Third Ashes Test, Perth (day three, stumps):
Australia 268 & 309 v England 187 & 81-5
Venue: Waca Date: 16-20 December. Play resumes 0230 GMT on 18 Dec Coverage: Live on Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 LW, 5 live sports extra and online; live highlights and day's review on the TMS podcast ; live text commentary on BBC Sport website; live on Sky Sports 1; highlights on ITV4
Match scorecard

Hussey's century was the 13th of his Test career - and second at the Waca

By Justin Langer Australia batting/leadership coach

During Mike Hussey's breathtaking innings of 195 in the first Test in Brisbane, I said on BBC radio that he had been hitting the ball like Brian Lara in the lead-up to the match.

Throughout this series, the man they call Mr Cricket has quite literally been in the best form of his career.

Having watched my Western Australian friend since he was a young boy, I can say without hesitation that he is hitting the cricket ball as crisply and as hard as I have ever seen him.

During every net session he has been preparing like a genius and it is no surprise to see him cashing in out in the middle where it counts.

TOM FORDYCE BLOG Hussey took the game away from England and celebrated like the homecoming hero he had become

Today's performance in Perth was sublime. When a player can pull the short ball and then pounce on the cover drive with the same intent, you know he is in awesome form.

England were left without an answer. If they dropped a touch short, they were pulled or hooked; a touch full and they were driven to the boundary with brutal force.

It is really pleasing to see a person like Mike Hussey rewarded. His work ethic and passion is peerless and to see him scoring a century on his home ground was simply another bonus.

Adding to his joy was the effort of his teammates with the ball. The dismissal of Paul Collingwood off the final ball of the day was the icing on the cake and to have England five down at stumps was a phenomenal effort.

After the hiding the team had been getting from day four in Brisbane to the opening day of this game, the Australian changing room is certainly a happy one tonight.

From Perth,
JL

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