If Ashes nightmares had a familiar setting, it would be Adelaide Oval, and Travis Head is still writing them. Day 3 began with England hanging on and ended with Australia firmly in control, Head’s second century of the series turning fleeting hopes into growing inevitability.
England began the morning with more defiance than desperation. Ben Stokes, battered and struggling with convulsions, buried himself next to Jofra Archer to increase their resistance. The pair frustrated Australia with a stubborn 106-run stand for the ninth wicket, drawing applause for their courage, if not their scoring rate. Stokes’ half-century, the slowest of his Test career, felt more like an act of survival than ambition. The second new ball finally did its thing. Mitchell Starc bowled Stokes for 83and Archer soon followed, catching Scott Boland for a hard-earned 51. England were all out for 286, leaving Australia 85 in the lead.
Ashes 2025, Adelaide Test Day 3: Highlights
The visitors sensed an opening when Australia lost Jake Weatherald trapped lbw before lunch. Josh Tongue then removed the scrappy Marnus Labuschagne and for a short spell the Oval was buzzing with tension. That feeling didn’t last long.
Head, who could do nothing but watch as the first double blows struck Australia, he increased and the mood instantly changed. He and Usman Khawaja batted with authority, adding 86 runs in quick time, Head picking the gaps with ease and punishing anything loose. Even when Khawaja and Cameron Green fell close together, he felt no real sense of danger. Head simply found another partner.
That partner was Alex Carey and together they delivered a knockout blow. The last over turned into a wave for Australia as the pair stitched an unbroken stand of 122 runs and amassed 152 runs in 35 overs. England’s bowlers faltered and the field widened with each over.
Head’s century came after a moment of drama, dropped on 99 by Harry Brook at gully. He made England pay, reaching his 11th Test hundred off 146 balls. It was his fourth consecutive Test century in Adelaide, cementing a remarkable bond with the venue. Carey, who continued his stellar innings after his first-innings hundred, brought up a quiet fifty of his own.
At stumps, Australia were 271 for four and held on to a lead of 356. The Ashes holders were already 2-0 up and Adelaide again looks like the place where England’s resistance is fading – and where Travis Head is thriving.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
December 19, 2025
