Travis Head is eyeing a century and a chance to set England a big fourth-innings target in Adelaide, despite two quick dismissals at the start of the third session on day three of the Ashes Test.

Australia was 4-181 after tea Friday, after Usman Khawaja was out for 40 just after the break and Cameron Green was caught at slip for just 7.

After Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer breathed life back into England with the bat on Friday morning, Head sucked it right back out of them in the middle session.

Head was unbeaten on 90 with Alex Carey on 15 midway through the final session of the day as Australia pursues an unassailable 3-0 series lead in the third Test.

Stokes and Archer’s 90-run ninth-wicket partnership had the potential to be match-changing for England, helping them recover to 286 and a first-innings deficit of 85.

The tourists then had Jake Weatherald out for one when Brydon Carse trapped him lbw, albeit only after the opener didn’t review a ball that pitched outside leg stump.

And when Marnus Labuschagne offered his outside edge one too many times and was caught in the slips off Josh Tongue for 13, Australia were 2-53.

But from there Head has steadied the ship.

The South Australian has routinely worked the ball through the backward-point region, with 31 of his runs coming through that part of the ground.

England was also guilty of making it far too easy for the left-hander, playing with one slip and no gully and a man back while feeding him balls outside off stump.

Even when it did change its approach and crowded the region with seven men on the offside, Head still pierced the gap and square-drove Tongue to the boundary.

He then showed further signs of aggression just before tea, getting inside a Carse bouncer and hooking it for six over fine leg.

It was Head who began Australia’s dominance of this Ashes series with a fourth-innings century in Perth, and he was giving the hosts a chance to wrap up the urn in Adelaide.

At the other end, Khawaja also looked relatively comfortable, opening his account with a cut shot for four off Tongue, before sweeping Will Jacks for four.

Stokes, meanwhile, did not bowl in the middle session after he showed the kind of fight with the bat England have lacked all series.

He brought up his 50 on Friday morning off 159 balls, marking the slowest half-century of any England batsman during Brendon McCullum’s tenure as coach.

Seemingly willing to go away from the BazBall mantra, England’s captain played the two best shots of the morning when he twice cover-drove Scott Boland to the rope.

He also showed an ability to absorb pressure, before he was bowled by Mitchell Starc.

Archer also hit a career-high 51 as part of England’s highest ninth-wicket Ashes partnership in 99 years, before he was trapped lbw by Boland (3-45).

Pat Cummins finished with 3-69 on his return from injury, and Nathan Lyon took 2-70.

-AAP