Summary

Send us your views

Live Reporting

by Elizabeth Botcherby & Timothy Abraham

  1. Get Involved

    Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say

    I’m sat in beautiful Palm Beach near Sydney. It should be the highlight of the trip but all I can feel is rage. I just wish this England camp had a Ricky Ponting-like character who could hold Jamie Smith to account and give him a good spray.

    Angry Fan, Palm Beach

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

    Will Jacks is really in the groove now.

  3. Eng 351-6

    Now that's a lovely bit of bowling from Scott Boland, getting one to nip past Will Jacks' edge.

    Alex Carey puffs out his cheeks behind the stumps. Jacks shadows a defensive stroke.

    Maiden.

  4. Get Involved

    Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say

    Is Root going to be prevented from getting a really big match-winning score for a second time because he runs out of partners?

    Richard Craig, Surrey

  5. Michael Vaughan
    Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    The ball does not seem to be swinging at all. Mitchell Starc is yet to find his length.

  6. Eng 351-6

    Ooooh Mitchell Starc fires a full delivery into Joe Root's toes and it's sharply defended by the former England captain.

    Root finishes the over with a well-placed boundary through third to bring up England's 350. He's on 143 (208).

  7. Michael Vaughan
    Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    This will give us a good impression of what England could potentially do with the new ball. But they have a lot of batting to do yet.

  8. Eng 347-6

    Wicketkeeper Alex Carey comes up to the stumps for Beau Webster. Four runs added.

    The new ball is being waved around by the umpire. Mitchell Starc returns to the attack.

  9. Eng 343-6

    Surely that's the end of Marnus Labuschagne's contribution with ball.

    Rattled through a few overs either side of lunch, sent down lots of short stuff, and picked up the bonus wicket of Jamie Smith. What fun.

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

    I'm not sure I can bear to watch this.

  11. 6 runs

    Eng 342-6

    Second ball after lunch: short, wide, and streakily top-edged for six by Will Jacks. Eek.

  12. Marnus Labuschagne indeed! Jumping up and down in preparation (Marnus, not me).

    He's bowling to Will Jacks. England are 336-6.

  13. Two overs to go until Australia can take the new ball.

    Another over of Marnus Labuschagne mayhem anyone?

  14. Joe Root of England prepares to walk out onto the field following the lunch break during day two of the Fifth TestGetty Images

    Okay, now we've got that out of our system...

    It's nearly time for the second session on day two at the SCG.

    England are 336-6, with Joe Root on 138 (200) - his joint highest score in a Test in Australia - and Will Jacks on 3 (11).

    Can they build a partnership to take England up towards 450?

  15. Sir Alastair Cook
    Ex-England captain on TNT Sports

    It's too short-termist to think if I get 10 off Marnus Labuschagne here I am putting England ahead of the game.

    You are not doing that for two overs. You get England ahead of the game by getting through Labuschagne and knocking him around.

    The new ball is just around the corner with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland, you need Jamie Smith in there who is 50-odd not out. That is helping England win the game. That is fronting up to pressure, not backing away and trying to slap it over there.

  16. Graeme Swann
    Ex-England spinner on TNT Sports

    I know Jamie Smith from coaching and he's a cracking lad. He's just had a brain fade. There will be a justification - the new ball is not far away, looking to capitalise, thought we could get after Marnus Labuschagne. It's a brain fade at the end of the day and it's a shame because England are in dominant position 330-5. A wicket changes the complexion of the game.

  17. How's stat?!

    Srinivas Vijaykumar
    CricViz analyst

    Three of Jamie Smith's dismissals in this Ashes have been to deliveries shorter than 10m. The dismissal today against Marnus Labuschagne was the shortest delivery of the lot.

    Graphic of Jamie Smith's dismissalsCricViz

  18. Sir Alastair Cook
    Ex-England captain on TNT Sports

    There are literally no words because how many times do you hear a modern player go 'this is the way I play'. If he had anything about him he would say to the coach 'sometimes you get a good ball!' because that's the only way to justify that. It was a terrible shot.

    Not only the shot he played. He was trying to clear a man three quarters of the way back, so he wasn't trying to hit a gap. Marnus Labuschagne is bowling and the new ball is round the corner, and you have one of the best in the world at the other end with a hundred, you've had two lives. There's no words to describe it.

    You could be facing Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, or Nathan Lyon ragging it square. But you're facing Marnus Labuschagne. As a batter this is it, you have done all the hard work. I don't want to be pundit who says 'I told you so' but I'm doing it now because it is a terrible, terrible shot.

  19. Graeme Swann
    Ex-England spinner on TNT Sports

    We've all been pickled by the last 10 minutes and what happened there. England seemed in complete control and when Australia have to turn to Marnus Labuschagne to bowl bouncers you think this is almost a last throw of the dice with this old ball. To then lose that wicket in the way we did.

    I am sure everyone at home will be hiding behind their hands and thinking 'what on earth is that'. Short, backing away, and hitting a tennis shot to deep extra cover.

  20. And then... the talking point of the session: Jamie Smith's wicket.

    Dismissed in the final 10 minutes before lunch off a filthy bit of bowling from Marnus Labuschagne.