In the second innings, he took 1/79 and Australia lost by 170 runs. Despite this performance, Mallett was immediately dropped for the remaining three Tests. He took 4/110 and 4/89 in the next tour match against Border, but was ignored for the Third and Fourth Tests. In the meantime, Australia lost the last three Tests by an innings and 129 runs, 307 runs and 323 runs respectively, the heaviest series defeat in Australian Test history. Mallett ended the tour with 33 wickets at 33.09 and 61 runs at 12.20. As Mallett sought to reclaim his Test spot at the start of the 1970–71 Australian season, he was in better form with the bat than the ball. In his opening first-class match of the season, against Western Australia, he made his first-class best of 92, but only totalled 2/179 in a drawn match. In the following match against Ray Illingworth's touring England team, he scored 28 but only managed an aggregate of 1/165 with the ball. Mallett then made the second and last half-century of his career, making 76 and totalling 3/25 against Victoria. In his last match before the First Test, Mallett only took 2/80 and he was not included in the national team. After the Second Test, Mallett found form with the ball, taking 4/59 and 3/61 against England for South Australia, adding an unbeaten 42 with the bat. He followed this with 3/22 and 3/49 in an innings win over Queensland, and was called into the team for the Third Test. Due to persistent rain, the match was abandoned and the inaugural one-day international was scheduled in its place at the MCG. Mallett had not been in good form in this new format of cricket; in two matches earlier in the season, he had conceded 82 runs from his 10 overs, approximately twice the average of that era. Despite his poor track record, Mallett took 3/34 from eight overs, removing Edrich, Keith Fletcher and John Hampshire as England were dismissed for 190. Australia went on to complete a five-wicket victory. Mallett took 4/40 and 2/85 in the Fourth Test at Sydney in the 1970-71 Ashes series, but Australia lost by 299 runs to go down 1–0 down and he was dropped immediately after the Test. He was brought back for the Sixth Test, his first at the Adelaide Oval. He scored 28 and totalled 0/63 as the match