Summary

  • Australia win Ashes

  • Hosts take 3-0 lead in five-Test series

  • Victory sealed before tea on final day

  • Malan 54; Hazlewood 5-48

  • 'Damp patches' delay start by 3 hrs

  • Rain leaks through covers overnight

Live Reporting

Tom Rostance, Amy Lofthouse and Mandeep Sanghera

  1. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    Jack Megaw: I am opposed to this business of leaf blowers on the pitch. Just not cricket. It should be allowed to dry naturally under cloudy skies with a 40% chance of rain all day.

  2. 'They can't be pitch the pitch is the same as yesterday'

    Michael Vaughan
    Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    It's the visual effect, when you're batting, of seeing the five patches. The pitch has changed colour. There are five areas that are completely different to the rest of the pitch. The first five balls will be very revealing.

    There's no way, from what I saw an hour ago, that they can be absolutely sure that pitch is still in the same way it was yesterday. There has to be some sort of difference.

  3. Dan Norcross
    BBC Test Match Special

    The covers are coming off.

  4. Michael Vaughan
    Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    I was one of the first to see the damp patches when I arrived at the ground. They put a lot of grass shavings on the pitch. There was a similar area close to the popping crease and, when I pressed it, my thumb went right down into it.

    I think this is a real controversial decision the umpires have made [to potentially start play at 04:00 GMT].

  5. 60 overs, with six wickets remaining, England are 127 runs behind.

    Could we see a David Warner slogfest to chase down a small target in the dying light at the Waca...?

  6. How many overs have been lost?

    If we start at 04:00 GMT, we think there will about 60 overs in the day. We think. We'll let you know once we get something more concrete.

  7. Michael Vaughan
    Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    That's not true. It was 3am.

  8. Glenn McGrath
    Ex-Australia pace bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    I haven't been out there. I'm wondering whether Vaughany was out there at about 1am...

  9. Dan Norcross
    BBC Test Match Special

    We've got a forecast of 40% chance of rain every hour for the rest of the game.

  10. We are now officially losing overs. Good news for England in their bid to escape Ashes defeat.

  11. Dan Norcross
    BBC Test Match Special

    Away to my left, I can see a big bank of clouds in the direction the rain was coming from. The wind is howling.

  12. The greatest escape since...

    #bbccricket

    The Monk 134: This could be the greatest escape since Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank.

  13. Inspection called
    Breaking

    News reaches us that there will be a pitch inspection at 03:45 GMT with a view to playing at 04:00 GMT.

  14. Get Involved

    Text 81111

    Hly GrailGetty Images

    What a photo that is

    It’s reminiscent of the fight scene in Holy Grail - Joe Root saying “ok, we’ll call it a draw”

    Anonymous

  15. Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport in Perth

    Good lord, now the covers are coming back on.

  16. Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport in Perth

    Joe Root is still out there, watching the blowers blow. When he stomps away, he looks pretty hacked off.

  17. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    Matt Roberts‏: If you don’t think it’s funny that Australia could potentially (albeit very unlikely) fail to win back the ashes because of terrible covers at the Waca, I don’t think you can call yourself a proper cricket fan.

  18. May we surmise that we may be getting some play?

  19. From the press box

  20. Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport in Perth

    Skippers getting together with the umpires....