England's weapons of mass disappointment

PL reports on England's attempts to lose an Ashes series inside 11 days

England trail by 228 runs with four wickets in hand

Pat Cummins is a man of even measure, not one given to great flights of emotion, but there’s been an added edge of excitement to his wicket celebrations this Test; none more so than when he picked up Joe Root on the fourth afternoon in Adelaide.

The captain has had to sit out Australia’s first two victories of the series, but he’s timed his entrance perfectly.

If he and his men can winkle out England in this game, the Ashes will have been won at home for the second time, under his governorship. If accomplished tomorrow, the visitors will have been rolled inside 11 days, a record that has stuck like poo to the shoe of the captain in that 2002-03 series, Nasser Hussain.

It’s an ignominious accomplishment for a team that arrived heralding such hope.

Rain, however, may save them, as there is the promise of some showers tomorrow morning and early afternoon.