Australia had a plan. It wasn't especially sophisticated:bowl fast and short on Australia's speedier pitches,follow it up with plenty of pithy language,enlist the home crowd,foment the sort of hostile environment that had the Barmy Army on Tuesday dreaming wistfully,but tunefully,of a White Christmas,and spring the ambush. In a flat moment in this match,Clarke exhorted the WACA Ground crowd to amp up the atmosphere. At the climax on Tuesday,all the Australians were at it.

England stood on its record;Australia stood on England's toes. At times,both the bowling and the trash talking have pushed to the limit the letter of the Laws of Cricket. Goaded,England joined in. It means that the series has been played in conspicuously poor grace. Each team largely has shunned the other's individual milestones. Tuesday's acclamation of Stokes'century was a rare exception. This temper has jarred on many,but endeared itself to even more,to that particularly Australian sensibility that sees sport as secular jihad. There was about it all,something of this year's most infamous motif:"Whatever it takes."

Momentum gathered. It showed in big ways and small. Australia caught everything,even flies,England swatted at them,irritably. Australia won all three tosses,an important detail. England lost Jonathan Trott,and at a crucial moment in this match Broad,its best bowler. It dithered over selection,Australia remained unchanged. Decision review system,a mystery to Australia in the English summer,suddenly worked in its favour. Before our very eyes,Alastair Cook,Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann atrophied,Johnson and Dave Warner grew.