for 3 scalps.
His line and length masterclass was rewarded with the wicket of English opener Adam Lyth as Australia restricted the Poms to 1/31 from 17 overs at lunch on day three.
The tourists’ No 3 resumed on 78 and moved to his hundred in 197 balls, having hit 12 fours and a six.
Ian Bell (10) and Joe Root (6) aimlessly scratched around before departing in quick succession against exemplary pace bowling.
But with the weather forecast predicting rain and gloom, Clarke uttered the words which hadn’t left his mouth as a Test or state captain: “We’ll send them back in”.
Neither managed it, Bell losing his off bail to a ideal ball from Siddle and Root going caught behind to Marsh when Australia overturned a not-out verdict via the tightest of DRS calls.
Steve Finn, who had earlier taken his 100th Test wicket when dismissing Mitchell Marsh, was given the task of explaining the performance as well as setting out the escape plan.
Lyth’s attempt to revive England here, and keep himself in the reckoning for a winter tour, then foundered against the excellent Peter Siddle after Michael Clarke unsurprisingly enforced the follow-on, and at lunch the total was 31 for one.
Steven Finn’s delivery was tame and wide, Smith flapped at it ineffectually and umpire Aleem Dar initially failed to spot a huge front foot no-ball.
England still trailed by 374 runs – with Moeen Ali and Mark Wood both undefeated on 8 – and Australia nearly certainly having to decide Saturday whether to enforce the follow-on.
Marsh was unable to mark his recall with worthwhile runs, though, fencing high to second slip to give Finn his century after all.
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Jonny Bairstow then committed the second faulty Yorkshire pull of the evening, off the returning Johnson straight to deep square-leg, before Buttler was bowled through the gate by Lyon.
