Athers on Marsh shedding his "flaky" reputation, Smith shining again and how England's attack looked "toothless"...
Sunday 17 December 2017 16:07, UK
“It will feel very much like the end.” Michael Atherton says England have trudged off in Perth knowing their Ashes hopes are fading fast.
Watch Athers' video review of day three above as a "flat and toothless" England bagged only one wicket and were ground into the dirt by Steve Smith - again - and local boy Mitchell Marsh.
Smith (229no) and Marsh (181no) have put on an unbroken stand of 301 for the fifth wicket to lift Australia to 549-4, a lead of 146, and put them in a great position to seal the Ashes.
Athers has described the hosts' lead as "menacing" and hailed Smith's "insatiable appetite" for runs after the skipper struck his third WACA hundred and moved past 1,000 Test runs for the fourth straight year.
The Sky Cricket expert now says Joe Root's side face a difficult two days - if you're an England fan, you'll be praying for the rain...
Head to skysports.com every day of the Ashes Tests for Athers' video reviews - follow the series across Sky Sports' digital platforms.
