At stumps on Day 3 of the fifth Australia vs England Ashes Test, Australia reached 518 for 7 in their first innings. England were earlier bowled out for 384. Australia now leads by 134 runs with three wickets still left.
Steve Smith played a big role in the day. He scored a century at his home ground and stayed unbeaten at the end of play. Beau Webster supported him well and finished the day on 42 not out. Their partnership crossed 70 runs and helped Australia go past 500.
Travis Head was the star earlier in the day. He was dismissed for 163 after another aggressive innings. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. His knock pushed Australia into a strong position before his wicket.
England struggled with bowling and fielding. They dropped chances, and their bowlers leaked runs. Matthew Potts had a tough day and went past 100 runs conceded without taking a wicket. Will Jacks and others could not stop the flow of runs late in the day.
Travis Head smashes third Ashes century at SCG, creates historic opener record in fifth Australia vs England Ashes Test
Travis Head scored his third century of the Ashes 2025–26 in the fifth Australia vs England Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He made 163 runs off 166 balls and put England under heavy pressure. This made him the first Australian opener since Matthew Hayden in 2002–03 to score three centuries in one Ashes series.
Australia were replying to England’s first innings total of 384. Head led the batting from the start and shared strong partnerships for the first four wickets. He was unbeaten on 91 at the end of Day 2 and completed his hundred on Day 3. He reached the century in 105 balls. Earlier in the series, he had scored 123 in Perth and 170 in Adelaide.
Head hit 24 fours and one six in his innings. He reached 150 runs in 152 balls, which is the joint third-fastest Ashes 150 ever. This was faster than Don Bradman’s 150 in 1930, which came in 166 balls. Head also holds the second-fastest Ashes 150, which he scored in Brisbane in 2021.
Head started opening the batting only because Usman Khawaja was injured in the first Test. Before this series, he had never opened in a home Test. Since then, he has stayed at the top and performed consistently.
He has now scored 600 runs in the series at an average of 66.67. No other batter has crossed 400 runs. His strike rate in the series is 87.59. Only Matthew Hayden, Alastair Cook, and Michael Vaughan have also scored three Ashes centuries as openers since 2000.
During this innings, Head completed 4,500 Test runs and 1,500 Ashes runs. He now has 4,563 runs from 65 Tests at an average of 43.87, with 12 centuries and 20 fifties. Against England, he has scored 1,510 runs from 18 matches, including five centuries and five fifties.
Steve Smith scored 13th Ashes century in the fifth Australia vs England Ashes Test
Steve Smith scored another big century in the Ashes Australia vs England Test against England. This was his 13th Ashes hundred. With this, he moved past England’s Jack Hobbs, who had 12 Ashes centuries. Only Don Bradman is ahead of him with 19.
Smith reached his hundred on Day 3, hitting it in the final session. He got there in 166 balls and received a standing ovation from the Sydney crowd. This was also his 37th Test century overall.
In all Test cricket, only a few players have more centuries than Smith. These include Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Joe Root, and Kumar Sangakkara.
Smith came in to bat when Australia were 234 for 3. He played calmly, handled pressure well, and slowly built his innings. He reached his fifty-first and then went on to complete his century, helping Australia stay strong in the match.
FAQs
Q. What was Australia’s score at stumps on Day 3 of the fifth Ashes Test?
A. Australia were 518 for 7 in their first innings, leading England by 134 runs.
Q. What milestone did Travis Head reach during this innings?
A. Travis Head completed 4,500 Test runs and 1,500 Ashes runs.
Q. What record did Steve Smith achieve in this match?
A. Steve Smith scored his 13th Ashes century, going past Jack Hobbs.
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