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England batting line-up once again crumbled under pressure as the fear of losing another match on the trot looms large for them in the day-night second Test at Adelaide. English innings resumed with second day’s 17 for 2, and faltered to a paltry 236 despite the exploits of Dawid Malan’s 80 off 157 and skipper Joe Root’s 62 off 116.
Root and Malan had survived the opening session of unscathed, stitching a 128-run stand as they chased Australia's first-innings 473 for nine declared.
Australia had weathered the resistance and assumed complete control. The scoring rate came to a near standstill as England’s middle order buckled badly. Pope’s concerns against spin were thrust into the spotlight as he scampered down the crease at Lyon and flicked a catch straight to Labuschagne for a deeply uncertain five.
Buttler’s stay was even worse, adding to his two dropped catches with the gloves by banking a 22-minute duck. The end came with a careless wave of the bat as Starc’s slanted delivery tempted him to feed the cordon.
Ben Stokes was dead set on defence, scoring 12 off 71 balls in the middle session, but when Lyon ended Chris Woakes’s spirited knock of 24 by turning one through the gap between bat and pad he had seen enough.
England’s innings went from 150/2 to 236 all-out in no time as the Australian turn screw on Root & Co.
Australia decided not to enforce the follow on, and extended their lead in a relatively serent mini-session under lights. The only wicket to fall, that of David Warner, came from a run-out rather than a talking pink ball.
There’s a mixed weather forecast tomorrow, but it won’t affect the result - for the seventh time in the last nine home Ashes series, Australia are 2-0 up after two Tests.
They negotiated some 75 minutes for the loss of David Warner for 13, needlessly run out after a disastrous mix up with Marcus Harris, who remains unbeaten on 21 as Australia are now 45 for the loss of one wicket and have piled a lead of 282 runs at the close.
“We got ourselves into a half-decent position, but once again as soon as the Aussies opened the door they jumped straight through it. It’s disappointing and frustrating that we lost too many wickets in clusters,” Dawid Malan said of their misfiring batting line up.
“The pitch was quite slow. The feedback that myself and Rooty gave was that one end did a little bit, but we felt that if we defended late and left well we could get a score. It [collapsing] is a little bit of a trend – it’s something that happened on the last tour as well. We can go from 150 for two or three to 180 for five or six. We need to make sure that, when we lose a wicket, we get another partnership going as soon as possible,” he added.
