Over-by-over updates from Sydney Cricket Ground
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78th over: England 312-8 (Bethell 145, Potts 7) Bethell finally has the strike … and he immediately takes a single off Webster. I wonder if he’s going to play some shots before that second new ball? The singles continue as Webster tosses the ball up, inviting a potential hoo-ha. Bethell gets the reverse-sweep out, but with the field back he gets just one.

77th over: England 307-8 (Bethell 142, Potts 5) Scott Boland is up from the other end … and he immediately finds Potts’ front pad. It looks like it’s going down the leg-side, but Australia go upstairs with a review. It’s comfortably missing the stumps. Potts gets the bat down to see off a maiden.

Over-by-over updates from Sydney Cricket Ground
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128th over: Australia 542-7 (Smith 136, Webster 58) England hit Australia with a five-man pace attack on the first day at Perth. Brydon Carse is the last man standing and continues to charge in with intent, if not always accuracy. A poor ball is tickled for four by Webster to bring up the hundred partnership. England are face down in the dirt and there’s nothing they can do about it.

127th over: Australia 535-7 (Smith 136, Webster 52) Webster works Stokes for a single to reach a breezy half-century from 64 balls. He looks a really good player, has from the moment he turned the India series Australia’s way on debut a year ago.

England all out for 384 as Root century leads the way
Over-by-over updates from Sydney Cricket Ground
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47th over: England 223-3 (Root 78, Brook 83) Here comes England’s spectre. Brook pulls his first ball, splendidly stopped on the rope by Webster. Pancakes his fifth in a not altogether convincing way, but gets away with it.

46th over: England 217-3 (Root 77, Brook 79) With Brian Draper’s Jerusalem being sung by men in white T-shirts with a printed MCC tie, Root nicks his first ball from Scott Boland for four.

Tourists win toss and elect to bat first in series finale
Over-by-over updates from the Sydney Cricket Ground
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As the Aussies spread out with pink numbers on their backs, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett stride out to open the innings. On TNT, which had had an even worse series than England, Graeme Swann is at the microphone. “This is where you want someone to do an Alastair Cook,” he says. “To be 35 not out at lunch.” Good luck with that.

“Hello Tim, and happy new year,” says Andrew Benton. Happy new year to you too, and everyone. “Who could replace Brendon McCullum? I do think he should go given his stated aim was to win the Ashes, but who could take over? There seems to be a dearth of suitable candidates. But there seems not to have been much discussion in the media on it in any case. What’s your take?”

• Australia edge England in wild opening to Boxing Day Test

• Over-by-over updates from Melbourne Cricket Ground

• Live scorecard | Geoff Lemon on Australia’s bowlers

Travis Head walks out to bat with his opening partner Scott Boland. Imagine if you had predicted, on the first morning at Perth, that Australia would use four openers in the first four Tests – and that Usman Khawaja would not be among them.

“Dear Rob,” writes Robert Wilson. “I’ve got skin in the game as I am trying to arrange an all-night viewing sesh for day (night) three in an unexpectedly swish Aussie backpacker hostel near Stalingrad (in Paris). Logistically, it’s quite a lot of ducks to get in a row and punters fagging all the way in from below-zero Versailles or somesuch only to catch four overs while nursing a lukewarm Newky Brown might have views.

Australia are all out for 152 before skittling England for 110 and surviving a single second-innings over on a frenetic Boxing Day at the MCG

The players are out there. England go into a huddle, then disperse. And here comes the most significant element on the scene: Travis Head’s moustache.

“And merry Christmas to you!” says Gareth Wilson. “If I can gently disagree with Andrew Benton, what is most galling, and slightly puts your lovely stat on runs difference to bed, is that Australia have not been amazing. They haven’t needed to be. Sure – one Travis Head innings, one Alex Carey Test, and some good Starc, but none of those by themselves should have been enough to go 3-squat up.

”England have faced a historically poor Aussie team and STILL blown it. It’s depressing, but hey, 0-0 right?

So this is Christmas. And what have we done? The Ashes is over. With two Tests still to come

When the moment finally came the visuals were perfect: clean lines, neat angles, figures picked out in crisp afternoon sun against the almost satirical splendour of Adelaide Oval.

Scott Boland took the final wicket to seal Australia’s unassailable 3-0 Ashes series lead, the 74th time this moment has been played out down the centuries, and immediately the white shapes converged to form a bobbing huddle. England’s batters stood in an attitude of formal deflation. The umpires began their priestly last-things walk, framed against that huge, empty, lime-green field.

Australia all out for 371; England fume over Snicko call
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The consensus is that today and tomorrow will be the best days to bat. England need to go huge, because they won’t fancy chasing too many against Nathan Lyon on day five.

“As the cliche has it, it’s a crucial first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh hour,” writes Gary Naylor. “Are Australia bringing 871 Test wickets into an already winning team or imbalancing their attack with a couple of rusty bowlers? Are England Bazball zealots or pragmatic pros? Did 2006 happen at all? Feels like the opening credits of an episode of Soap.”

Updates as the tourists seek to keep series hopes alive
Steve Smith ruled out at last minute; Usman Khawaja recalled
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Righto, time for the toss…

“Morning Daniel, (it’s approaching 7am in Western Australia),” opens Karris Evans. “Fox Cricket noted an hour ago that Smith got a head knock in training this morning, so possible concussion has ruled him out.”