• Third Test, D4: Australia 371 & 349; England 286 & 207-6

• Lyon strikes after tourists briefly threaten record chase

There was a time when England players threw around phrases like “the more runs, the better” such was their confidence in the chase. But tasked with knocking off a world record 435 runs to stop Australia winning this Ashes series at the earliest opportunity, one suspects it was not said on Saturday.

Instead, having picked up six cheap wickets first thing to set up this unlikely five-session challenge, it was about seeing where they could get to by stumps on day four. The upshot was 207 for six from 63 overs which, while progress of sorts on this malfunctioning tour, means Australia will go into the final day of this third Test on the verge of an unassailable 3-0 lead.

• Patel: ‘Bash is our No 1 guy and does a fantastic job’

• Coach plays down suspicions of injury to Stokes

England have doubled down on Shoaib Bashir’s status as their “No 1 spinner” despite omitting their two-year project from the third Test in Adelaide and watching Will Jacks struggle in his place.

Speaking after the close of play on day three, at which point Australia were closing in on an unassailable 3-0 series lead, England’s assistant coach Jeetan Patel said Bashir had been sacrificed to prop up a struggling batting lineup. But the tactic has backfired, with Jacks making just six during England’s sub-par first innings of 286 all out and, unable to command a steady line, sitting on overnight match figures of three for 212 from 39 overs.

• Third Test, day three: Australia 371 & 271-4; England 286

• England trail by 356 with series hopes hanging by thread

There were flickers of hope for England on the third day in Adelaide but like some of the murmurs thrown up by Snicko during this pivotal third Ashes Test, they were never entirely convincing. Instead, courtesy of Travis Head’s hometown hundred, Australia secured a position of outright dominance.

At stumps the hosts had reached 271 for four for a lead of 356 runs. And as a 53,700-strong crowd filtered out, the majority were beaming. Head had only furthered his cult status in these parts, an unbeaten 142 from 196 balls having ensured England would need a record chase on this ground to prevent a slide to 3-0 down.

• Third Test, day two: England 213-8; Australia 371

• Tourists trail by 158 after late Stokes and Archer stand

At the end of a brain-boiling second day in South Australia two things could be said with a fair degree of certainty: England were staring at the termination of their already faint Ashes hopes and players on both sides had lost faith in the Snicko technology.

The match situation first, which at stumps pointed firmly towards Australia and the 3-0 lead that was ultimately loading. England had subsided to 213 for eight from 68 overs in reply to Australia’s 371 all out, trailing by 158 runs and hugely grateful to Jofra Archer, 30 not out, holding firm alongside Ben Stokes during the final hour.

• Company admits operator error led to Carey surviving

• Wrong stump mic used so audio did not match picture

England are considering a formal complaint over the Snicko ­technology being used in this Ashes series after Alex Carey received a lifeline en route to a telling century on the opening day of the third Test.

Carey, who made 106 in Australia’s 326 for eight by stumps, was on 72 when Josh Tongue believed the left-hander had edged behind. He was given not out on the field and the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, felt he did not have enough evidence to overturn the decision despite a spike showing up on the review.

• Third Test, day one: Australia 326-8

• Usman Khawaja digs in for 82 while Archer has 3-29

After the pandemonium of Perth and Brisbane’s pink-ball palooza came a more familiar opening day at Adelaide Oval. It was also roasting hot out in the middle – 35C on the mercury – and when the toss went against Ben Stokes and his embattled England players, they could easily have melted.

Instead, despite some sloppiness and Alex Carey’s magical century on the ground he calls home, the tourists kept plugging away with the fight that Stokes called for at 2-0 down. At stumps Australia were 326 for eight from 83 sapping overs – runs on the heritage-listed scoreboard, granted, but short of ambitions when the returning Pat Cummins got the choice first thing.