Summary

  • England close on 213-8, trailing Australia by 158 runs

  • Stokes top-scores with 45 not out and Brook also makes 45

  • Pope out for three to poor shot

  • Smith given out caught behind amid more confusion over Snicko technology

  • Smith & Stokes confused by decision, while Australia players earlier said "Snicko needs to be sacked"

  • Cummins takes three wickets and Lyon and Boland two apiece

  • Australia were bowled out for 371 as Archer takes 5-53

  • England trail 2-0 in five-Test series and must win to keep Ashes alive

  • Third Test, day two, Adelaide

  • Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live Sport commentary at top of page

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Live Reporting

Sam Drury, Mike Peter & George Booth

  1. 50 runs

    50 for Mitchell Starc

    Aus 344-8

    And there's his fifty!

    Mitchell Starc knocks the last ball of Brydon Carse's over into the leg side and reaches the landmark from 73 balls.

    He's faced 10 of the 12 balls this morning, striking four boundaries to race from 33 to 50.

    It's his second consecutive half-century too, after he hit 77 in his one innings in Brisbane.

  2. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    Mitchell Starc of Australia scores a run off the bowling of Brydon Carse of England during day two of the Third Test Match in the 2025-26 Ashes Series between Australia and England at Adelaide OvalGetty Images

    Not the start you want. Mitchell Starc is dangerous, it seems that they need to wake-up.

    Realise you have got to get these two guys early, and you cannot give them anything.

  3. Aus 343-8

    More boundaries for Mitchell Starc!

    Brydon Carse takes the ball at the other end and Starc carves him through backward point, then strikes through a similar area off the following delivery, beating the chasing Jofra Archer.

    He's onto 49.

  4. How's stat?!

    Andy Zaltzman
    Test Match Special statistician

    Jofra Archer's first two spells yesterday were in his top 10 fastest spells for England.

  5. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

    Mitchell StarcGetty Images

    This is not the start that England will have wanted.

    Not the hostility or aggression that England would have wanted.

  6. Aus 334-8

    It's not a great start for Jofra Archer.

    He offers some width with his second delivery and Mitchell Starc lashes the ball through backward point for four.

    Starc follows that up with another boundary later in the over, driving confidently through the covers.

    That takes the Australian number nine to 41 from 69 deliveries.

  7. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    Get those two wickets as that keeps morale going. Then England have to be batting by the end of the day and still have recognised batters at the crease. A huge day for England in the Ashes. If England fall in a heap with the bat, then it is pretty much done in my book.

  8. Get Involved

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    Hoping for the first day of proper Test cricket of the Bazball era. Grind down the Australians with a sensible approach and bat for two days. Then the Ashes is back on.

    Henry, Glasgow

  9. The teams are out in Adelaide - it's another morning without a cloud in a sky, and temperatures are expected to reach a scorching 39 degrees celsius. Not a day you want to spend a long time in the field.

    No surprises from England - Jofra Archer has the ball in hand.

  10. How's stat?!

    Srinivas Vijaykumar
    CricViz analyst

    A beehive of Jofra Archer on day one of first TestBBC Sport/CricViz

    Jofra Archer was exceptional with his unrelenting spell of bowling on day one yesterday. With accurate lines attacking the batters consistently, 35% of his deliveries were in line with the stumps so far this innings - the highest across any bowling innings in his Test career so far.

    Of the 15 times Archer has bowled 15 or more overs in a day's play - day one by far his most economical returns conceding at 1.81 runs per over.

  11. Get Involved

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    Australia will get 370, England will be all out 230. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon will do the damage. I will be staying up until tea, hoping I'm wrong.

    Paul, Cannock

    Here we go! Will it be the death of Bazball or will it be Bazball reborn? Come on England!

    Dave, Henley-in-Arden

  12. When Australia resume on 326-8, England will look to Jofra Archer to blast through the remnants of the home tail.

    The seamer bowled superbly yesterday, taking three Australian wickets including those of Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls at the start of the afternoon session.

    He resumes with figures of 3-29 from 16 overs and an economy rate of 1.81.

    Meanwhile Mitchell Starc comes to the crease on 33, he'll hope to be a lower-order thorn in England's side, as he was in Brisbane. His partnership with Nathan Lyon, who is yet to score, is worth five, while Scott Boland is the batter waiting in the dressing room.

  13. Alex Hartley
    Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    My problem with it all is there are different companies. England use Hawkeye and have done for many years and very rarely do you see a stonker like that. There have been questions all throughout this Test series.

  14. Glenn McGrath
    Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    It is one of those things. The more I see Snicko and the more I see DRS, the more I dislike it.

    Back when I played, it was the umpire's call. You got some good ones, and you got some bad ones, but you like to think it balanced it out.

    You want technology to be at its peak. We have got AI and everything you can think of. We don't use the technology that is the best in these games, yet we rely on it so much and we sledge it and say it is rubbish.The better stuff is out there, but we choose not to use it and that's the issue.

  15. All the day through the UK daytime has been about Alex Carey's dismissal that wasn't on day one.

    Snicko, the company that provide the review technology in Australia, have taken responsibility for an issue with their review system that saw Carey survive a knick behind.

    Overnight it has been agreed that England will have their lost review restored, while the England and Wales Cricket Board will also hold discussions with the International Cricket Council to ensure that the systems in place are reviewed.

  16. Today's the day.

    As my colleague Matthew Henry has written, Thursday, 18 December, day two of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, is the pivotal day if England are going to remain in the series.

    If they can swiftly knock over the last two Australian wickets and bat for the rest of the day, they'll go a long way to building a big first innings lead and the prospect of taking the series scoreline to 2-1.

    You're not going to bed, surely?