Such discipline was certainly not in evidence when England responded to the Australian opening innings. With Adam Lyth facing Mitchell Starc, it was expected that both he and Alastair Cook would ensure that they stayed at the crease for a lengthy period and just exploit any poor bowling. When Starc bowled just the second ball of the innings, Lyth was inexplicably tempted by a ball well outside the off-stump and edged a catch to wicket-keeper Peter Nevill. Such a serious misjudgement boosted the confidence of the Aussie bowlers and England lost three further wickets with just 30 runs on the scoreboard. The loss of Joe Root for just a solitary run was a damaging blow for England skipper Cook.
Yet Cook displayed the attitude and technique required for the occasion by refusing to concede his wicket needlessly and he was helped when Ben Stokes came to the crease and adopted a more restrained approach to his batting. Stokes was still the more aggressive of the two batsmen but they shared a partnership of 145 which at one time offered hope that England could surpass the 367 runs required to avoid following-on.
On the fourth day during Sunday, it is envisaged that Australia will attempt to secure a lead of least 500+ and possibly declare in mid-afternoon. The task of the English batsmen will then be to ensure that they perform with more application and responsibility in their second innings. For Adam Lyth, it will be a further test of his character and ability after his misfortunes continued during the Australian second innings when he dropped a catch from the batting of David Warner when the Aussie opener was still entrenched on zero.
A poor England second innings could affect their morale for the forthcoming tests and that must be a scenario worth avoiding if they wish to regain the Ashes this summer.