The Ashes LIVE: Huge blow for England as disaster strikes for skipper Ben Stokes with Australia well on top

Yes, the bowling – especially from Matthew Potts – was often awful, and the decision to give the new ball to Potts and Carse instead of Stokes and Tongue was mystifying, but the Lions would be in a far better position if they’d held their catches.

First and worst, Will Jacks dropped a sitter from Travis Head, committing cricket’s cardinal sin by taking his eye off the ball as he panicked (pictured), thinking he was about to step on the boundary rope. He was three feet inside it. The Aussie was on 121 runs at the time and would finish on 163.

Brydon Carse missed a far tougher chance in the deep, then Zak Crawley couldn’t get Steve Smith with a diving effort when the skipper was on 13 runs. He is now on 129.

Jacks missed another in the final over before lunch, a very difficult caught-and-bowled chance in the last over before lunch.

It was England’s 17th dropped catch of the series.