Australia are perfectly poised to square the Ashes series after throttling England, 81 for five and still and still 310 shy of their target, across an enthralling day three at the WACA.

Packed to the brim with entertainment, including Mike Hussey's century, Australia's lower-order collapse, Chris Tremlett's haul of five for 87 and England's top-order rot, Saturday served up cricket entirely worthy of such an epic contest.

Resuming on 119 for three overnight, Shane Watson and Mike Hussey ensured that the hosts were spared the early skids as their third-wicket stand powered into three figures. Where Watson was measured, Hussey was progressively flashy as England's seamers endured an opening hour void of swing, seam and imagination.

Nothing more than a back-up bowler yet the pick of the visiting attack by a long shot in this match, Chris Tremlett eventually struck to get rid of Watson lbw for 95 to give the English something to smile about headed into the lunch break. The opener, fast becoming an easy victim of the nervous 90s, tried his hand at a referral to no avail, with technology showing all pad, no bat.

While Watson couldn't find favour with the Umpire Decision Review System, Steven Smith (36) and Hussey certainly did. The former, on one at the time, was right in his assessment that a catch to slip hadn't glanced the bat, and the latter's knowledge of the big bounce in Perth saved him on 60.

With Hussey seemingly unstoppable and Smith's vigil proving far too fruitful for their liking, England tried their luck upstairs, but were undone by another one adjudged to be headed over the stumps.

Six runs later, though, they had their man, with Smith ultimately beaten by the short-ball plan. Having bobbed and weaved away from numerous bouncers, the impulsive right-hander couldn't resist having a go at the last of the over, succeeding only in gloving it down the leg-side to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

As Brad Haddin (seven) and Mitchell Johnson (one) fell in relatively quick succession and a lower-order collapse their for England's taking, Hussey made sure not be stranded short of a 13th Test ton, duly racking it up in the 75th over of the innings with a crunch through the off-side and shout of "get in there" to welcome his milestone. While Marcus North has come and gone and Ricky Ponting has failed time and time again, the once under-fire left-hander has now well and truly hammered home his position in Australia's Ashes XI.

The veteran, spared departure on 102 by Graeme Swann's spill at short cover, scraped together the remaining runs on offer on either side of the tea break. Unlike the first innings, tail-enders Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus couldn't weigh in with anything significant, and it was largely left to the centurion to swing for the fences. He tried but failed, holing out in the deep with an ugly shot to end an otherwise near perfect 116.

Fittingly so, it was Tremlett to send Hussey packing in going to his maiden Test five-wicket haul. The towering fast bowler used his height to great advantage throughout Saturday and rushed the Aussies for pace and elevation far more than senior bowlers James Anderson and Steven Finn did.

Having lost their last six wickets for 57 runs to capitulate to 309 all out, Australia were left to rue a 390-run lead that really should've been in excess of 450, Yet they were quickly consoled by their seamers' newfound penchant for early inroads and England's shoddy shot selection.

Forced to bowl an endless amount of overs to Alastair Cook and company's resistance in Brisbane and Adelaide, Perth's third Test has brought a change of fortune. Yes, the competitive nature of the WACA pitch has helped the bowlers a lot more than those on offer at the Gabba and Oval, but England's top- to middle-order have lacked the discipline shown in the previous two Tests.

Alastair Cook (13) was back in the crease when he should have been forward to Ryan Harris.

Andrew Strauss (15) inevitably feathered and edge off Johnson after poking away from his body too often.

Kevin Pietersen (three), flummoxed by the pressure of three preceding maidens, really shouldn't have played at the one he spooned through to the slips off the bowling of Hilfenhaus.

Jonathan Trott (31), late in the day, lost concentration to give Johnson his eighth scalp of the match and the slip cordon more catching practice, though Ricky Ponting would've preferred taking the bobble at first grab rather than have Haddin clean it up.

Paul Collingwood (11), meanwhile, was left to lament the lack of protection from nightwatchman James Anderson and yet another untoward push outside off-stump in falling to Harris and the cordon off the last ball of the day.

Bar injury, this is the seam attack the Australians will want to play across the remainder of the series. Harris' wicket-to-wicket approach and nip off the deck complements Hilfenhaus' away-swing superbly, while Johnson's rejuvenation in front of his homecrowd will go a long way in returning the pace ace back to his best in Sydney and Melbourne.

81 for five and all but dead and buried, this is the longest period the visitors have been on the backfoot this series and the steely Prior and the lower-order leftovers will have to come up with a disciplined plan to stave off the Aussies gunning toward victory with a day to spare. Ponting, however, will expect - and surely receive - an arguably career-saving victory on his 36th birthday come Sunday.

Shot of the Day
Graeme Swann, though off the boil on Saturday, has had the better of the Aussies second to none this tour. So, Hussey's aggressive approach, including a cheeky dance down the wicket and drive through cover for four, showed his team-mates that the spinner is, indeed, beatable.

Delivery of the Day
The very last ball of Saturday to get rid of Collingwood typified two things: England's inexplicable lack of thought outside the off-stump and what right-armer Harris brings to the team that southpaw Doug Bollinger doesn't.

Defining Moment of the Day
Australia really needed the big scalp of Strauss to get them back on track after their late collapse. Johnson produced a good enough line and Strauss was happy to oblige his opposite number in the slips.

Jonhenry Wilson