Last test at this venue.

It seems there was a shocker of decision on review to give Stoneman out for 56.
Technology is supposed to improve matters but those using it don't have a clue nothing is going to improve.

We are in a bit of trouble this test, great decision to select Marsh now when we need a big score....

It's hard to believe the selectors keep going with the marsh brothers

Shaun has had a better year finally at the age of 34

It really is crazy, i can understand Shaun Marsh as atleast he can grind out a decent score, but Mitch has failed every time he has played for Australia. Especially ridiculous when batting has been our issue not our bowling, so what we do is select someone to bat at 6 who is a worse batter than Starc and Cummins.

As much as I'm enjoying England collapse this is still a dangerous lead when we are playing an all rounder
Perth is a ground where collapses are possible because it's very easy to get the new batsmen out. However once u are in it is like a road and u have to cash in

I thought our bowlers were a fraction short yesterday

I'm not talking about the chin music which was quite effective I'm talking about the stock deliveries 

Ambrose used to comment that a lot of fast bowlers fall into the trap of bowling back of a length at Perth when the ideal length is slightly fuller than normal

Need Smith or Khawaja if not both to get a big score today, if we are going to win this test i feel we need about a 50 run lead minimum going into the 3rd innings. Chasing a decent total on a day 5 pitch will be very difficult.

With Smith being in sublime form it is up to Marsh, Marsh and the rest to stay with him and the 403 England made will look like a small total. 
Overton got the first two wickets but injured himself trying to catch a third which is bad news for England.

Game is pretty even at the moment but if the pitch holds up a 200 run lead isn't crazy...

I think Australia is desperate for an all rounder to bowl some overs to continue the effectiveness of the three fast bowlers by lightening their workload. Mitch Marsh does this quite well on Australian pitches.

The trouble is Handscomb's current form hasn't been that good.

Issue wasn't dropping Handscombe, it is selecting Marsh so our tail now begins at 6.

Marsh isn't even the best batsman of the bowlers, Cummins has a higher test match average and only slightly lower first class record. Marsh has a lower first class average than Ian Healy, he simply does not belong in the top six of a test match country except Zimbabwe and even that is questionable.

Well Marsh has made me look quite foolish, what an innings from him and Smith.

Most agreed with you yesterday. Now on 180 odd not out, he has performed on the biggest stage on his home wicket. It will be interesting to see if he can transfer this performance to other wickets, particularly overseas.

Ricky Ponting analysed how his footwork has changed to rectify his technical weaknesses. He has worked a lot with the Meulemans on back foot defensive play in recent times according to Justin Langer.

Marsh has made 180 odd not out!

His strike rate has been phenomenal too.

seems like the selectors brilliant strategy of "selecting players that are so unjustified that they galvanize fans against them so much that the player plays for their life and performs admirably" seems to be working once again :D 

We can cruise for another hour then go berserk trying to bat till an hour after lunch if there was no rain

Absolutely incredible, however England's bowling was nothing short of abysmal and Root's field selections equally poor. I can see why India were managing to score 600-700 with ease

Jason Gillespie scored a double century, he didn't belong in the top six
Wasim Akram scored a double century, he didn't belong in the top six
Guy Whittall scored a double century, he didn't belong in the top six

Lots of non test match standard batsmen have scored centuries, one innings does not make a career.

This will be the bright spot in an otherwise career of failures. 

Mitchell Marsh has certainly improved with the bat and that was a great knock. But it was on a flat deck with no sideways movement against a tired bowling attack. Need to see more evidence before I’ll call him a number six.

England look very tired and jaded. They will need a lot of assistance from the weather tomorrow to save this game.

Also, that ball from Starc was filthy, even if it did hit a crack.

You've made some good points, particularly Jason Gillespie's fluke innings! Mitch Marsh may have improved a few technical glitches in his batting though.

A few English batters I really like the look of on this sort of pitch, are Vince, Malan and keeper Bairstow. Vince needs to rotate the strike more often, as a huge number of his runs have come from boundaries.  They've had to bat under a fair bit of pressure in this series as Cook and Root, supposedly the batting stars, haven't performed to expectations. To make matters worse they've had to play against an outstanding Australian attack. They've also done reasonably well on pitches quite different from home.

Unplayable!

Vince was set too, batting imperiously and didn't look like getting out.

As the Ashes has progressed, Hazlewood seems to be bowling better and finding a good rhythm.

Conversely, Cummins seems to have lost his power through the crease in his delivery stride. Maybe  he has never bowled as much before in matches?

He appeared to be getting even more venom out of flat pitches in Bangladesh and India. I think Cummins is losing pace and doesn't seem to have the stamina of Starc and Hazlewood, even though on the subcontinent he may have been more potent than either. He was bowling some brutes of balls that reared up off a length over there. He was also clocking over 145kph regularly on the speed gun.

fast bowlers can often get little niggles that aren't severe enough to count as injuries but still affect performance

it probably takes more athleticism to do what he did in the sub continent than doing the same here

he is currently at 11/331 for the series which is ok but your right it could be better

It seems like Cummins has been designated as the as the short pitched specialist to rough up the tail.

His bouncers and short pitched deliveries into the ribs that seem to lift disconcertingly off a length are potent because he hits the wicket so hard.

The win yesterday at the WACA has given Australia The Ashes, but unlike our media and fans rejoicing, I've taken note of our team  playing on the subcontinent.

The current attack, when fit, is one the best in cricket history on Australian pitches. The problem is is there is always someone injured. Starc has a bruised heel and Cummins needs a rest ATM.

Back up express bowlers, like Pattinson and Coulter-Nile, are injury prone.  Neither have played First Class cricket over a sustained period.

In Australian conditions there is no back up to  Lyon. He is one of best bowlers in world cricket ATM in any conditions. O'Keefe and Holland are okay on the  subcontinent.

Smith's performance with the bat and the potency of the attack  has taken the scrutiny away from the rest of the batting line up.  Most have failed this campaign with poor averages. After watching a lot of cricket overseas, I think Renshaw has good technique to succeed and should be not too far from a call up. Paine's batting has succeeded for a specialist keeper. He is our best keeper. The Tasmanian selectors have a lot to answer for.

This series has shown how good Australia is in home conditions, nothing more.

I agree, while we are 3-0 up it is has been far from convincing. We are fortunate this England team is playing utterly awful cricket at the minute.

in the modern era away form is getting worse across the board
A while ago I showed form away from home for every top nation and Australia were second best
only south africa are consistently competitive away from home (albeit weaker at home which hurts their rankings)

Unfortunately the new standard is winning/drawing games away from home rather than series. 

I'm very happy to have been wrong about Mitchell Marsh's batting. Previously, I didn't think he had either the technique or the attitude.

But he has gone away and really worked on it at first-class level. Now, when he blocks, he doesn't just plant his feet and throw his hands at the ball. Instead, he moves forwards or backwards with crisp, decisive footwork to get to the pitch of the ball. If he playing a front foot defensive stroke, he bends his front need, has soft hands and plays the ball late with a straight bat. There was little or no lateral movement during his innings (except the delivery that dismissed him, and it deviated enough to get anybody out). But this will serve him well when the ball is zipping around. Hopefully he keeps this going forward. He already drives well, cuts well and plays nice pull shot. Plus, he can rotate the strike. Shaun Marsh has those technical strengths too (front foot defensive shot, pull shot, cut shot, cover drive) and his main issue has been one of concentration. But he seems to have worked on that.

Well done, selectors.

Especially with Tim Paine. Gun cricketer. Knew that was the best call. Very happy for the bloke, too.