England have been this way before so a sense of foreboding is rife. In the 21st century a first-innings score in excess of 400 guarantees nothing and they know that better than most. A year ago, on their tour of India, England amassed 400 in Mumbai and 477 in Chennai. On both occasions they lost the match by an innings. The numbers are looking ominously similar here in Perth. Despite England’s 403, Australia led by 146 and they had six wickets in hand at the end of the third day.

On a sleeping pitch England tend to do a lot of fielding. Despite all the plans and funky fields, which sometimes look more of a hindrance than a help, they struggle even with the presence of their record-breaking bowlers. So it was here on the third day when, for the second time in history, England were tormented by a New South Welshman and a Marsh – or two.

In 1989, Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh batted all of the first day of the Trent Bridge Test, while scoring 301. Here, Steve Smith from Sydney, with the same sense of inevitability that greets an incoming tide, batted flawlessly for hour after hour in the company of a Marsh, Shaun for 55 minutes and Mitchell for the rest of the day. While Smith cruised effortlessly to his highest Test score, 229, Mitchell Marsh standing massively tall, hit his maiden Test century, during which he struck the ball with greater power than anyone else in the match, finishing the day on 181. The partnership is worth 301. The home crowd revelled in the success of their state captain, the son of Geoff, younger brother of Shaun and now the third man in his family to score a Test century against England.

Marsh’s innings capped another wonderful day for Australia – and their selectors. There have been some criticisms of the recall of the Marsh brothers – especially from those residing in the eastern states. But now the figures speak for themselves.

Mind you, there is no more reassuring a sight for an incoming batsman than the presence of Smith at the other end. He began the day on 92 not out and before a ball was bowled on Saturday there was talk of him passing his career best of 215. Once play started there was no reason to doubt that he could break a few other records as well.

England began with a funky field to him for the pacemen with five men on the leg side and a solitary slip. These unorthodox placements are supposed to perplex the batsman, who becomes preoccupied about the nature of the opposition’s cunning plan. But here they seemed to make Smith feel like a million dollars – as well as opening up gaps in the field for easy runs. Smith now surely welcomes such unorthodoxy, which requires the bowlers to offer no width whatsoever, a line that reduces the possibility of the ball taking the outside edge.

How do most batsmen get dismissed here, where the bounce is higher than the norm? From the outside edge or, if the bowlers are fast enough – and England’s were never going to be – via the well-directed short ball. Even at the start of play Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson declined to look for Smith’s outside edge. It was almost as if they were in damage limitation mode against him from the first ball. No doubt the Australia captain sensed that as well. He knew he was in clover.

So Smith slipped easily to his 22nd Test century, and his fastest, from 138 balls, a figure that throws into the doubt the wisdom of some of the funkiness; soon he had registered 1,000 runs in a calendar year for the fourth time in succession. Shaun Marsh had been watchful alongside him; then, upon the introduction of Moeen Ali, he hit two consecutive fours but the next delivery turned a fraction and he was caught at slip by Root. England’s elation was brief and muted.

The second new ball offered no more help than the first. When Smith was on 135 England reviewed an Anderson lbw appeal but it was an act of desperation; Anderson did not really look convinced, only surprised that Smith had missed a ball. Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh settled in as if he was a Test veteran.

After the break England tried their bodyline tactic via Broad and Chris Woakes but it was slow bodyline designed as much to stop the batsmen scoring rather than to dismiss them. Neither Smith nor Marsh was too bothered. On 163, Smith edged a ball but it dropped 10 feet short of the slip fielder; such a moment qualified as a blip in this innings. By now he was starting to decelerate; he would play the long game; already he was planning a mammoth first-innings lead.

In this pursuit Marsh was a magnificent ally: he drove with absolute certainty on either side of the wicket; he cut powerfully to the ever-vacant third-man boundary and soon he had raced past his best Test score of 87. Just before tea he registered his century that was rapturously received by the home supporters.

How to be polite about the English bowlers, who were now tormented by a pitch that offered them no help, given that they lack the pace to bombard the batsmen? Well, Anderson was the most accurate; Woakes looked the most willing; maybe Craig Overton was the bravest since it was revealed that he has a hairline cracked rib; but he kept going anyway.

Moeen was the solitary wicket-taker and he seems to have adjusted his action; he has reduced his gather as he moves into his delivery stride and he appears to be slightly more open-chested. This may lead to greater accuracy but his bowling lacked the zip of earlier in the year. Wittingly or not he is bowling more slowly than in Brisbane. But the gloomy news is that Dawid Malan, who, all too late in proceedings, was invited to propel some of his leg-breaks, bowled six overs that were as impressive as any others on a dire day for England.