ADELAIDE: England were battling to stay in the second Ashes Test on Friday after Australia removed both openers in a fiery spell under lights on day two to leave the visitors reeling.

The home team declared their first innings on a commanding 473 for nine at the Adelaide Oval, leaving England to face a trying 40 minutes against a swinging pink ball.

They didn’t fare well with under-pressure Rory Burns lasting just three balls against a rampant Mitchell Starc, edging a rising delivery to Steve Smith at second slip after making just four.

Haseeb Hameed hung on slightly longer before Michael Neser, in for skipper Pat Cummins — who pulled out of the Test at the last minute over a Covid scare — bagged his maiden Test scalp.

Hameed, on six, chipped to Starc at mid-on with Neser mobbed by his team-mates.

Once again, England’s fate rests with skipper Joe Root, who was unbeaten on five alongside Dawid Malan on one as they reached stumps at 17 for two after lightning forced an early halt.

England crashed by nine wickets in the first Test at Brisbane and if they go 2-0 down in Adelaide the Ashes are as good as gone, with Root’s men needing to win all three remaining Tests.

“It’s been a tough two days obviously, we’ve spent a lot of time out in the field,” said England all-rounder Ben Stokes.

“But we get to turn up tomorrow in the natural light [which] I think most people agree is the easiest and best time to be a batter out in the middle.”

He added: “We don’t believe we’re beaten already.”

Earlier, Marnus Labuschagne top-scored with a magnificent 103 while David Warner (95) and Smith (93) provided vital support after Australia resumed from their overnight 221-2.

Stokes was the pick of the England attack with 3-113, while Jimmy Anderson took 2-58.

Number three Labuschagne completed his epic century after setting himself up by batting almost all day on Thursday, bringing up his sixth Test ton and first in an Ashes series off a dogged 287 balls.

But he struggled when Ollie Robinson was brought into the England attack and he was trapped lbw, adding just eight runs to his overnight 95.

“It was nice to get that hundred, obviously got a few chances there but that’s how it goes sometimes, you ride your luck,” Labuschagne said. “It feels like you have to grind for every run that you’re out there.”

Labuschagne in the process also became the first player to hit three centuries in day-night Test matches. Of the 3,068 players in Test cricket’s 144-year history, only Don Bradman, George Headley, Herbert Sutcliffe and Mike Hussey have reached 2,000 runs faster than Labuschagne’s total in 34 innings.

Bradman achieved his 2,000 runs in 22 innings, Jamaican Headley in 32 and England’s Sutcliffe and Australia’s Hussey in 33.

Labuschagne has now scored centuries in three consecutive day-night Tests at the Adelaide Oval, averaging almost 100 and with just one score below 40.

Smith struck a fine 93 to help Australia reassert control after Travis Head and Cameron Green were out in quick succession after Labuschagne departed.

The stand-in captain was England’s key tormentor at the last Ashes in 2019, on his return from a ball-tampering ban, and he kept his cool in sweltering Adelaide.

He was ably supported by Alex Carey, who is in the team as replacement wicket-keeper for former skipper Tim Paine, who quit on the eve of the Ashes over a text-message scandal.

Smith came to the crease when Warner was out and barely put a foot wrong, dishing out particular punishment to Chris Woakes, crunching three boundaries in one over then smacking him for a big six.

He looked destined for a 28th Test century but was dismissed lbw to an Anderson ball that pitched up — the English veteran’s first wicket of the tour.

Carey fell soon after for 51, his maiden Test half-century, chipping to Hameed at cover off Anderson.

Temperatures in Adelaide peaked at 37 degrees Celsius (99 Fahrenheit) as England toiled, desperately needing wickets to stay in the game.

They were rewarded for their persistence by getting not only Labuschagne but Head, who was high on confidence after an impressive 152 in the first Test at Brisbane.

But he was undone by Root’s part-time spin, with the England captain finding turn and bounce, beating Head with a delivery that left him sprawled on one knee in disbelief, out for 18.

Green only lasted five balls, undone by a fuller delivery from Stokes that clattered into his stumps.

Tailenders Starc and Neser rubbed salt into English wounds in a quickfire 58-run stand before the declaration.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings, overnight 221-2):

M. Harris c Buttler b Broad 3

D. Warner c Broad b Stokes 95

M. Labuschagne b Robinson 103

S. Smith lbw Anderson 93

T. Head b Root 18

C. Green b Stokes 2

A. Carey c Hameed b Anderson 51

M. Starc not out 39

M. Neser c Broad b Stokes 35

J. Richardson c Buttler b Woakes 9

EXTRAS (LB-9, NB-11, W-5) 25

TOTAL (for 9 wkts decl 150.4 overs) 473

DID NOT BAT: Nathan Lyon

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-4 (Harris), 2-176 (Warner), 3-241 (Labuschagne), 4-291 (Head), 5-294 (Green), 6-385 (Smith), 7-390 (Carey), 8-448 (Neser), 9-473 (Richardson)

BOWLING: Anderson 29-10-58-2; Broad 26-6-73-1; Woakes 23.4-6-103-1; Robinson 27-13-45-1; Stokes 25-2-113-3; Root 20-2-72-1

ENGLAND (1st Innings):

R. Burns c Smith b Starc 4

H. Hameed c Starc b Neser 6

D. Malan not out 1

J. Root not out 5

EXTRAS (LB-1) 1

TOTAL (for two wkts, 8.4 overs) 17

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-7 (Burns), 2-12 (Hameed)

BOWLING (to-date): Starc 3-1-11-1; Richardson 4-3-1-0; Neser 1.4-0-4-1

STILL TO BAT: Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2021