England's Ashes 2017 hopes hinge on the Perth weather. Start of the final day of 3rd Ashes Test was delayed due to rain and a wet pitch with Australia needing six more wickets to win the match and retain the Ashes. With rain playing spoilsport, lunch was called early without a ball being bowled on the fifth day. Kevin Pietersen, who is on commentating duties for the Ashes series, took the opportunity to poke fun at current England captain Joe Root by posting a hilarious picture on his official handle. However, fans on Twitter were not too impressed with the former England batsman's post.
Pietersen posted a morphed picture of Root holding a water pistol and captioned it: "Captain Fantastic".
That led to some angry fans taking on Pietersen for his lack of respect for the English skipper.
Showers and overnight water damage to the pitch prevented any play in the first session, raising England's hopes of remaining alive in the series.
Australia need just six more wickets to reclaim the Ashes.
A draw would mean England can still retain the Ashes with wins in the last two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.
England were 132 for four, trailing by 127 runs with Dawid Malan on 28 and Jonny Bairstow on 14.
Strong winds and heavy showers lashed Perth on Sunday night and continued on Monday morning, but the main concern was a damp patch just outside the popping crease at the southern end of the ground.
The reason for the damage was unclear, although there was speculation it might have been linked to strong winds lifting the covers.