England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith paid the price for letting Travis Head off the hook with a straightforward fumble early on day two of the second Test.
Smith grassed a chance to his left when Head was on three which gave Australia’s most dangerous batter a life early in his innings off Jofra Archer.
Head and opening partner Jake Weatherald went on to smash a 77-run stand for the first wicket with the vice-captain belting three fours and a six.
It could have been worse for Smith and England with Head out for 33 when he skied Brydon Carse to Gus Atkinson but the Aussies were off to a flyer at that stage, going at better than a run a ball.
Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie said wicketkeepers should be taking those sort of catches at this level.
“That’s a bad miss,” he said on ABC Radio.
Even former England spinner Phil Tufnell, a player notorious for his lack of fielding ability, was shocked Smith put the chance down.
“He should have gobbled that up. Alex Carey would have caught it,” he said.
Australia pounced on the error with Weatherald chalking up his first Test half-century in his second match as they passed 100 for the loss of just one wicket in the 18th over in reply to England’s total of 334.