Ashes 2017/18, 3rd Test Day 1: 5 things we learnt from the day
Dawid Malan smashed his maiden Test hundred and Jonny Bairstow cashed in on his promotion to No. 6 to stop the rut England found themselves in after a glaring spell under the glowing sky by Australia's pace trio. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were all over England with a barrage of bouncers with their average speeds touching 142.5kmph according to CricViz, the best on any day of Test cricket.
The sweltering pace and movement accounted for Alastair Cook and James Vince early on and Cummins returned to plot the downfall of the skipper Root. The spectacular Mark Stoneman, who was England's best batsman till then, fell to a Starc bumper. If it was all Australia till then, the remaining day belonged to England and more importantly to Malan.
A fearless Malan took on the short ball and showed that he wasn't scared to go for his shots. Bairstow joined the party and the duo combined for a fabulous century partnership which altered the course of the whole match:
#5 Cook's woes continue in 150th Test
Alastair Cook was handed his 150th cap on the morning of the 3rd Test today from Joe Root but if he thought that would reverse his fortunes, he was wrong. Although he did appear in better nick on a flat WACA wicket, Cook was undone by another fullish length ball from Mitchell Starc and was dismissed for 7.
Cook's horrendous for has raised questions about his place in the side. There are rumours going around about a retirement post the series particularly with his technical frailty against the fuller ball.