Ashes 2017/18: 3rd Test, day 5, 5 things we learnt from the day

A sensational Day 5 saw England lose by an innings and 41 runs after rain stayed away for enough time to allow Australia to run through the England tail. Josh Hazlewood sent Johnny Bairstow back early on day 5 after the rain break and although Dawid Malan resisted, the hosts manage to take wickets at the other end.

Moeen Ali was undone by Nathan Lyon yet again, and the tail did not offer too much of resistance as the Ashes slipped out of England's grasp quickly. The 301-run stand between Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith proved to be pivotal as England suffered an innings loss even after posting 400+ on the board.

#5 Rain cannot save England

The pitch had to be dried using air blowers after overnight rain

The only thing that could save England from being thumped to a third Ashes loss in the series was rain. It had poured down all night and the forecast for the day showed 90% rain at one point of time. The WACA wicket had gotten a bit soft from all the rains and to dry out wet patches, air blowers were used by the groundsmen.

Cricket... #Ashes pic.twitter.com/3jJjd2N7c9

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 18, 2017

It was an Ashes lifeline for England but they failed to grab it with both hands despite the very few overs that were possible in the day.

Operation Soak Wicket Overnight.......Mission accomplished. ? #Ashes pic.twitter.com/cTYuCYZUR5

— England's Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) December 18, 2017

#4 Moeen Ali falls to Nathan Lyon for the fifth time

Moeen Ali has struggled against the off-break bowler

Moeen Ali was expected to step up for England in the absence of Ben Stokes. Ali has been a sensational presence down the order for England in Tests and his contributions have been phenomenal in England's surge in Test cricket.

But here in Australia, he has found the going tough - and not because the quicker bowlers have exposed his weakness against the short stuff.

It is Nathan Lyon who has been Ali's nemesis in the series, with his off-breaks mixed with the arm ball that goes with the angle. Ali has struggled to cope with the variation and has been a silent spectator to England's debacle with the bat. For the fifth time in the series he fell to Nathan Lyon and unsurprisingly he was LBW.

#3 Dawid Malan is already England's best bet with the bat

Malan has been instrumental in holding together England's middle-order

Before the series, Malan was not even a certainty to make the tour. But three Tests into the series and Dawid Malan is already England's lynchpin in the batting order with Alastair Cook and Joe Root appearing to have lost their magical touch in the land Down Under.

Malan, alongside Stoneman and Vince to some extent, has shown the way for England with the bat.

While his maiden Test hundred in the first innings he was a sight to behold, his second innings effort to save the Test for England was also worth appreciating. At no point of time did the left-hander appear perturbed, but eventually, he nicked a poor ball down the leg-side off Josh Hazlewood.

#2 Josh Hazlewood stands up with the ball

Hazlewood was pumped up on day 5 and blew away the visitors

It took just one ball in the day for Josh Hazlewood to send back Johnny Bairstow, the centurion from the first innings. Hazlewood was right on the money and aimed at the cracks on the wicket to create seam movement and uneven bounce. A clueless Bairstow was done in by a ball that kept a touch low.

Dawid Malan edged one down the leg-side off Hazlewood while a leg-cutter from the same bowler saw the back of Craig Overton. His three wickets in the day coupled with two on day 4 (of Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman) meant that he finished with a five-for.

#1 England wither away without a fight

Australia skittled out England soon after play resumed on day 5

Not even a wet pitch and rain could save England from succumbing to a hat-trick of losses in the Ashes, as Australian bowlers wreaked havoc on day 5. It took less than 35 overs for the Aussies to send England spiralling to a 3-0 loss as their batsmen failed to survive a barrage of quality seam and spin bowling.

England had made 403 in the first innings but plummeted to an innings loss on the fifth day of the Test. An emotional Steven Smith was quoted as saying after the match - "Amazing, coming in today with the weather around, it was great."

"Captaining an Ashes winning side, it's an amazing feeling. It was a moment we were looking forward for a long time, so much preparations had gone in, the way we played was spectacular, they made 400 in the first innings, that was a good effort, then to get back into the game, the bowlers have been amazing, Nathan Lyon in particular. I am very happy with this bowling group, they always get the job done. Josh Hazlewood was outstanding today, the early wicket of Jonny Bairstow was key, it's a great feeling to win the Ashes for the first time as Australia captain, we are going to celebrate this win tonight."