Australia is on the verge of squaring this Ashes series after a second day of dominance at the WACA.

Superb batting performances from Mike Hussey and Shane Watson drove Australia to 309 on day three of the third Ashes Test - setting England a daunting 391 to win. In reply, Australia's attack ripped out England's top five to leave the tourists 5/81 at the close and staring at a humiliating defeat.

As is becoming the norm in this series, Mike Hussey was again the standout performer. He arrived with Australia 3/64 but was the last to depart at 10/309. Thereafter, Australia's pace attack rammed home its advantage to all-but guarantee the series will be all square with two to play.

The day began in cautious fashion with Watson and Hussey consolidating their overnight partnership but once again the makeshift opener failed to convert his form into a hundred. Watson played beautifully though for his 95, leaving well, pulling powerfully and punishing anything overpitched. Such was his surety that the same track that had previously caused the Kookaburra to behave like a Sherrin began to seem positively docile.

It was Chris Tremlett that caused Watson to fall in the nineties for the fourth time in his career. The Hampshire giant presented a fullish delivery that nipped back slightly and caught Watson playing behind his front pad, trapping him LBW. The all-rounder now has fifteen scores above 50 in Tests but only two hundreds to his name.

While personal failure may frustrate Watson, his aptitude at the top of the order meant Australia held a healthy 258 run lead on his dismissal.

Steve Smith was again preferred at six to Brad Haddin and almost looked a Test batsman on his way to 36. He survived a number of edges, reviews and a close run-out as he played second-fiddle to Hussey but also managed to unfurl some powerful cuts and poised drives. His partnership with Hussey looked to be drawing the remaining sting out of England's attack, forcing Andrew Strauss into containing fields with seamers operating from around the wicket. Surprisingly, this strategy paid immediate dividends. Tremlett again the wicket taker, inducing Smith to glove a short leg-side delivery through to Matt Prior.

Although it was difficult to believe at the time, Smith's wicket heralded an unceremonious collapse as the final six wickets fell for just 58 runs.

Brad Haddin (7) played on to a delivery from the impressive Tremlett that grew on him somewhat while first innings top-scorer Mitchell Johnson (1) succumbed to part-timer Paul Collingwood, driving half-heartedly to Ian Bell at short extra-cover.

Amongst the carnage Hussey brought up his ton and savoured a richly deserved ovation from his home crowd.

Before that applause had subsided however, Ryan Harris was gone; pulling the expensive Stephen Finn to Ian Bell at midwicket for one. Peter Siddle survived a rare dropped catch on his way to eight but James Anderson took a long overdue first wicket of the innings as the Victorian played a tail-ender's defensive prod to Collingwood in the slips. Hussey lasted not much longer, holing out to Graeme Swann at deep midwicket off Chris Tremlett's bowling for a masterful 116.

That wicket gave Tremlett (5/87) his first Test five-for to complete an excellent return to international cricket. James Anderson deserved better than his figures of 1/65 but looked weary by the end of his final spell. Steven Finn bowled poorly in both innings and the three wickets in his 3/97 masks a lack of control and a tendency to bowl too short too often.

Mystifyingly, Graeme Swann (0/51) was not introduced to a tiring attack until half-an-hour after lunch. However his entrance merely served to highlight Hussey's immense talent as he danced Swann back into the slips, driving and pulling him at close to six runs an over. Fortunately for Strauss, Paul Collingwood had a tidy cameo, taking 1/3 with his gentle medium-pacers.

After just eight sessions of play, the final scenario was already known. England with seven sessions to score 391, Australia with the same amount of time to take ten wickets.

Of the two options it became obvious quickly which was the more likely after both openers returned to the sheds inside ten overs.

Alastair Cook (13) was first to go, trapped LBW to a perfectly propelled inswinger from Ryan Harris. Not long afterwards captain Strauss (15) gifted his opposite number a straightforward slip chance as he failed to get fully behind a defensive block from Mitchell Johnson.

Desperate to regroup, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen dug in but just as thoughts were moving to an epic final day tussle Pietersen (3) played a woeful shot, pushing away from his body to edge Ben Hilfenhaus to first slip Shane Watson.

That wicket sent the already enthusiastic crowd into delirium and a tsunami of momentum surged through the WACA. Australia sensed this was its moment and hustled out first Trott and then Paul Collingwood before the close.

Trott (31) poked at a Mitchell Johnson delivery slanting across him that looked a regulation catch for Ricky Ponting in the slips, only for the captain to mistime the catch and parry the ball in front of him. Fortunately for Australia, the alert Brad Haddin was on hand to complete the dismissal.

If the joy at a wicket falling with such fortune was not enough, Ryan Harris removed Collingwood with the final ball of the day. After Harris had located the ideal line and length for an outswinging bowler, Collingwood found himself rooted to the crease and prodding carelessly, edging low to Steven Smith in the slips for just 11.

It is scarcely believable that after being 5/69 on day one of this Test Australia is close to the kind of victory that can define a series. All England's momentum, built in meticulously planned tour matches and the first two Tests of this series has been absorbed and thrust back at the tourists in the space of two unforgettable days.

There is a reason the Ashes means more than any other cricketing contest and anybody watching the last three days of action in Perth cannot have failed to appreciate the spectacle this can produce.

The view from Australia

Australia will be confident of dismissing England early on Sunday and levelling this compelling Ashes series.

The turnaround in fortunes is startling. After a poor build-up, two indifferent Tests and some peculiar selections everything has come together for Australia at the most opportune moment. Rather than being out of the match and the series as things looked on Thursday, Australia will head to Melbourne confident of taking a stranglehold on a contest they have looked ill-prepared for in long passages.

The view from England

The balance of the England side changes substantially when the game does not suit Graeme Swann. Over the past year Swann has been a captain's dream, simultaneously economical and attacking. By knowing Swann can hold one end up and remain a wicket-taking threat Andrew Strauss has been able to rotate his quicks and cope with just a four-man attack. As this WACA pitch has suited pace more than spin England looks at least one bowler short.

The nominal fifth bowler has been Paul Collingwood but his medium-pacers have been innocuous at best. Considering the Durham number five's poor form with the bat, England may consider bringing in Tim Bresnan to become a genuine fifth bowler. It would weaken the batting on paper but Collingwood has been flattered by his series average of 15.5 and Bresnan averages a promising 41.6 in Tests. Such a move would also promote Ian Bell up to five, the position he should probably be in regardless.

Hero

Mike Hussey. Hussey's series stats indicate he is a player at the top of his game. However the numbers barely do his performances this series justice. His runs have come under intense pressure. Pressure to justify his place in Brisbane. Pressure to keep his side competitive in Brisbane, Adelaide and now Perth. The numbers also do not show how Hussey has accumulated his haul. Here in Perth he has delivered a clinic in leaving the ball and selecting the precise length of shorter deliveries to attack. He has also managed to hit England's premier bowler, Graeme Swann out of the game. His footwork played havoc with Swann's length as he rocked back and pulled him in front of square on the leg side or pressed forward and drove him through the covers.

Hussey also benefitted from England's seamers - Finn in particular - bowling filth. If England didn't learn in Brisbane that Hussey is an expert puller of the ball they found out to their cost today.

Villain

Billy Doctrove. As one wag suggested today, the UDRS should stand for the Umpire Doctrove Review System...

I'm not sure anyone else noticed but...

After Hussey, Watson and Haddin, Australia's next highest batting average so far this series is Michael Clarke's 23. As Winston Churchill said, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

What's next?

An Australian victory sometime around lunch. Appropriately that should also be the time vast quantities of humble pie are consumed, by a media contingent (myself included) completely unprepared for such a performance.

If ever there was a sporting ticket to get hold of; beg, steal or borrow your way into the MCG this Boxing Day. One Test all with two to play in front of a packed MCG. International sport does not get better than that.

TAB Sportsbet Odds:

Australia $1.01, Draw $101.00, England $17.00

Day 3

England - 187 & 5/81

Australia - 268 & 309