England's Mason Crane. Photo / AP.
Australia once again has the upper hand after a dominant day with the bat saw the home side soar past England's first innings total.
Another Steve Smith century looked on the cards as the skipper plundered his way to 83 early in the morning, but an unusual brain fade saw the 28-year-old shell out an easy caught-and-bowled off Moeen Ali and cost what may be his last chance at equalling Sir Donald Bradman's record of four centuries in an Ashes series.
Usman Khawaja piled on the runs after finishing day two with 91, bringing up a well-earned century in the morning session before falling late in the day with 171.
The Marsh brothers saw home side through to stumps with a century partnership to bring the score 4/479 and 133 runs ahead of the Poms.
Here were the major talking points from the day's play.
ASHES VETERAN SLAMS NO-BALL CALL
There's shattering — and then there's bowling a no-ball on your first ever wicket-taking delivery in Test match cricket.
20-year-old Mason Crane endured a sweaty first session of being worked around the park by Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja before finally being offered a sniff at his first Test scalp in the dying minutes before lunch.
The leg-spinner almost had Khawaja out caught-and-bowled before tweaking a ball into his pads, appearing to have snagged him plumb in front for an LBW.
The umpire turned down the decision, but skipper Joe Root wasn't convinced and went upstairs. Crane's review was heartbreakingly stopped short as cameras revealed he overstepped the line by a hair and delivered a no-ball to the 31-year-old.
To make matters worse, hawkeye footage proved the ball would have comfortably hit the top of the pegs and sent the centurion Khawaja on his way.
Fans around the world didn't look too kindly on the spinner's cardinal sin and tore the debutant to shreds as he questioned the umpire.
Mason Crane continues to whinge to the umpire... how about you get your foot behind the line. A spinner should NEVER bowl a no-ball. Cardinal sin! #Ashes
— Alex Oates (@AlexJOates11) January 6, 2018
Mason Crane may be a good young cricketer but Root or Bayliss need to tell him to pull his head in! Arguing with an umpire over a no-ball then going to the ump again as they walked off was not a good look - particularly from a test debutant !!! #Ashes #AUSvENG #pinktest
— Bernie Coen (@berniecoen) January 6, 2018
It is not that ****ing hard to not bowl a no-ball. It really isn’t.
— Jake Bourke (@JakeBourke) January 6, 2018
Unforgivable. #Ashes
Crane did have some support from former England tweaker Graeme Swann, however.
The 38-year-old, who famously retired midway through England's 5-0 thrashing in Australia four years ago, took aim at "clueless" third umpire Sundaram Ravi.
"When his foot lands I reckon there's half a millimetre behind the line," he said on Triple M.
"When it first lands, when the toe lands, there's definitely the smallest amount behind the line.
"These umpires don't know what they're doing! I swear these umpires are clueless. It's so obvious. This is absolutely disgraceful third umpiring. Open your eyes!"
Swann then suggested Ravi should "go home".
"Whoever the third umpire is, just go home. Get out of the room, let someone do it," he continued.
"It's like your mum trying to record something on the video recorder, she doesn't know what she's doing."
SMITH BREAKS 53-YEAR ASHES RECORD
Steve Smith was furious at himself after falling to Moeen Ali via caught-and-bowled, 17 runs short of his fourth ton of the summer.
His dismissal sent his series average to 137.40, two runs under Sir Donald Bradman's Ashes record in 1930.
Despite falling under The Don's mammoth series average, Smith found himself breaking another historic record in the process. The 28-year-old's innings of 83 meant he was the first man since Bill Lawry in 1965/66 to hit five scores above 75 in a single Ashes series.
WARNE: 'I WAS SITTING IN SHOCK'
None of England's plans have worked against Steve Smith this summer and it resorted to desperate measures to start day three.
The Poms stacked the off side with seven fielders including a couple of slips, two short covers and a ring saving the single.
Jimmy Anderson started around the wicket bowling wide outside off stump, but still Smith found a way to counteract the desperate tactic. He walked across his stumps more than usual, giving the bowler a full look at his pegs so he could still whip balls from outside off onto the leg side.
Smith also opened his stance up more than normal to give him greater access to the leg side — and it worked. He picked Anderson off for a two then a single through the vacant on side before reaching his 50 in the second over of the day bowled by Moeen Ali.
The Steve Smith shuffle #genius
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 5, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/5yXP80d0Mv
Channel Nine commentator Bill Lawry was no fan of England's new strategy.
"It is actually, rubbish, isn't it? How are you going to get him out, he just lets them go, he is so patient," Lawry said.
Shane Warne said later he was in shock watching the opening scenes.
"This is unreal, it's like he's taking the mickey," Shane Warne said. "I've never seen anything like that at all, except for the backyard.
"I couldn't believe it, I was sitting there in shock."
Smith continued to toy with the England bowlers as the session progressed, hitting the ball wherever he pleased.
Steve Smith is taking the piss... thinks it’s Boxing Day in the back yard every time he faces a ball @ShaneWarne
— Brendan Fevola (@BrendanFevola25) January 6, 2018
MITCHELL MARSH TOPS SMITH ... FOR NOW
Mitchell Marsh averages more than Steve Smith this series.
Nope, it's not a typo. The explosive all-rounder, following his blockbuster comeback innings in Perth, brought his series average to 139 overnight, just under two runs more than Smith's gigantic 137.40.
The West Australian blasted a quickfire 63* alongside brother Shaun in the final session of day three. His knock included hitting 16 from four balls off spinner Moeen Ali, an onslaught which saw him loft the struggling tweaker for consecutive sixes over mid-off before crunching a cover drive for four.
OPINION: Sport, with its fine margins such as this, can be beautiful and brutal.