Recap all the action from day three of the Gabba Test here

Brisbane: Australians saw in Perth what happens when Bazball is played without brains. On Saturday, it became evident what happens when there is no boldness either.

Of all the bad days England have had in the field on these shores, few would have matched Saturday for meekness and mindlessness.

A team that has too often tipped over into recklessness with the bat – and did again – bowled with no sense of adventure or imagination. They copped their right whack. Defeat will come, probably as early as Sunday.

The time to attack for England came long before openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett strode out to bat as the floodlights began to take effect. It arrived hours earlier – at 2.44pm local time, to be precise – when Alex Carey nicked off with the lead at a not insignificant but still manageable 82.

With only Nos.10 and 11 to accompany Mitchell Starc, and a pink ball just three overs’ old, the end should have come swiftly. Instead, the lead more than doubled, due primarily to the 75-run partnership between Starc and Scott Boland. No ninth-wicket pairing for Australia has scored more at the Gabba.

Days ago, Ben Stokes bristled at Mitchell Johnson’s description of his team as arrogant. The England captain was proven right with his deferential approach to Starc.

Starc is a capable lower-order batter who has........

© The Sydney Morning Herald