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Smith came desperately close to being run out at the Oval by substitute fielder George Ealham in a pivotal moment on the second day.
Australia was 295 all out off the final ball of the day as Smith rode his luck to top-score with 71 following a scare just after tea.
Ealham, the 21-year-old son of former England all-rounder Mark Ealham, looked to have replicated Ricky Ponting’s famous 2005 dismissal by the unknown Gary Pratt, combining with wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to leave Smith diving for the line.
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Replays suggested Bairstow had begun to nudge one of the bails loose with his arm before collecting the ball cleanly and there was some debate over whether either bail was fully dislodged before Smith’s bat slid home.
What mattered most was the not out’ decision that appeared on the big screen and the 100 more runs scored by Australia which followed.
That was easily Australia’s most productive period of a day that had seen them embark on go-slow tactics in the morning session and a jittery collapse in the afternoon.
Having watched England blaze 283 in 54.5 overs, Australia crept just above that mark in 103.1, with Ben Stokes taking an excellent two-stage boundary catch off Joe Root to dismiss Pat Cummins and end the innings in the closing moments.
The Aussies lead the series 2-1 and have already retained the Ashes. They can win the series outright by avoiding defeat here.
England received an early blow on the second day when it was confirmed specialist spinner Moeen Ali would not field.
Moeen sustained a groin injury during his knock of 34 on day one and was not able to field during Australia’s innings. (AP)