England on the brink as Australia dominate Ashes with Heads unbeaten 142

Australia tightened their grip on the Ashes series on Day 3 of the Adelaide Test, riding on an unbeaten 142 from Travis Head. The hosts finished the day at 271 for 4 in their second innings, extending their overall lead over England to 356 runs.
Alex Carey played a crucial supporting role alongside Head, remaining unbeaten on 52. The pair added an unbroken 122-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Head brought up his 11th Test century and his second of the ongoing series. It was also his fourth hundred against England. The left-hander made full use of a reprieve on 99 when he was dropped by Harry Brook.
Earlier in the day, England had shown signs of a fightback. Captain Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer added 106 runs for the ninth wicket. Starting the morning on 213 for 8, England added a further 73 runs before being bowled out for 286, reducing the first-innings deficit to 85.
Australia suffered an early blow in their second innings when Jake Weatherald was trapped lbw for 1 by Brydon Carse. The hosts went to lunch at 17 for 1. After the break, Josh Tongue removed Marnus Labuschagne (13) cheaply to raise England’s hopes.
However, the visitors failed to maintain pressure. Australia regained control through a solid partnership between Usman Khawaja and Travis Head. After tea, England struck briefly as Khawaja (40) and Cameron Green (7) were dismissed in quick succession, but by then Australia’s lead had already swelled close to 300.
Australia ended the day in a commanding position, with England standing on the brink of losing the Ashes series.