Live Blog: Ashes | ENG vs AUS, 2nd Test, Adelaide, Day 4

Jofra Archer and Steve Smith get into a war of words. Seems like the chat is something along the lines of “only bowl fast when there’s nothing on the line.” Yikes.

Smith wins the over comfortably, taking 15 from it

Where was this in the first innings? Brilliant delivery from Atkinson, completely squaring up Labuschagne who tries to fend one off that climbs up on him.

How different could things have looked if they had an extra 100 on the target?

Not that close really, but they went up for it like it had to be given. Archer again opting for a fuller length against Weatherald and strikes him on the pad. Sliding down leg on this occasion but no harm in reviewing given the circumstances

Chops on! Something small for Atkinson to feel good about, he dangles the carrot and Travis Head takes the bait. Marnus Labuschagne is the new man in and gets off the mark straight away

Or breakfast for me. If England were to win this they probably needed four wickets in those five overs. 20 minute break before Australia close this out, will it be by 10 wickets?

No daylight, no problem for Travis Head. He flicks Atkinson for a 79m six into the leg-side before driving handsomely for 4. The target is dwindling rapidly here and this game is over

Archer is bowling at some clip here, his latest over eclipsing 150km/h. He completely beats Weatherald who didn’t react quick enough to edge it. There’s then an edge which doesn’t carry to Pope at gully

This could be over in a flash. The openers are carving Atkinson wherever they want, taking 9 off his first. There’s 10 minutes until the interval but the umpires might continue play if they get much closer to the win

Archer sends one flying down the leg-side second ball which goes for four byes, before both Aussies open their account with singles into the off-side

Let’s not forget England have dismissed Australia for a total of this nature before, but as Head and Weatherald take to the crease and the England players huddle, it will take the greatest bowling performance in the history of the Ashes for England to win here.

Jofra Archer to open with the new ball

Neser gets his 5-fer, Smith takes another catch at slip. Carse prodding at one here and things are pretty bleak for England. They’ve proved their reliance on Root and Stokes to get England to competitive totals

Neser deserves this, he’s been excellent and he gets a lovely reception at his home ground, chase to come soon

Gus Atkinson takes on the short ball and cloths it straight to Steve Smith at midwicket. Fielding superiority the biggest story of the game for me, Carse put down a chance very similar to that.

Feels like formalities now for the rest of this Test

Ben Stokes has to go and he’s furious with himself. There’s a bit of extra bounce and Carey has done so well behind the stumps yet again. Just two more to get for Australia, England will likely look to play aggressively to try and build up a bit of a lead. Credit to Neser who has 4 now and has been the pick of the bowlers today

An easy single into the leg side and Stokes has his half-century. Fantastic work from him, and when the pressure was at it’s highest you had a feeling he’d deliver. Very measured, very slow (148 balls), very aware of what he had to do

Neser has continued to bowl well here and he strikes the new man Atkinson on the back pad. They use their final review but he’s got a tickle with the bat and it looked to have hit him outside the line anyway.

Something about Stokes innings when Australia have no reviews?

How on earth has Steve Smith clung on to that? A genuine edge goes low and fast to Steve Smith’s wrong hand, and he digs it out and gives his side the breakthrough. How different would this game be if England fielded like that?

Will Jacks has done well but he’s gone before the new ball, which could prove to be a real problem for England

It’s the second time Ben Stokes has been struck in that area today, seems to happen to him every time I watch him bat.

He’s in some discomfort, but manages to survive the rest of the Michael Neser over

Stokes and Jacks are rotating the strike well here, rolling their wrists over these short balls and milking Doggett for ones and twos. They’ve already reached England’s highest ever 7th wicket partnership, worth 92 and counting

It’s a serious field setting Australia have here, with no one in the off-side front of square quadrant. Brendan Doggett is the man to deliver the bumper barrage, and Jacks is tempted by the second delivery of the over. He takes a single and Stokes does the same in the form of a leg-bye. The last ball does carry to Travis Head at short-leg but very quickly

No lack of composure after the interval for England, with Stokes and Jacks continuing nicely. Cam Green and Mitch Starc struggling to get the ball to co-operate, they’ll be eyeing up things in 17 overs time where the new ball will be available

The English pair have held their side of the bargain. Scored just 59 off 24 overs but regardless, they’re still there. 40 minute break, and things might be getting a little bit more challenging

Travis Head bustles through a maiden and then the ball gets handed to Marnus Labuschagne. Nathan Lyon has been bringing on drinks making the whole thing more like a fever dream. Jacks picks off 2 from his first before a single to round things off before tea.

More good stuff from Scott Boland who gets Ben Stokes driving. It flies over the hands of Cam Green so it should barely even go as a half-chance but it’s one of the closest shouts they’ve had all day. Not long until the first break now

Another single gives England the lead and brings up an excellent stand considering the game state. These two are digging in, and probably need 200 more to turn this into a game