Australia are slowly and surely strengthening their position in the Third Test at the Adelaide Oval. Having lost the early wicket of Jake Weatherald just before Lunch, the onus was on Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne to steady the ship.
The latter got in but was dismissed after Josh Tongue bowled an awkward length and forced a thick edge off the shoulder of his bat. Harry Brook took a good, low catch in the slips as umpire Nitin Menon reviewed it with the third umpire, before the batter was eventually given out. With Steve Smith not a part of this Test, Usman Khawaja walked in at 4 with an all-important role to play for Australia.
England have shown mixed form in the bowling department as well, with Brydon Carse and Tongue being the wicket-takers. However, their lines and lengths have been mixed, giving the Australians a good opportunity to settle-in and build their innings.
Despite bowling slightly slower than his usual pace, Jofra Archer had the lowest economy as he went for 10 runs from his 5 overs. Joe Root bowled his first overs of this Test, going for just 7 runs from 2 overs. The other spinner was Will Jacks, who was the clear weak link in the English bowling attack. He went for well over 5 runs an over, preventing any pressure being exerted on the Australian batters.
Khawaja has done well to get to 27 runs and has scored at a good pace as well, going quicker than his usual scoring rate. Head on the other end will do what he does best and will look to punish the England bowlers whenever they slip up.
Stay tuned to find out what unfolds in the final session on Day 3!
