Start building the Travis Head statue at Adelaide Oval after the left-hander powered to his fourth hundred in as many Tests at his home ground to grind England into the dust.
Day three of the third Ashes Test was effectively England’s last chance to conjure up a miraculous comeback to win the match and keep the series alive.
And after a promising tail-wagging opening session to close the first innings gap to 85 and reducing Australia to 4-149, they had a faint sniff of the improbable.
But they had no answer for Head’s controlled aggression as he racked up his second hundred in three Tests since his surprise elevation to opener, smashing an unbeaten 142 off 196 balls.
Head and fellow South Australian star Alex Carey (52 not out) peeled off a sparkling 122-run unbroken partnership to the delight of most of the 53,696 fans in attendance to lift Australia to 4-271 at stumps, an overall lead of 356.
The 31-year-old vice-captain had a slice of luck on the way to reaching three figures.
He was dropped by Harry Brook in the gully on 99 after getting a thick edge to a square drive off Jofra Archer.
Brook dived full stretch to his left and got both hands to the ball just above the ground but the six-stitcher tumbled to the turf.
“It was a catch that should have been taken. It was an open-face slash, you’ve got to be ready for those if you’re Harry Brook,” said former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe on Fox Cricket commentary.
After eight nervous dot balls one short of his ton, Head lofted Joe Root down the ground for a boundary and got down on his knees to kiss his beloved home Adelaide turf.
Head took 72 balls to reach his half-century and his second 50 was a couple of deliveries slower due to his nervous 90s stint.
England melted in the afternoon sun as the hometown duo continually found the gaps with Head upping the ante after sealing his triple-figure milestone.
Carey, following up his 106 in the first innings, reached his half-century off 84 balls in the shadows of stumps, motoring along in career-best form with a minimum of fuss.
While Head has solidified one opening spot, the selectors could change his partner for the Boxing Day Test.
With Steve Smith set to return from illness to slot in at No.4, the Aussies could switch his Adelaide replacement Usman Khawaja back to the top of the order after Jake Weatherald went cheaply for the second time in the match.
After getting just 18 on day one, Weatherald was incorrectly given out LBW to a ball which pitched outside leg stump on one to Brydon Carse and did not review the dodgy decision.
Jake Weatherald after being dismissed on Day 3 of the third Ashes Test. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Khawaja, , after a strong 82 in the first innings, looked assured in making 40 before he got an edge to a wide Will Jacks half-tracker to at least give himself a chance of retiring with back-to-back Tests at the MCG and SCG.
Cameron Green is also no certainty to maintain his spot after he followed up his day-one duck with just seven, edging Josh Tongue to Brook in the cordon after Marnus Labuschagne had done likewise on 13.
Beau Webster is waiting in the wings as a like-for-like allrounder replacement if the selectors run out of patience with Green, although that would mean the only player under 30 is no longer in the team.
“Nothing against Beau Webster, he’s a phenomenal talent but Cam Green is a great asset to the Australian cricket team,” former Test quick Brett Lee said on Fox Cricket commentary.
“But of course he needs runs, as simple as that.”
Josh Inglis is the other batter who will be under the pump to keep their spot as long as Smith gets the green light to return.
England skipper Ben Stokes needed time off the field during Australia’s second innings, which is to be expected after he cramped up on Thursday during his lengthy knock to prevent his team from collapsing altogether.
Stokes did not bowl in the second dig after getting through 19 in hot conditions on day one.
It is understandable that he is feeling the pinch given the heavy burden that he has had to shoulder for his team of show ponies.
Archer is one teammate who can hold his head up high.
The Barbados-born speedster, who took five wickets in the first innings and was the only bowler to trouble the Aussies on day three, converted his overnight score of 30 into his first Test half-century.
Archer has been a part of two of the four best England partnerships of the series – the fact that he has batted no higher than 10 is a sad indictment on the touring team’s bumbling batting unit.
Stokes and Archer stretched their partnership to 106 before the skipper was bowled through the gate to be dismissed for a 12th time by Mitchell Starc, stomping his feet like a tearful toddler after hearing the rattle of his timbers being disrupted.
Archer followed soon after for 51 after edging Scott Boland to Labuschagne as England posted a much more respectable total of 286 after their top order’s latest failure.
England’s bowling was again wayward, handing the home side plenty of four-balls, easing the pressure repeatedly during the few occasions when they had the batters on the back foot.
Even if they are able to rip through the Australian lower order on Saturday, they are still going to be facing a record fourth-innings run-chase that will be hundreds of runs out of reach.
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