Australia solidified their dominant position after lunch on day two of the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval, with the crucial wickets of Joe Root and Harry Brook.
The hosts removed the Yorkshire pair for the addition of 73 runs in the afternoon session, as England regressed from 59 – 3 to 132 – 5.
Both Root and Brook fell in similar fashion, edging good length deliveries through to Alex Carey behind the stumps.
Root (19) was the first wicket to fall after lunch, when Pat Cummins lured him into a defensive prod that he nicked through to Carey.
England captain Ben Stokes and Brook played watchfully for the most part, putting away most of their flamboyant strokes and digging in amidst some impressive Australian bowling.
Brook’s patience eventually waned, although the end result for England was a positive one, as he danced down and hammered Scott Boland over cover for six.
After surviving being given out caught behind off Nathan Lyon, Brook (45) did eventually fall on the stroke of lunch though, feathering a peach of a delivery behind from Cameron Green.
Following the conclusion of the 58 run partnership between Stokes and Brook, there was time for a further scare for England before tea, as Jamie Smith got off the mark with a thick edge past Josh Inglis at slip.
Stokes will resume after the interval on 19 from 76 deliveries, alongside Jamie Smith (5*), with his side still trailing by 239 with only five wickets remaining.
For England to have any chance of winning this Test match, they will need to bat well into tomorrow and hope that Stokes can play another one of his famous Ashes knocks.
You can follow the third and final session of day two via our live, ball-by-ball commentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/g8FVG206a7M?si=X9vdUGggUN_o4W_1
