Australia captain and Shaun Marsh add 89 for fifth wicket
Saturday 25 November 2017 00:28, UK
Steve Smith hit his 22nd Test fifty to help Australia recover from 76-4 to end day two of the first Ashes Test on 165-4.
A lower-order collapse saw England bowled out for 302 before lunch but the tourists were well on top when the fourth Australian wicket went down in the first over of the evening session.
However, an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 89 between Smith and Shaun Marsh (44no) has left the game firmly in the balance going into day three.
England made a strong start to the second morning with Dawid Malan (56) going through to his third Test fifty and extending his partnership with Moeen Ali to 83.
However, after Malan's wicket, England folded to lose their final six wickets for just 56 runs. The left-hander was the first of three players caught on the hook, top-edging a Mitchell Starc (3-77) bouncer to deep backward square.
Ali (38) was lbw to Nathan Lyon (2-78) in the next over with the Aussie spinner bowling Chris Woakes (0) with a beauty from around the wicket two overs later.
Jonny Bairstow's (9) attempted pull shot off Pat Cummins (3-85) went straight up and only some big hitting from Jake Ball (14) and Stuart Broad (20) got England above 300.
If Australia were jubilant at lunch, having taken six wickets in the morning session, it was a different story by tea.
Cameron Bancroft (5) nicked off early on his Test debut, Jonny Bairstow taking the catch as Stuart Broad wheeled away.
Joe Root then allowed his opening bowlers to complete their four-over spells before turning to Ali, who needed less than two overs to expose Usman Khawaja's deficiencies against spin, the left-hander trapped lbw for 11.
The real bonus for England, though, came just before tea as David Warner (26) was cramped for room by Ball and chipped a harmless enough delivery to Malan at short midwicket.
It got even better for England in the first over after the interval as James Anderson rapped Peter Handscomb (14) on the back pad with a full, inswinging delivery.
England wasted no time in reviewing the original 'not out' decision and with Handscomb so deep in his crease, once it was shown there was no inside edge, the Aussie No 5 may as well have started walking - DRS showing the ball thumping into leg stump.
With Australia 76-4, England put the squeeze on with Anderson and Ali making Smith and Marsh work for every run.
The pair would not be cowed though and having battled through the first hour of the final session, the runs began to flow more freely as stumps drew closer.
By the close Australia had moved to within 137 of England's total and both sides will be targeting a fast start on day three in a bid to establish a first-innings lead.
