Melbourne — England’s hopes of clawing their way back into an Ashes series fast slipping from their grip will be put to the ultimate test at the Waca in Perth, where the tourists have won only once in nearly 50 years. The Waca bore witness to England’s meek surrender of the 2013-14 series, and at 2-0 down after Brisbane and Adelaide, Joe Root’s men face a similar predicament when the third Test starts on Thursday. With its traditionally quick and bouncy wicket playing to the strengths of home pacemen, the Waca has been a house of pain for English cricket, and Australians will be hoping for more of the same when the ground hosts its final Test. The Waca, described as ramshackle, frozen in time and a veritable graveyard for visiting teams, is hosting its 44th and final Test match before future games are switched to the new 60,000-capacity Perth Stadium. One has to delve deep in the records to find the last time England drew a match. That was in 1986, when Mike Gatting’s unlikely band ...
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