England tasted another dose of despair at the Gabba as Australia cruised to victory on the third day of the second Ashes Test.
The tourists were in second place in every respect as they were on the verge of a defeat that left them 2-0 down with three to play. Their hopes of retrieving the urn were fading faster than ever as their numbers were reduced to 134 from six with 43 still on the sidelines.
Advertising
It was a sickening sight at a stadium that has become synonymous with English heartache as the Australian coaches ground the visitors' attack into the Brisbane mud.
Their final three wickets totaled 128 runs as England's weary bowlers struggled to counter the underclass who taunted them with their mere presence.
Mitchell Starc starred with bat and ball (Robbie Stevenson/PA).
With a total of 511 points and a lead of 177, they batted just enough to use up the last of the natural light and then proceeded to chop down opponents who had failed to show the same diligence and dedication.
Advertising
After an opening stand of 48, the wickets fell with an air of desperate inevitability, Zak Crawley's 44 both a top score and a mirage.
None of England's batters came close to the 77 runs scored by Australia's number nine Mitchell Starc, and none of them ever looked like occupying the crease while the 72 was met by number 10 Scott Boland, who boasts a Test average of 7.54.
The seeds were sown in the first session and a half as the home side toyed with their catch, sapping their energy and ensuring they had ideal bowling conditions.
Advertising
The tourists looked tired by the time they finally ended the Australian innings, which lasted longer and deeper than they had ever feared, and resumed at 378 for six.
Starc scored 77 and the Australian tail kept England toiling (Robbie Stevenson/PA)
When England finally left the field after a sizzling 118 overs, the sky was darkening and the artificial lighting was beginning to take over.
Australia had earned the right to cash in their chips in ideal conditions and the big surprise was the lack of breakthrough in the short period before the break.
Advertising
Starc had taken a wicket in the first over of the previous three innings and must have imagined that he would continue the trend against two players who shared many scars.
But Crawley and Ben Duckett failed to live up to expectations, making 45 hopeless runs in six overs, giving the traveling fans a false glimmer of hope. This scoring system was always unstable, and changes were rapid and final.
Duckett (15) was taken out by the fifth ball he faced after the restart, Scott Boland managed to get the ball low and hit a shot off his toe. After a golden duck on day one and two birdies, Duckett will be happier than anyone to leave Queensland behind.
Advertising
Michael Neser celebrates the release of England's Ollie Pope (right) (Robbie Stevenson/PA)
Ollie Pope will also consider it a wasted week after he undid his first innings with a reckless knock of 26 built on a sandy foundation of sweeping flashes outside off stump. After a couple of shots, he returned the ball back to Michael Neser, not wanting to give in completely to the shot.
Crowley demonstrated greater authority, but his dismissal was virtually a carbon copy of Pope's, once again fueling Nesser to follow through. With the score 97 for three, the losses became critical.
Advertising
The escape route became narrower by the minute and the brunt of the burden fell on Joe Root, fresh from his long-awaited first hundred on Australian soil.
He was unbeaten on 138 for nearly six-and-a-half hours in the first innings but was unable to get back into that rhythm and failed to move the scales before Starc got the better of him.
Jamie Smith unnecessarily reconsidered his sacking after a discussion with captain Ben Stokes (Robbie Stevenson/PA).
Coming forward in defence, he broke through towards the goalkeeper and was sent on trial. The crowd that had given him a sporting ovation when he achieved his goal on opening night now roared him back to the pavilion.
Advertising
Harry Brooke was never going to silence them, swinging his bat generously and surviving a big call behind before falling in the same way to Boland.
England's top five were back in the shed and the deficit was still over 50.
Jamie Smith was the last to go, running into Starc and taking Carey's third catch, needlessly re-checking the ball at the behest of his shell-shocked captain Ben Stokes.
