Yet again Steve Smith is the obstacle driving the English to distraction. While he is still at the crease nothing can be guaranteed. In front of another packed house here England made some solid progress: a first-innings lead of 90 and three early scalps when Australia batted again. But Smith, who reminded us on the first day how he can transform an innings, remained.

Smith cruised through the final session, picking up runs at will, which meant that Australia’s response sped along at four runs per over, a rate well in excess of anything achieved in the match. By the close they were 124 for three from 31 overs and with Smith still at the crease there is no limit to what England’s victory target will be.

The series is three days old and the threat of Smith has already mangled a few minds. Upon his arrival at the crease England reverted to funkiness, self-defeating funkiness at that. The field placements changed incessantly. For the seamers there might be two men on the leg side one moment, five the next, maybe with a cunning leg slip and short mid-on. As a consequence Smith gently tapped the ball into one of several gaps.

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The exasperation was greatest when Moeen Ali, some way from the top of his form, was bowling. The field was spreadeagled in such a way that it became practically impossible for him to deliver a series of dot balls even on the assumption that he was bowling well.

Smith was in clover as England forgot one of the basics: that even the great batsmen, a category in which Smith obviously belongs, do not like being tied down and compelled to work for their runs. Martin Crowe used to explain how he hated facing a Glenn McGrath style of bowler not because he feared being dismissed at any moment but because he was not sure where the next run was coming from.

If Joe Root thinks about that he might share that opinion. In which case why offer Smith so many easy options to jog off strike? Forget about all those pre-delivery contortions, hide your eyes if necessary and try a length just outside off stump along with the occasional bouncer.

So Smith was there unbeaten on 46 at the close and Australia’s lead was 34, a disappointing outcome for England given the start they had in the field.

David Warner had inadvertently edged a lifter in Stuart Broad’s second over and the early introduction of Moeen paid dividends when Cameron Bancroft was caught at bat and pad by Jos Buttler at short-leg. Then the runs flowed too freely in the partnership between Usman Khawaja and Smith.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Steve Smith is struck by a short ball from Ben Stokes. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

With Australia under pressure to stay in the game 48 came in nine overs before Ben Stokes found Khawaja’s inside edge. Thereafter they still came all too swiftly for Smith and Travis Head.

England’s progress had been much stickier in the first half of the day. Their remaining six wickets compiled another 107. They would have hoped for more. Yet when Jonny Bairstow became the eighth wicket to fall with 300 on the board they would have feared that their lead would be considerably less than 90. A grafting 65-run partnership between Chris Woakes and Broad ensured a lead of some significance.

Batting was slow and tricky for England. The Australia attack was on target and combative; the pitch was losing pace, sucking the energy out of batsmen and bowlers. There was some turn for Nathan Lyon but it was usually slow.

Stokes hinted at something special with a thumping straight drive to the boundary off James Pattinson. With Rory Burns digging in as if he was just starting his innings rather than resuming with three figures to his name, only Stokes offered the prospect of any swift advancement. He posted his fifty from 95 balls. Then he attempted to pummel a delivery from Pat Cummins square on the off-side but only succeeded in edging to the keeper.

Burns finally square-drove a boundary to bring his tally in the first hour to seven, whereupon Lyon found the edge of his bat. Out came Moeen against his tormentor of old. He kicked four leg-byes and defended three deliveries successfully. Then he shouldered arms and lost his off stump.

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Not every ball was turning. Moeen remains consistently reliable and trustworthy as a character in the dressing room and utterly frenetic and unpredictable as a batsman in the middle. He tends to get dismissed memorably and this was another such occasion.

Next, Bairstow wafted against Peter Siddle to be caught at slip and England had lost four wickets for 18 runs. The response of Woakes and Broad was impressive. Often Broad swishes in these circumstances but he buckled down, defending against Lyon, nudging singles and occasionally slog-sweeping. Woakes was also an exemplar of orthodoxy though he found time to hit the solitary six of the innings over midwicket off Lyon.

The packed Hollies Stand applauded jubilantly at the addition of every run in between chanting “He’s got sandpaper in his pants” to Bancroft and “You only cry on the telly” to Warner. It is unlikely that Lindsay Hassett had to endure that sort of treatment.

Eventually Broad was caught at long-leg off a short delivery from Cummins. It was surprising how sparing Australia were in their use of the short ball to Broad. Presumably the sluggishness of the pitch was the decisive factor.

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Jimmy Anderson surfaced for long enough for everyone to see that his calf injury would prevent him from bowling despite being sighted bowling in the nets during the lunch interval.

The challenge ahead was clear: England were going to have to win this match without the assistance of their champion bowler, a circumstance that is bound to be repeated at Lord’s next week.