When Steve Smith walked to the middle of the SCG on day three, Australia still trailed England by 150 runs on first innings.

It is true that the defeated Ashes tourists had already been battered by Travis Head, wound up by Marnus Labuschagne and frustrated by Michael Neser to the extent that all their three DRS referrals were already gone.

Steve Smith was relentless.Credit: Getty Images

But the fact remained that an Australian collapse – not unheard of in this series – would still afford England some hope of getting back into the game and perhaps conjuring a 3-2 result over five Tests.

That kind of ledger would certainly look good for England coach Brendon McCullum as he battles to keep control of the Test team, but it would be a travesty so far as the overall arc of the series is concerned.

So there was plenty in it for Smith as he took guard against Brydon Carse. What Australia needed was a display of ruthlessness from their captain and the remainder of the batting order, to build a lead and keep England in the field for the rest of the day and then some.

In more ways than one, this game has been something of a throwback after the TikTok length of the MCG match on a dicey surface. Usman Khawaja has referred, more than once, to how Australian pitches used to require significant batter error to stop the flow of runs, and that........

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