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Day 3 of the second Ashes Test could tell us whether England have any chance of retaining the urn, as Australia look to build on a huge first innings score. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 2pm (AEDT).
Australia find themselves in a dominant position at the end of Day 2, but rain brought an early end to the second day which might have prevented them from strengthening their position.
The game was delicately poised after the first day, with Australia at 4 for 209, but Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine – the two men whose selections were criticised the most – batted England out of the game.
Marsh played what was probably his classiest Test cricket innings, racking up an unbeaten century. He left the ball well, took advantage when it was short or over-pitched and showed runs can be scored against the pink ball.
It was an enthralling start to the day, with England bowling brilliantly during the first session. Paine, who scored a half-century, counter-attacked the tourists, being aggressive at every opportunity and by tea, England were struggling.
The bowling went from bad to worse after the first break for England, with runs easier to come by for Marsh, who had been joined by Pat Cummins. The fast bowler went on to make 44, his highest ever Test score, batting Australia through to the dinner interval.
By that stage, England were looking well and truly out of the game before Smith pulled the pin at 8 for 442, leaving 28 overs before stumps.
Unfortunately, the rain intervened and brought an end to the cricket for the day after Australia had bowled just 9.1 overs. The new ball didn’t seem to be doing as much for Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood, and Alastair Cook looked strong. James Vince joined him and faced a solitary maiden after Mark Stoneman wasted a review trying to overturn an LBW.
With England 1 for 29 at stumps, still 413 runs behind, they must bat all day to start thinking about saving the match. And it’s not about survival – they must do so convincingly, as Australia did to dinner yesterday.
Do that, and they bring themselves back in with a fighting chance at the urn. Lose early wickets against what will be a fired up Aussie attack, and they could find themselves staring down the barrel of defeat by the end of the day.
If Australia learned anything from Stuart Broad and James Anderson, it’s that they must bowl full to get the ball moving around.
Cook is going to be the key for England. An order full of youngsters alongside captain Joe Root means Cook must find some form in a hurry. He looked solid yesterday, but today will be the real Test, and more than likely, the real answer about England’s Ashes chances.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the third day’s play from 2pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
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