Overview:
Beau Webster was unbeaten on 42 and had put on 81 runs with Smith for the eighth wicket, expanding Australia's lead.
SYDNEY (AP) — Travis Head’s third century of the series and Steve Smith’s first guided Australia to a 134-run first-innings lead over England by stumps on the third day of the fifth and final Ashes test.
Head resumed Tuesday at 91 and was out for 163 from 166 balls, a masterful innings to follow his match-winning 123 in the second innings of the first test at Perth and his 170 in the second innings of the third test at Adelaide.
Smith was 129 not out at stumps, elevating a relatively disappointing series with the bat. His previous highest score in the series was 61 in the first innings at Adelaide.
The century was Smith’s 13th in Ashes tests, the 37th of his career and his fifth at the Sydney Cricket Ground. With it, he moved up to sixth on the all-time list of most test centuries.
At stumps, Australia was 518-7 in reply to England’s first innings of 384.
Beau Webster was unbeaten on 42 and had put on 81 runs with Smith for the eighth wicket, expanding Australia’s lead.
“It was a really nice day today with a couple of nice partnerships,” Smith said. “Hopefully, we can put a little partnership together, get up over a 200 lead and the wicket starts to play a few more tricks.
“I just love batting here, obviously it’s my home deck. I know the ground really well and when I get in here I really like batting here.”