Malan ton gives England rare dominant day

English centurion Dawid Malan and plucky Mark Stoneman have produced test-best knocks on a rare day of dominance over Australia.

England were 305-4 at stumps on the opening day of the third test at Perth’s WACA Ground last night, with Malan posting a maiden test ton and Stoneman making a half-century.

Malan (110 not out) and Stoneman (56) eclipsed their previous highest test scores, with only Mitchell Starc (2-79) taking multiple wickets.

England No 6 Jonny Bairstow (75 not out) also blunted Australia’s bowlers, whose main successes came in a brutal burst of short-pitched bowling. Stoneman copped a fearsome blow on the helmet as Australia’s trio of quicks — Starc, Josh Hazlewood (1-62) and Pat Cummins (1-60) — literally went for the jugular in the middle session.

Hazlewood struck Stoneman with a vicious short ball but the England opener, after receiving medical checks and a fresh helmet, continued batting — and became an unwitting victim in a day-one flashpoint.

Stoneman tried to fend off a headhigh Starc delivery which the Australians maintained brushed a glove en route to wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who leapt high and, at full stretch, caught the ball with one hand.

Umpire Marais Erasmus gave Stoneman not out but the Australians reviewed, with one replay appearing to show the ball brushed the English opener’s glove which wasn’t holding the bat. Replays using noise technology indicated a sound and TV umpire Aleem Dar gave Stoneman out.

As Stoneman trudged off, English skipper Joe Root Root appeared at the changing room door and seemingly urged him to stay on the field. But after hesitating, Stoneman walked off — a later replay from a different angle showed the correct call was made as the ball flicked the opener’s glove which was holding his bat.

Stoneman’s demise left England 131-4 — they had slipped from relative pre-lunch comfort of 89-1. But the London-born Malan, who aged seven moved to South Africa for 11 years before returning to England, and Bairstow then figured in a pivotal unbroken partnership of 174 runs.

The stand was punctuated by Malan, on 92, being dropped at third slip by Cameron Bancroft from Starc’s first delivery with the second new ball. Bancroft’s blunder was one of three dropped catches — Mitchell Marsh, recalled at Peter Handscomb’s expense, and Nathan Lyon also turfed opportunities. Malan scored England’s first ton this series — and the nation’s first in Australia since Ben Stokes four years ago.