The second day of the Third Ashes Test of Australia vs England at the Adelaide Oval clearly belonged to Australia. They out played England in all departments and pushed the visitors closer to losing the series. Australia first finished their innings strongly and then produced a dominant bowling performance, leaving England struggling badly by the end of the day.
Australia began the day at 326 for 8 and added useful runs through their lower order. Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon frustrated England with a valuable 27 partnership. Starc, in particular, batted with confidence and aggression. He punished loose balls and found the boundary regularly, especially through cuts and drives. His positive approach lifted Australia total and put extra pressure on the English bowlers.
England finally found a breakthrough thanks to Jofra Archer, who was their standout performer. Archer bowled with pace and accuracy and cleaned up the Australian tail. He dismissed Starc for a well-made 54 with a sharp delivery that swung back in. Soon after, he trapped Nathan Lyon LBW for 9, completing an excellent five-wicket haul of 5 for 53. Australia were eventually bowled out for 371.
England started their reply with some early confidence. Ben Duckett played positively and struck a few boundaries, giving England a brisk start. However, the momentum changed quickly once Pat Cummins brought Nathan Lyon into the attack. Lyon produced a magical spell that turned the game firmly in Australia favour.
Lyon struck twice in quick succession. He first dismissed Ollie Pope for 3, who was caught at short leg. Soon after, Duckett was bowled for 29. These wickets were special not just for the match but also for Lyon personally, as they helped him overtake Glenn McGrath to become Australia second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history, behind only Shane Warne. England collapsed from 37 without loss to 42 for 3, putting them under pressure.
Joe Root and Harry Brook then tried to rebuild the innings. Brook played with some attacking intent, showing flashes of the aggressive intent. Root looked calm but struggled to fully settle. The Australian bowlers, especially Cummins and Scott Boland, maintained relentless pressure with disciplined bowling. Eventually, Root was dismissed for 19, caught behind wicket, leaving England in further trouble by lunch.
The final session brought both controversy and more wickets. Harry Brook was dismissed early for 45, edging Cameron Green to the wicketkeeper. Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith then came together and showed some resistance. However, a controversial moment followed when Smith appeared to glove a ball to slip. Despite visible movement, the Snicko technology showed no spike, and the decision stayed “not out,” angering the Australian players and crowd.
The relief did not last long. In the next over, Cummins dismissed Smith for 22, this time with Snicko showing a spike even though the ball seemed to miss the bat. The confusing decisions added drama but did not change England’s downward slide.
Scott Boland then tore through England lower middle order, dismissing Will Jacks for 6 and Brydon Carse for a duck. England were reduced to a worrying 168 for 8 and faced the possibility of being bowled out before stumps.
At this point, Ben Stokes changed his approach completely. Instead of attacking, he focused on survival. Along with Jofra Archer, he added a crucial unbeaten 45-run partnership for the ninth wicket. Archer batted sensibly and handled the short ball well, while Stokes showed great patience and determination.
Stokes finished the day on 45 not out from 135 balls, a slow but vital innings. Archer supported him well, and together they ensured England reached stumps at 213 for 8.
England still trail Australia by 158 runs and have only two wickets left. While the Stokes-Archer partnership has given them some hope, the situation remains very difficult. Australia are firmly in control, and unless England can survive the early hours of Day 3.