Ashes 2025 live score: Ben Stokes was not let down by England teammates, insists Marcus Trescothick

England are facing a huge deficit after the first innings of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide as they trail Australia by 158 runs with two wickets remaining heading into day three.

The hosts took control of the Test after being dismissed for 371 runs in the morning of day two with Jofra Archer claiming the final two wickets despite England allowing Australia to score a further 45 runs.

England’s reply started well enough with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett showing signs of a more focused batting style only for Crawley to lose his wicket to a moving delivery from Pat Cummins. That dismissal sparked a collapse of three wickets for just five runs and England found themselves chasing the game.

Harry Brook made a well earned 45 before nicking a good ball from Cameron Green but the wickets continued to fall. Nathan Lyon took two in an over to overtake Glenn McGrath’s record and become the second highest wicket-taker in Australian history while Cummins finished with 3-47.

Ben Stokes (45*) and Archer (30*) ended the day with a partnership of 45 and both batters will resume in the morning with England needing to cut the gap as much as possible.

Follow updates from day two of the third Ashes Test below.

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Third Ashes Test, day two

• Alex Carey's day one hundred sparked controversy after Snicko technology malfunction costs England
• Australia dismissed for 371 as Archer mops up tail after Starc fifty
• Lyon dismisses Pope and Duckett in same over to leave England reeling
• Root falls to Cummins and Brook dismissed on stroke of tea for 45
• Jamie Smith given out in Snicko controversy as England flounder
• England end day two on 213-8, trailing Australia by 158 runs
• REPORT: England’s sad batting collapse leaves Ben Stokes ‘broken’ and Ashes dreams in tatters

England’s sad batting collapse leaves Ben Stokes ‘broken’ and Ashes dreams in tatters

10:32 , Cameron Ponsonby in Adelaide

lind rank these 2025 England Ashes collapses.

Is Perth day one your poison of choice? 160 for five to 172 all out. Or maybe Perth day two, where England went from 65 for one to 104 for seven. Brisbane day one was good. Starting the day by falling immediately to five for two. But Brisbane day three was better. 90 for one, to 128 for six.

Or, was it today? Day two at Adelaide. Where, on England’s fifth opportunity with the bat, they failed for a fifth time.

If it wasn’t the worst, it was the saddest. Fortune has favoured England throughout this tour, a fact that makes the scale of the implosion all the more unbearable. In the first two Tests they won the toss, and even on this occasion when they didn’t, an under par batting display from Australia presented the perfect route to victory.

England’s sad batting collapse leaves Ben Stokes ‘broken’ and Ashes dreams in tatters

Trescothick defends England batters: 'Stokes was not let down'

12:05 , Lawrence Ostlere

Asked if the other batters had got their judgments right, Trescothick defied the evidence on the scoreboard by responding: "Pretty much, yeah."

As for Stokes, whose willingness to push his body to the brink has become a feature of the all-rounder's career, Trescothick added: "He's tired and a bit dehydrated. He was cramping most of the last session.

"It's kind of what he does and it almost focuses him. He's at his best when he's in that frame of mind, when it's really tricky and tough, when there are conditions or situations that other people don't succeed in.

"He found it hard getting enough the volume of carbohydrate drink into him because he was sweating so quickly. He couldn't drink as much as he wanted through feeling a bit ill. But he dug in, worked hard and batted out for a long period of time."

Trescothick defends England batters: 'Stokes was not let down'

11:43 , Lawrence Ostlere

Stokes was only just above that mark as he finished on 45 not out, dropping anchor for 151 painstaking deliveries and hitting only three fours as he banished the caricatures of 'Bazball' for the playbook of Geoff Boycott.

It came at a physical cost as he cramped up in the heat, limped between the wickets and dug deep in stifling temperatures, but Trescothick rebuffed the suggestion that the team had failed their captain by failing to match his resolve.

"I'm not sure 'letting him down' is the right terminology to use to be honest. Everybody is trying 100 per cent and working as hard as they can," he said after a day that took England ever closer to an irretrievable 3-0 scoreline.

"It's not like anybody is going in to any game and not working as hard as anybody else. They just haven't had the success they wanted at this stage. But success comes and goes, it's not guaranteed or given that you'll succeed in every series.

"Ben has chosen to play in that fashion today and gone about it in a way he thought was right. Everybody has the opportunity to try and read the situation and judge what they're going to try and do; the players will play in certain ways and we trust them to do that.”

Ben Stokes fought a lone vigil as England collapsed again (Robbie Stephenson/PA) (PA Wire)

Trescothick defends England batters: 'Stokes was not let down'

11:15 , Lawrence Ostlere

Ben Stokes watched his England side crumble in the face of Ashes pressure yet again in Adelaide but assistant coach Marcus Trescothick insisted the team had not let their captain down.

The scene was set for a struggling batting line-up to finally make its mark in response to Australia's middling total of 371, but instead of cutting loose they were cut down to size.

In sweltering heat of more than 40 degrees, and on a true day two pitch holding no demons, they scraped together a grossly underwhelming 213 for eight.

The entire top three was in the pavilion inside 10 overs and the rest were not far behind as Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon split the spoils in conditions that should have stretched them to the limit.

By the end of play Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith and Will Jacks all averaged under 30 for the series, a grim reflection of their collective struggles.

Stokes and Archer in heated exchange

10:03 , Lawrence Ostlere

Stokes and Archer shared strong words as England tried to finish off Australia’s tail on day two in Adelaide:

Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer involved in heated exchange as England wilt in Ashes heat

The end for Pope at No 3?

09:22 , Lawrence Ostlere

Nathan Lyon dismissed Pope for three runs as the England batter’s woes continued in Australia:

Graeme Swann rips into Ollie Pope after ‘awful dismissal’ as England toil in Adelaide

Day two: England under the pump

08:45 , Lawrence Ostlere

With a stern-faced Stokes wheeling out a steady supply of forward defensives to buy his bowlers a night off, Boland prised out Will Jacks and Brydon Carse. Archer made a lively 30no as he offered Stokes some belated support but Australia's lead of 158 retained an ominous feel.

Day two: England under the pump

08:28 , Lawrence Ostlere

England managed to avoid another hammer blow when Joe Root was spared on one after grazing an inside edge off Scott Boland. With uncertainty over the take by Alex Carey - the man who was wrongly reprieved by a Snicko error on day one - TV umpire Chris Gaffaney would have been feeling the heat.

After several close looks from a number of angles, he settled a tight call in Root's favour. It had the potential to be a significant moment in the match but England's record run-scorer could not make it count, nicking Cummins through to Carey more definitively for 19 in the third over after lunch.

Stokes blocked out the rest of the session from one end, beginning his long vigil, and Harry Brook showed a more disciplined method as he did the bulk of the scoring in a 52-run stand.

He reached 45, including one remarkable blow for six over cover point, but came undone as tea approached. This time it was all-rounder Cameron Green who made the breakthrough, nipping one off the seam and flicking the outside edge.

Smith's stay was eventful, his two brushes with Snickometer cranking up the now universal bafflement over its use, but not impactful.

Smith questions his dismissal after a disparity with Snicko (Getty Images)

Day two: England under the pump

08:15 , Lawrence Ostlere

There were early signs that it would not be England's day when another leaky bowling display saw them ship 45 quickfire runs for the last two wickets.

Jofra Archer picked up both of them to finish with five for 53, his best figures since his debut summer of 2019. After a lean tour, there was a real chance to bank some big runs on the friendliest ground in the country but the opportunity went begging.

At the 10-mark the entire top three had come and gone, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett departing in the space of 15 balls before lunch. Crawley nicked behind defending Cummins, and Duckett was bowled by a classic off-break from Lyon, but Pope's limp flick to midwicket was an abysmal stroke.

He looked haunted during his 10-ball stay and, with his average against Australia now lowered to 17.66, his time at number three is surely up.

Day two: England under the pump

08:01 , Lawrence Ostlere

Just as he did in a losing cause at the Gabba, captain Ben Stokes tried to inject some defiance as he blocked his way to 45 not out from 151 deliveries, but his deep defensive trench could only do so much.

He was in visible discomfort throughout the final session, stretching, cramping and occasionally hobbling as he ran, and there must be fears over the damage he may do if required to bowl in the second innings.

For the second day in a row there was confusion about the reliability of the Snickometer technology, with Jamie Smith involved in two disputed decisions that caused confusion on both sides. He survived one and perished from the other, draining confidence in the system and leading for growing calls to banish it from the DRS process in its current form.

But fixating on that would be a distraction from England's weak-willed performance and Australia's excellent bowling, which leaned heavily on returning captain Pat Cummins and recalled spinner Nathan Lyon.

Cummins, fit again after back problems, bowled with relentless accuracy and high skill in his first competitive appearance since July, claiming three for 54.

Lyon, meanwhile, rebounded from his dropping in Brisbane by equalling and then overtaking Glenn McGrath's mark of 562 Test scalps to become Australia's second highest wicket-taker and sixth on the all-time list.

Nathan Lyon impressed for Australia (Robbie Stephenson/PA) (PA Wire)

Day two: England under the pump

07:54 , Lawrence Ostlere

England's Ashes hopes are circling the drain after another batting surrender on day two in Adelaide.

Already 2-0 down after falling short in Perth and Brisbane, the tourists were found wanting for the third Test in a row as they capitulated in near-perfect batting conditions.

The pitch was benign, the outfield fast and the sun was beating down at more than 40 degrees - the kind of conditions bowling sides have nightmares about.

But it was England who wilted in response to Australia's score of 371, faltering to a timid 213 for eight.

Swann criticises Pope's dismissal

07:33 , Lawrence Ostlere

Graeme Swann has been fiercely critical of Ollie Pope today and here’s more from the former spinner: “Lyon was allowed to bowl really well by that gift being handed to him in his first over: Ollie Pope, lack of footwork, lazily chipping it to midwicket, an awful dismissal for a Test No 3. And then the left-hander’s [Ben Duckett] on strike, gets a good ball. Because of those two wickets, Nathan Lyon was then treated with the respect that he shouldn’t have been given. “

'We're still fighting'

07:23 , Lawrence Ostlere

More from Trescothick: “We’re in a position we don’t want to be in, but we’re still fighting, we’re still in the game in terms of trying to make something happen tomorrow. We’ve still got an opportunity to come out with, what, 10, 11 overs of the old ball to try and capitalise.”

'Ben Stokes is pretty broken'

07:20 , Lawrence Ostlere

Here’s England batting coach Marcus Trescothick, speaking to TNT Sports, on Ben Stokes: “He’s worn out. He’s cramping often and trying to get fluids in. He was really struggling to get the carbohydrates in, he said he felt like he was going to be sick every time. He’s pretty broken in there. The medical team will work on him tonight and get him back in the frame of mind for tomorrow.”

Archer and Stokes offer hope

07:09 , Mike Jones

Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes played nicely for their partnership of 45 runs.

If they can do the same tomorrow morning then the deficit could get cut to under 100 runs.

England don’t mind chasing a total in the fourth innings but they have work to do before the game reaches that stage.

The longer they can keep Australia fielding tomorrow the better off they’ll be.

Stumps: England 213-8

07:05 , Mike Jones

Ben Stokes safely navigates the last over of the day.

It’s been a day won by Australia and they lead by 158 runs after two days of play in Adelaide.

But, Ben Stokes remains at the crease and as long as he is there, there remains some hope for England.

England 213-8

06:57 , Mike Jones

Jofra Archer is firmly in defensive duty now and blocks out a maiden from Cameron Green.

One over to go today.

England 213-8

06:53 , Mike Jones

After taking Green’s over for a single, Stokes cuts Lyon away and calls for two runs.

He only gets one though due to quick fielding on the boundary.

Lyon’s over goes for two runs as well. There’s probably time for two more overs today.

England 210-8

06:45 , Mike Jones

Ben Stokes is edging his way closer to a half century. He’s now up to 43 with Archer on 29 at the other end.

There’s 15 minutes of play left to go, will the England captain secure a landmark before day two ends?

England 208-8

06:40 , Mike Jones

Cameron Green is brought back on to bowl. He goes short to Archer who slaps him into the legside.

Marnus Labuschagne dives for the catch but misses the ball and Archer adds four to the total.

He takes one off the last ball and keeps the strike.

England 202-8

06:34 , Mike Jones

Pat Cummins is back on. Australia have rotated their bowlers brilliantly today in the heat.

Short but constant spells from the seamers aided by Lyon restricting the runs.

Stokes inside edges the first ball past the stumps for one. Archer and Stokes then take singles each and bring up to 200 for England.

England 197-8

06:29 , Mike Jones

Starc ends another over. This partnership is up to 29 now and it’s been faultless too.

England now trail by 174 runs.

England 194-8

06:24 , Mike Jones

Nathan Lyon will continue.

Ben Stokes looks to be more expansive. He punches the ball through cover for a single and moves up to 36. from 125 balls.

Archer is already thinking about the big shot. But, he solidly defends.

He settles for a single with a push to mid on. Stokes rotates the strike with the final ball of the over.

(Getty Images)

England 191-8

06:20 , Mike Jones

Starc flings a delivery into the legs of Jofra Archer who gets a touch on it and works the ball to fine leg for four.

He then drills a cover drive to the boundary as well just to give Starc something to think about.

Archer and Stokes both take a single as Starc’s over goes for 12.

England 179-8

06:13 , Mike Jones

There’s a drinks break here with 50 minutes of play still to go until the end of the day.

If England manage to still be batting then it’ll be a big win for them.

Stokes takes on a lot of fluids and rests underneath a wet towel. He looks to be struggling.

England 179-8

06:10 , Mike Jones

Archer swings hard at Lyon and punches him down the ground for three runs.

Stokes looks to be more positive and cuts Lyon away for one.

He hobbles to the other end of the pitch and looks to have a bit of cramp.

England 175-8

06:07 , Mike Jones

Four!

Archer slaps Starc away through point for a boundary as he looks to be positive.

He then rolls his wrists over a low, shorter delivery and takes a single.

England 170-8

06:01 , Mike Jones

Stokes has played well today. He pushes the ball into the offside to take one from Lyon.

Archer gets off the mark with an inside edge and for now, England will look to slowly accummulate runs again.

England 168-8

05:58 , Mike Jones

Jofra Archer is the latest England batter to trudge to the crease with only Josh Tongue left in the pavilion.

Ben Stokes might decide now is the time to let loose. That’s the only way to salvage something from another lacklustre batting display.

Archer blocks the rest of Boland’s over.

Wicket! Carse b Boland 0 (ENG 168-8)

05:54 , Mike Jones

Boland hits the same line and length as he’s been peppering all day and it’s too good for Brydon Carse.

He plays around the ball and the stumps shatter. England are eight down.

England 168-7

05:50 , Mike Jones

Brydon Carse is the new man at the crease. He can hit a long ball and it might not be long before he’s told to go after it from Ben Stokes.

Stokes can hit out as well and he’ll be starting to think about being more aggressive to cut the run gap as much as possible.

Wicket! Jacks ct Carey b Boland 6 (ENG 168-7)

05:45 , Mike Jones

Boland gets the ball to jag back into the body of Will Jacks.

He gets an inside edge on the ball and it flicks up for Alex Carey, who is up to the stumps, to cling onto.

England’s seventh wicket falls.

England 168-6

05:43 , Mike Jones

Jacks and Stokes continue to chip away at the Australia total.

They need to bat big and bat long. It’s the last partnership England have with recognised batters.

Stokes is into the 30s and has faced over 100 deliveries.

Nathan Lyon bowls another maiden. It’s been a disciplined day of bowling from the Australians.

Dubious Jamie Smith dismissal reignites Snicko technology controversy

05:41 , Mike Jones

Jamie Smith was at the centre of the latest controversy with Snicko technology during a tense day of Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval.

Smith looked to hook a short ball from Pat Cummins and seemingly missed the ball which flew through to Alex Carey behind the stumps.

Carey, Cummins and co. all appealed believing Smith to have made contact with the ball but the England batter was ready to review the umpire’s decision.

Dubious Jamie Smith dismissal reignites Snicko technology controversy

England 162-6

05:33 , Mike Jones

England are 209 runs behind and going okay.

Ben Stokes is slowly scoring runs and trying to take time out of the game as well as keeping England’s hopes alive.

Boland is into the attack and sends down a maiden.

England 162-6

05:25 , Mike Jones

Dropped!

Nathan Lyon is back into the attack and gets one to grip back into Will Jacks.

He pushes the ball to Travis Head at short leg but the fielder can’t keep the ball in hand.

England 160-6

05:18 , Mike Jones

Jacks is off the mark with a single.

Scott Boland has been brought back into the attack for Australia.

England 159-6

05:14 , Mike Jones

The controversy over the technology continues as the pictures didn’t line up with the sound for that review.

Smith has to depart though and Will Jacks is the new man in.

England trail by 212 runs and now they’ve only got four wickets left.

Wicket! Smith ct Carey b Cummins 22 (ENG 159-6)

05:12 , Mike Jones

Pat Cummins has his man.

Jamie Smith goes for the pull shot again as Pat Cummins pursists with the short ball tactic.

It works.

There’s a flick on snicko as the ball passes the bat and this time it reaches Alex Carey behind the stumps for the catch.

England’s troubles continue.

England 159-5

05:08 , Mike Jones

Jamie Smith is trying to hit himself into form.

He takes on Green and slogs him over to deep midwicket for a four.

Cummins has five men on the legside now for him. Can he rein in his instincts?

It doesn’t look like it. He swings to leg again but the ball strikes him on the pads this time.

Smith faces up to the short ball again but pushes it into the legside and takes one.

Stokes ends the over by leaning into a drive through the covers for four more!

England 150-5

05:02 , Mike Jones

England’s 150 comes up with a swivel pull from Smith but fantastic fielding from Marnus Labuschagne on the boundary limits him to just one.

Ben Stokes sees out the rest of the over.

England 149-5

04:59 , Mike Jones

Review!

Smith fends off a bouncer from Cummins which looks like it’s hit his glove, then helmet and flies through to Usman Khawaja in the slips.

The ball bounces before Khawaja anyway so Jamie Smith isn’t out.

It was a good response from Cummins after being hit for six.

England 149-5

04:56 , Mike Jones

This is a big session for England.

Smith takes on a Cummins short ball and smokes him into the stands for six!

Both batters need to score and bat time.

England 143-5

04:54 , Mike Jones

A wild flash from Jamie Smith sees the ball fly through the slips for four runs!

Smith doesn’t have control of that shot and he gets away with it.

The first runs of the evening session come his way.

Stokes gets in on the action as well.

England 132-5

04:44 , Mike Jones

Cameron Green is given the nod to continue having nicked off Harry Brook before tea.

Green sends down a maiden as well. Tough work for England.

England 132-5

04:40 , Mike Jones

Cummins starts off with a maiden. Smith plays the last ball softly and watches as an edge falls short of the slips.

Evening session: England 132-5

04:36 , Mike Jones

Play will go on until 7am GMT but will England still be batting by then?

Pat Cummins has the ball in ha d to bowl to Jamie Smith.

Tea: England 132-5

04:20 , Mike Jones

It won’t be controversial to say that Australia have won both sessions on day two.

England trail by 239 runs with five wickets remaining in the innings.

Stokes, Smith and Jacks to come can all bat and they need to score the majority of the runs to get the tourists on par with Australia.

Tea: England 132-5

04:14 , Mike Jones

Cameron Green almost has a second wicket as he draws the edge of Jamie Smith’s bat. The ball flies just past gully and brings Smith four runs but it was close to the sixth wicket.

Smith gets himself off strike and Stokes sees out the over to take England to tea.

England 127-5

04:07 , Mike Jones

Jamie Smith comes to the crease with only a few minutes remaining until tea.

Smith survives the over. More pressure is piling onto the shoulders of the England batters.

Wicket! Brook ct Carey b Green 45 (ENG 127-5)

04:03 , Mike Jones

That’s a great ball.

Cameron Green is brought into the attack and he breaks the partnership.

The ball just moves slightly away from Brook and catches the edge of the bat.

Carey makes no mistakes behind the wicket and England are five down.

England 126-4

03:59 , Mike Jones

Harry Brook survives!

He’s given out for apparently feathering a flick down the legside through to Carey off Lyon.

Brook reviews straight away and the noise is becuase the ball hit his pad and not his bat.

Brook then gets himself off strike.

England 125-4

03:54 , Mike Jones

Starc goes short to Brook who takes him on and pulls the ball away for a single.

The change of tactic is a good sign for England as the Australians want to break this partnership.

England need to stay switched on and focused.

Just the one from Starc’s over.

England 124-4

03:50 , Mike Jones

Just a couple of runs coming for Nathan Lyon’s latest over.

Australia are starting to feel the heat. They have three players off the field with three substitute fielders on for them.

It’ll just be to get them a breather and a bit of time in the shade.

England 122-4

03:46 , Mike Jones

Good from Brook.

Mitchell Starc returns and Brook blocks him into the offside then calls Stokes through for a quick run.

Stokes then does the same and dives for the crease but doesn’t really need to.

Bang! Brook cuts Starc away for four and brings up the fifty partnership between these two,

It’s what England needed and Brook himself is closing in on a half-century.

(Getty Images)

England 116-4

03:40 , Mike Jones

Nathan Lyon is back into the attack and gets worked away by Brook and then Stokes for a single apiece.

Brook takes another one off the last ball to keep the strike.

England 113-4

03:33 , Mike Jones

England trail Australia by 258 runs but they’re chipping away at that total.

This has been a good partnership, it’s worth 42 now.

(REUTERS)

England 112-4

03:31 , Mike Jones

Boland continues to hone in on a length after Cummins bowls a tidy over for just one run.

Brook is solid and defensive. He seems to have put those ‘shocking shots’ back in the locker during this innings.

England 111-4

03:23 , Mike Jones

Where has this come from?

Harry Brook dances down the wicket and smashes Scott Boland over the fielder at point and knocks it for six!

England take their total over 100 as well.

More runs for Brook, he flicks the ball off his hip for a couple and then drives through cover for two more.

Brook is starting to accelerate but he’ll need to remain focused and bat long today.

13 runs from the Boland over.

England 98-4

03:18 , Mike Jones

Pat Cummins is back on.

He’s rotating his bowlers in short spells which could be down to the heat today. But, it also keeps the batters on their toes, they can’t settle against a single bowler and are always resetting their mindset.

Stokes ducks underneath a bouncer but already there are signs that Australia are switching things up. Cummins has bowled more variations in this over to try and test Stokes.

The England captain handles it but it’s a maiden.

England 98-4

03:14 , Mike Jones

A few more runs from Boland’s latest over as Stokes collects three and Brook eases a drive wide of the man at gully for a couple more.

Six come from the over and in a period where scoring runs is tough to come by that’s a positive for England.

England 92-4

03:11 , Mike Jones

Brook takes another single from Lyon. He’s now up to 20 and has reined in a lot of his natural attacking instincts.

Stokes has 10 at the other end and the partnership is 21.

That’s a start but England will need these two to bat for as long as possible.

England 91-4

03:09 , Mike Jones

Here comes Scott Boland.

He replaces Starc and finds a good length straight away which challenges Harry Brook.

Brook takes him for a single.

Boland then overpitches to Stokes who drives him beautifully down the ground for four!

England 86-4

03:01 , Mike Jones

Stokes is facing a lot of deliveries and is finding it more difficult to find gaps and rotate the strike.

It’s all patient and slow build up for the tourists. One of Nathan Lyon’s latest over.

England 85-4

02:59 , Mike Jones

Stokes is okay and nicely works Starc through the legside to get the runs going again.

It’s only a couple but he’ll feel better after that hit on the head.

England are slowly looking more confident.

England 83-4

02:54 , Mike Jones

Starc continues and draws a drive out of Brook. He edges it short of gully and gets a single after a misfield.

Stokes is then pinned on the head!

It’s a bad hit and lands on the back of Stokes’ helmet. Starc immediately asks him if he’s okay and Stokes says yeah.

There’s a break in play though as the England captain receives a check up.

England 82-4

02:48 , Mike Jones

England are being watchful. Two overs go by and bring just two more runs.

Starc and Lyon (throw Cummins and Boland into the mix too) are relentless.

There hasn’t been any loose balls and it’s been tricky to pick out the gaps.

Stokes in particular looks like he’s playing himself into this innings.

England 80-4

02:38 , Mike Jones

Nice from Brook. He rocks onto the back foot and cuts Lyon through point for a single.

Both batters are slowly feeling their way into this innings.

The Australian lead is down to 281.

England 76-4

02:32 , Mike Jones

Mitchell Starc is back on. He’s got a great record against the England captain which is why he’s being brought on.

Stokes whips him away into the leg side for three runs. Australia were 94-4 in their first innings so England just need to get the shine off the ball and batting will get easier.

It’s about time as well as runs now for these two.

England 71-4

02:27 , Mike Jones

England’s only hope here is that Ben Stokes has excelled in pressure situations many times before.

He needs to do so here as well.

The difference for England today is that Australia have gotten them out (except Pope).

Root, Crawley and Duckett have all fallen to very good deliveries but they’ve tried to bat sensibly and build partnerships.

Wicket! Root ct Carey b Cummins 19 (ENG 71-4)

02:24 , Mike Jones

England are in trouble now.

Root gets a feather on the ball as he plays forward to Cummins.

Carey takes the catch and the hopes of a great Ashes revival are floundering.

England 71-3

02:23 , Mike Jones

Four!

Brook gets off strike with a one which brings Root to face up to Cummins.

Cummins bangs the ball into the deck but Root rolls into a pull shot and times it away for a boundary.

England’s No. 4 then takes a couple more.

England 64-3

02:19 , Mike Jones

Nathan Lyon continues. He took two wickets before lunch and Cummins has decided to give him another burst.

Root and Brook work him away for four singles.

Brook takes a fifth off the last ball of the over.

England 59-3

02:16 , Mike Jones

Root is struck on the pads and there’s a loud appeal from the Aussies.

The umpire is unmoved though and rightly so.

Root got a massive edge on the ball first and Cummins rightly so decided not to review the decision.

Cummins begins the session with a maiden.

Afternoon session: England 59-3

02:12 , Mike Jones

Pat Cummins has the ball in hand for the first over after lunch.

Joe Root is on strike. He leaves the ball well alone and it flies by wide of off stump.

Lunch: England 59-3

02:07 , Mike Jones

England trail by 312 runs heading into the afternoon session.

Harry Brook and Joe Root have their work cut out to turn around England’s fortunes.

A partnership of at least 100 is needed to get England back into contention and an even larger one if England want to take control of the game.

England set to make complaint over Snicko after latest mistake in Ashes series

02:00 , Mike Jones

England will consider making a formal complaint to match officials over the accuracy of the decision review system after the technology company behind Snicko admitted a major “error” on the first day of the third Test in Adelaide.

Alex Carey was on 72 when he tried to cut away a ball from England fast bowler Josh Tongue. England’s slip cordon were convinced they heard the noise of Carey’s bat on the ball as it travelled through to the gloves of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, and appealed instantly when umpire Ahsan Raza remained unmoved.

England to make complaint over Snicko after latest mistake in Ashes series

Snicko chief takes blame for ‘error’ that led to Alex Carey’s DRS reprieve in third Ashes Test

01:50 , Mike Jones

BBG Sports, the company which makes the Snicko technology used for decision reviews in the Ashes, has apologised after a mistake during the first day of the third Test cost England and helped Australian batter Alex Carey to a crucial century.

England appealed confidently when Carey, on 72, swiped at a Josh Tongue delivery and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. England’s slip cordon were convinced they heard a noise and appealed immediately, but umpire Ahsan Raza was unmoved.

Snicko chief takes blame for error that led to Alex Carey’s Ashes reprieve

Lunch: England 53-3

01:40 , Mike Jones

England will feel under pressure but there wasn’t much they could do.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were both dismissed with absolutely beautiful deliveries from Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon respectively.

Ollie Pope threw his wicket away though.

Still, they know that to get themselves into this match they need to bat long and accumulate runs.

Joe Root and Harry Brook have work to do in the afternoon session.

Lunch: England 59-3

01:32 , Mike Jones

Harry Brook plays the final over before lunch quite well.

He’s doesn’t just see out Nathan Lyon but manages to work him away to the boundary as well.

Six runs come from it and England head into the lunch break for a much needed breather.

England 53-3

01:28 , Mike Jones

Root moves into doubles figures with a fine stroke off Boland for four and remains watchful against the moving ball.

He’s struck on the back pad but the ball that moves in to the right handerand there’s a half-hearted appeal as he got another inside edge.

Root gets through the over and there’s time yet for one more before the lunch break.

England 48-3

01:24 , Mike Jones

England lost those three wickets for just five runs and are now under mountains of pressure.

Lyon and Boland are getting the ball to talk and Cummins has brought the field up to catch.

Harry Brook gets off the mark with a one and Root decides to switch it with a reverse sweeps off Lyon for four!

He then takes one and will have the strike for the next over which might be the last before lunch.

England 42-3

01:20 , Mike Jones

Boland flings down another maiden. He’s bowled 12 dot balls in a row and is getting the ball to talk.

England are in dire trouble here and need to weather this storm without losing any more wickets.

Root and Harry Brook need to put on a huge partnership.

Not out! England 42-3

01:18 , Mike Jones

Joe Root survives.

He definitely hit the ball onto his own pads and it went through to the wicketkeeper.

However, the ball seemingly bounced just before reaching Carey and England are still in with a chance.

England 42-3

01:16 , Mike Jones

Review!

Scott Boland gets the ball to nip back at Joe Root and it beats the bat. The Australians all erupt in an appeal and as Alex Carey clings onto the catch.

They are initially turned down by the umpire and decide to review it...

Wicket! Duckett b Lyon 29 (AUS 42-3)

01:12 , Mike Jones

Beauty!

I said earlier that there’ll be some cracking deliveries bowled by the Aussies and this is one of them.

Lyon drifts the ball into Duckett, it pitches and spins away before clipping the top of off stump.

A ripper, England are three down.

England 42-2

01:11 , Mike Jones

Nathan Lyon immediately backs up his inclusion in the team with that wicket of Pope.

It brings Joe Root to the crease with plenty of pressure on England’s best batter.

Root gets off the mark with a single.

Wicket! Pope ct Inglis b Lyon 3 (41-2)

01:09 , Mike Jones

Shocking.

Ollie Pope looks to whip Lyon through the legside and just manages to chip the ball to Josh Inglis who clings on to a low catch.

Australia threw a lot of their wickets away in the first innings and Pope has just done the same.

England 40-1

01:07 , Mike Jones

Here comes Nathan Lyon.

He’s taken more wickets at the Adelaide Oval than any other Australian with 63.

The ball spun yesterday and it should do more as the match goes on.

England 40-1

01:05 , Mike Jones

Scott Boland is into the attack now.

He gets the ball to angle into Pope who misreads it and takes a blow to the body.

Pope is watchful outside the off stump and lets a few deliveries go by.

A maiden for Boland’s first over.

England 40-1

01:02 , Mike Jones

There’s a ton of pressure on Ollie Pope as he comes to the crease as England’s No.3

He’s not scored the runs he’d have wanted to in this series but the pitch is flat and today is the day to cash in.

Occasionally there’ll be a ball with his name on it, much like with Crawley, but he’ll want to spend as long as possible at the crease before that happens.

Wicket! Crawley ct Carey b Cummins 9 (37-1)

00:59 , Mike Jones

Oh my!

That’s a jaffer from Pat Cummins. Good length, angling in to Zak Crawley then nipping away and catching the thinnest of edges before going through to Alex Carey.

A corker of a delivery and Australia have their first wicket.

England 37-0

00:55 , Mike Jones

A nice push from Crawley sees him drive Crawley down the ground and he picks up three as Travis Head reins in the ball before it reaches the boundary.

Oh wow!

Starc drifts into the pads of Duckett and he gets over the ball and whips it wonderfully through midwicket for four runs!

That’s a nice shot, very confident.

Two more runs come from the final delivery and Starc has a been hit for 20 runs in four overs.

(Getty Images)

England 28-0

00:50 , Mike Jones

Ouch! Duckett and Crawley pick up a run a piece before the former is whacked in the body by the final ball of the over.

Cummins looks thoughtful as he collects his cap. I think the Australia captain knows this is going to be tough work to prize out the England wickets.

England 26-0

00:44 , Mike Jones

Scoring runs is obviously key for England but equally important is limiting the impact of Starc and Cummins.

Justin Langer spoke yesterday about England needing to bat long and only offer up two or three wickets in the entirety of today’s play.

It’s been a decent start from the openers but they need to keep it going.

They work Starc away for three singles before Starc pushes one across Crawley’s body and draws out the false shot.

He shakes it off though and flicks the last ball of the over away for two more runs.

England 21-0

00:38 , Mike Jones

Mullered!

Cummins goes full and finds a decent length but Duckett whacks him through cover on the up for another four runs.

Confident work from the left-handed opener.

England 16-0

00:37 , Mike Jones

Oh! is the cry from the Australian slip cordon after Duckett whips Cummins through square leg for four runs.

He was right in front of his stumps though and missing that one would have put him in trouble.

Duckett is the type of player who likes to feel bat on ball. As such he goes chasing the ball wide of the off stump and almost gets a nick as the ball shapes past his outside edge.

Australia are in the game here.

England 12-0

00:35 , Mike Jones

Starc continues and is finding some shape with the new ball.

Duckett drives on the up though and beats the in field on the offside to collect another four runs.

He then gets off strike and Crawley keeps Starc out for the rest of the over.

A watchful start for England.

England 7-0

00:28 , Mike Jones

Pat Cummins has the ball in hand for the second over. He angles the ball into Crawley who turns it into the legside for another single.

Duckett is finding things more difficult than Crawley it seems. Cummins angles the ball across him and finds the outside edge.

Duckett plays it well though and the ball bounces short of third slip.

Boom! In response, Duckett punches the next ball through the gap at cover and earns the first four of England’s innings.

England 1-0

00:25 , Mike Jones

The next hour is going to be tricky for England. Starc is bang on the money and getting the ball to move away from Duckett.

So much so it almost looks like a different pitch as Duckett plays and misses at three consecutive balls.

He survives though.

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