Welcome to news.com.au’s live coverage of day two of the Fifth Ashes Test.
Australia is battling to match England’s first innings total of 283 – and doing it ever so slowly.
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A Joe Root screamer was the only real highlight of the first session as Australia was slammed for “the most boring batting in modern Ashes history”.
And they were made to pay for their slow scoring when wickets started tumbling after lunch.
“There just hasn’t been enough intent from the Australian batters,” Ricky Ponting said in commentary.
12.05am – Carey outfoxed by Joe Root
Alex Carey’s frustrating innings is over after he fell for a Joe Root sucker ball.
The Aussie keeper had looked to be positive but kept finding fielders as he took 15 balls to get off the mark.
He decided enough was enough against Root, slog sweeping him down the ground for six to get his tail up.
But the rush of blood had immediate consequences as he took another swipe at Root’s next delivery and hit it straight to Ben Stokes at short mid-off to go for 10. Australia is 6/170.
11.30pm – Even Anderson taking wickets now
Australia’s hopes in the Fifth Test are fading fast after Mitch Marsh played on off the bowling of James Anderson for 16.
Anderson found an inside edge to leave the visitors 5/151, still trailing by 132 runs with Alex Carey and the tail to come.
Anderson got his first scalp of the innings in his 16th over after Stuart Broad struck twice early in the session.
11pm – Aussies in trouble as Head goes cheap
This Australian innings is becoming as good an advertisement for Bazball as any England has offered this series.
Australia grinded out 50 overs in the hope batting would get easier, but it’s been anything but at the start of the second session as Stuart Broad finds one of his famous grooves.
After trapping Usman Khawaja LBW, Broad tempted Travis Head with an outswinger and he couldn’t resist, dabbing at it and nicking off to Jonny Bairstow for four runs.
Australia is 4/127 and in real trouble and is now facing criticism from its own.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor said the visitors had got it wrong.
“I feel like sometimes in this series Australia have almost tried to prove a point,” he said. “We’re going to score at two (runs an over) and prove your theories wrong.”
“What happens is happening now – a couple of wickets fall and you’re still 140 runs behind.”
10.50pm – Khawaja also goes without cashing in
Serious questions are being asked about Australia’s snail-paced approach to this innings after Usman Khawaja joined Marnus Labuschagne in the sheds.
Khawaja missed a straight Stuart Broad delivery from around the wicket and was trapped LBW for 47 off 157 balls.
For the third innings in a row Khawaja wasted a review challenging a decision that looked obvious as his frustration at soaking up 50-plus overs of pressure without even making 50 showed.
10.30pm – ‘Thanks Australia’: Cricket erupts over ‘boring batting’
There’s extenuating circumstances but Australia appears determined to win this Test in the least Bazball way possible.
There were only 13 runs scored off the bat in the first 14 overs and just 54 runs total in the opening session of day two as Usman Khawaja and particularly Marnus Labuschagne forgot about scoring.
“This is the most boring batting in modern Ashes history. Thanks Australia,” Piers Morgan tweeted.
To be fair to the Aussies, the England bowling did not offer them a lot of opportunity. And there was potential value in keeping England’s quicks in the field for as long as possible given spinner Moeen Ali is off the field with a groin injury.
But the Aussies were were just 2/115 at lunch from 51 overs – 168 runs behind despite having faced only 22 fewer balls than England in its first innings.
Labuschagne played one of the slowest knocks by a first drop in Australian cricket history and then was out for nine off 82 balls before even remotely cashing in on his hard work.
“That’s why they play Bazball, England will tell you,” Mark Butcher said in commentary.
9.35pm – Joe Root takes a screamer to remove Labuschagne
Scoring had been incredibly slow over the first 90 minutes of day two, a rare lull in such a fast-paced series.
But this Test match was lit up by an incredible act of athleticism from Joe Root to remove star Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne.
Labuschagne looked out of sorts all morning, scratching his way to just nine runs from 82 balls, when he got a nick on a superb delivery from Mark Wood.
What really should have been keeper Jonny Bairstow’s catch was instead snared by Root diving to his left.
Former Australian Test quick Trent Copeland was among those in awe of the catch.
But Bairstow wasn’t spared some criticism, with many taking to social media to state Root had saved the keeper’s blushes.
The dismissal left Australia 2/91.
8.45pm – Australia slow out the blocks
There has been very little action so far on day two.
The England bowlers started with three consecutive maidens before the first runs were finally added, courtesy of leg byes.
Usman Khawaja has moved to 33 not out, taking him to 410 runs in the series, three ahead of Zac Crawley for the most from either side in this year’s Ashes.
The tourists are 1/79, with Marnus Labuschagne struggling for rhythm and having already changed his bat once, on just five from 51 balls.
7.45pm – England dealt a huge blow before play gets underway
Moeen Ali, who emerged from the wilderness to be a key player for England in this series, won’t be in the field for the home side at all on day two.
Ali sustained a groin injury batting on Thursday and leaves a big hole in the attack as the team’s frontline spinner.
“That Moeen Ali injury will play a big part in the rest of the game now,” former Australian Test cricketer Callum Ferguson said on Channel 9.
“It will be really interesting to see how much work he’s going to be able to do with the ball.
“They’ll assess it, no doubt, over the next little period.
“If they’re without their spinner, that takes away a huge weapon here at The Oval, because we know spinners have played a huge role here.”
7pm – A rare opportunity awaits Australia in London
There has been an inordinate amount of whinging from the English throughout the series, led by commentator Piers Morgan and captain Ben Stokes, who thinks legacy is more important than winning the Ashes. No, really.
But the Australians have the opportunity to finally do something not seen since Steve Waugh’s team won the seventh of eighth successive series victories back in 2001.
That is to actually win a series in England, not draw it, as the Aussies managed in 2019.
After winning their first toss of the series and sending England in, the tourists would be thrilled to have skittled the Poms for just 283, even allowing for some missed chances in the field.
The Aussies will start the day dreaming of a big total to bust this match and this series open. Usman Khawaja is undefeated on 26, just five runs from passing Zak Crawley (407 runs) for most runs in the series, alongside Old Trafford centurion Marnus Labuschagne (2 not out),
David Warner, who has again been in the headlines all week, was the one wicket to fall for just 24 late on Day One as the end of his Test career inches ever closer.
For the umpteenth time, Warner flashed at a ball outside off stump and could only watch as a thick edge flew to Zak Crawley at a wide second slip.
Warner had to face repeated whispers of his imminent retirement over the past week, with wife Candice also discussing his playing future.
The 36-year-old repeated his stance that the Sydney Test match against Pakistan in January next year will be his final appearance in the longest form of the game.
But the derision that is facing him in Test cricket only grows, as evidenced by Brydon Coverdale’s tweet above.
His latest failure in this match had many, including fast bowling great Glenn McGrath, believing “the vultures are circling” and Warner may not survive to walk out on the SCG.
Unless he manages a big score in Australia’s second innings, surely the Australian selectors will be looking for fresh options this coming summer.