Australia maintain dominance in Adelaide

If England are to avoid slipping to 0-2 in the Ashes Series, they will need to defy more than a hundred years of history and an even greater weight of expectation such is the frailty of their top-order batting.

Another dominant display by Australia's bowlers during the third day of the second Ashes Test – albeit in the absence of their two best-performed quicks from the series opener in Brisbane (Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood) – followed by vindication of the decision not to make England follow-on sees them resume today 282 runs ahead with nine wickets in hand.

The highest successful fourth innings run chase in a Test at Adelaide Oval was Australia's 6-315 at the turn of the previous century when matches could stretch over as many days as were needed to gain a result, but never into the night.

The benchmark for winning totals posted in the fourth innings of day-night Tests at the ground is the 7-187 the home team scrambled to in claiming the format's first fixture against New Zealand in 2015.

Joe Root and Dawid Malan had survived the opening session of day three unscathed, building a 128-run stand as they chased Australia's imposing first-innings 473 for nine declared.

But it all came crashing down after the dinner break with both players removed in quick succession, Root for 62 and Malan for 80, sparking a collapse that saw England slump from 150 for two to 236 all out.

Stand-in Australian skipper Steve Smith could have enforced the follow-on, but chose to rest his bowlers and send in the openers to turn the screw with two days left.

Hostile pace from Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon's dangerous spin did the damage to England, complemented by Cameron Green, who bagged Root for the second consecutive time.

Starc claimed 4-37 and Lyon 3-58.

"It's pretty frustrating and disappointing -- to lose two wickets like we did on Friday night, then get ourselves back into a position where we could get within touching distance of them," said Malan.

"Ultimately Rooty or myself should have gone on and got a big hundred."

"We let it meander a little bit through the first session," Starc said, while heaping praise on all-rounder Green.

"He's a serious talent for a young kid, he's a great addition to our bowling attack, he was extremely good in that session after the break."

Starc added: "We hold all the cards in terms of when we want to bowl and how big a lead we want to have, we've certainly got a few options on the table."