The Ashes: Latest news about the 2nd day of England vs Australia test series
The Ashes: Australia declares on 473-9 in Adelaide after Marnus Labuschagne scores a century, Steve Smith knocks 93, and their tail wags; England openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed fall cheaply under lights as the toiling tourists close on 17-2.
On day two of the day-night Test in Adelaide, a stumbling England slumped to 17-2 after 8.4 overs under the lights in reply to Australia’s huge 473-9 declaration.
Rory Burns (4) and Haseeb Hameed (6) both fell in the first seven overs as Mitchell Starc and debutant Michael Neser got to work with the pink ball, but an electrical storm forced England to retire early with a 456-run deficit.
Joe Root is undefeated on five, having edged the second ball he faced, bowled by Neser, barely short of Steve Smith at slip, while Dawid Malan is unbeaten on one, with the lightning likely sparing England more havoc.
Australia vs England, Day 2 of the Ashes Test in Adelaide – as it occurred
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Root’s team faces a major job if they are to avoid losing this Test and falling behind 2-0 in the five-match series – a scenario that would force them to win the final three games to reclaim the urn.
Burns’ disastrous series continued when he was squared up by Starc and edged through to Smith, while Neser took his first Test wicket when Hameed flapped to Starc at mid-on.
With an hour and a half left in the day – with England toiling after a 150-over stint on the field – Smith, who scored 93 for Australia, called his team in.
The tourists had reduced Australia to 294-5 in the first session, with Marnus Labuschagne (103) ultimately dismissed after four reprieves, before Ben Stokes (3-113) and Root (1-72) bowled Travis Head (18) and Cameron Green (2) in quick succession before dinner.
However, after Smith and Alex Carey (51) shared a 91-run sixth-wicket stand, Australia’s tail plundered 83 from only 60 balls for the eighth and ninth wickets, denying Smith his 12th Ashes century and 28th of his Test career.
During a stand of 58 from 51 balls with Starc, Neser (35 off 24) – in the Australia side due to Pat Cummins’ Covid-enforced absence – smashed Chris Woakes (1-103) for two fours and a six in an over (39no off 39).
Jhye Richardson (9) blasted Woakes over midwicket for six one ball before his dismissal forced the declaration. Starc hit three fours in four balls against Stokes.
When Labuschagne guided Anderson through the slip cordon for four off the 287th ball he faced, he clinched his first Ashes hundred, his sixth in Tests, and his third in pink-ball games.
Labuschagne returned on Friday five runs short of a century after being dropped on 21 and 95 by Jos Buttler – and he got two more lifelines on 102 thanks to Ollie Robinson before being nailed lbw offering no shot to the same man’s nip-backer.
Labuschagne was saved twice: first by Robinson’s front-foot no-ball after snicking behind to Buttler, and then by a missed catch – admittedly a challenging opportunity – after pulling Stuart Broad towards a diving Robinson at square leg.
England took three wickets in the first session, which Australia started on 221-2, with the dismissals of Head and Green giving the away side a boost shortly before the first interval.
After being tricked by a dipping Root delivery from around the wicket, Head yorked himself, while Green’s off stump was clipped by a brilliant Stokes delivery that nipped away a touch.
England would not strike again until very close to the end of the war.
Anderson took the game’s first wicket when he trapped Smith lbw with a low nip-backer, and he backed that up by having Carey, who got a maiden fifty in only his second Test, caught at cover by Hameed in his next over.
Neser and Richardson were finally dismissed by Stokes and Woakes in the final session, but not before the damage had been done – and further damage had been done to England as openers Burns and Hameed were dismissed for single digits, leaving Root’s team staring down the barrel of a 2-0 deficit.