Fifth Test, day two, Sydney
Australia close on 166-2, trailing England by 218
Head unbeaten on 91 off 87 balls, Labuschagne (48) and Weatherald (21) dismissed by Stokes
England 384 all out: Root hits sublime 160, Brook 84; Neser 4-60
Smith dismally slaps Labuschagne short ball to deep cover for scratchy 46
Highlights available on iPlayer from 17:00 GMT
Day three will begin at 23:00 GMT (10:00 local time, Tuesday)
Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special
You feel that 384 is a good score on this pitch with what we have seen from the movement in the bowling.
We just want a good game of cricket that goes down to the wire.
For the first time in Australia's innings there's signs of inconsistent bounce as Brydon Carse gets one to skid through to Travis Head.
However, any pressure built up by Carse is released off the final ball of the over as the Aussie opener rides the bounce and deftly steers a cut to the fence beyond point.
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Has the phrase catches win matches ever been more true than during this series?
Andrew J in Hampshire
Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special
Image source, Getty ImagesWe should get a bit more consistency from Josh Tongue now. I am expecting him to get his length.
I feel sorry for Matthew Potts - he has been thrown in having played no cricket.
Image source, Getty ImagesJosh Tongue is immediately on the money to Travis Head, with a fuller length.
Tongue strikes the left-hander on the pad with his first ball as he collapses over the top of the ball, attempting to work it to leg, prompting an appeal but it was missing leg.
Jake Weatherald picks up a boundary later in the over after squirting one through point, which Will Jacks thinks he's saved, only for the third umpire to have deemed he touched the boundary sponge.
Srinivas Vijaykumar
CricViz analyst
That is the 13th catch dropped by England so far in this Ashes at a catch efficiency of 78%. Ben Duckett has dropped three catches - the most by any fielder across both teams in this series.
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Too short, too wide, honestly what have they been talking about in the dressing room before they go out to bowl??? Top of off stump surely isn't too much to ask from international bowlers!!!
Matthew in Middlesbrough
Matthew Potts whipped out of the attack and replaced by Josh Tongue. Australia have been quick out of the blocks.
Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special
This opening spell has possibly been some of the worst Test cricket I have seen.
I don't know what Jake Weatherald has drunk, some sort of energy drink I imagine.
Simon Mann
BBC Test Match Special commentator
That really should have been taken. Two hands straight at Ben Duckett.
He has dropped a few this series.
A bread-and-butter chance spilled by Ben Duckett.
Jake Weatherald pulls a short ball from Brydon Carse to Duckett at short-ish mid-wicket but a momentary lapse in concentration as he gets himself into position sees the ball pop out of his hands.
Will these two drops prove costly?
Srinivas Vijaykumar
CricViz analyst
Matthew Potts has very poor returns when he's bowled short in recent times. His strength has been with fuller lengths and he's bowled at an average length of 8.22m in his two overs so far. That's far too short
In Tests since the start of 2024, Potts averages 17.7 with full deliveries, 34 with good length and a significantly higher 137.0 with short deliveries.
Jake Weatherald attempts to cut Matthew Potts again but edges it to the leaping Joe Root, who cannot hang on to the catch above his head.
The ball races away for four.
Image source, Getty ImagesMatthew Potts much more at ease against the more crabby Jake Weatherald.
He tucks him up for space with his first three balls, but then offers a bit too much width and the left-hander sharply cuts it to the fence.
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland are going to have to bowl better. Once you are in on this surface, it is easy to score.
Is has been too easy for Travis Head so far - can England bring the slips into play?
A crisp square cut for four from Travis Head off Brydon Carse continues this opening blitz from the Aussie opener.
Carse straightens his line a little, and manages to keep the left-hander in check for the remainder of the over.
Jonathan Agnew
BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special
This England side need to play more games of cricket. A poor over.
Matthew Potts will have played in the nets but you do not feel this pressure in the nets. He is being hit for three fours and two.
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Good job England. But Aussies to make 600 and bat until end of fourth day and then England to lose by an innings. But hey - Joe Root’s scored centuries in Australia (finally) and one Test won. Enough moral victories to forget about the urn!
Gupta, San Francisco
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special
We have seen the England bowlers get better on these surfaces in Australia. Is Matthew Potts going to struggle on a surface like this because he has not been playing?
After a sighter in Matthew Potts' previous over Travis Head takes the England seamer to task, with 14 runs off his second over.
Head gets one right out of the screws as he whips the England seamer for four with a cracking pull.
Later in the over Head rides the bounce and punches it for another four through the covers on the back foot.
Head then fetches the final ball of the over from outside off stump and whips it round the corner for another four.
Far too short from Potts.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Neser Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Neser | 16 | 29 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 55.17 |
Duckett,caught Carey, bowled Starc Duckett, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 27 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 112.50 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Boland Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Boland | 10 | 23 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 43.48 |
Root,caught and bowled Neser Root, caught and bowled Neser | 160 | 242 | 144 | 15 | 0 | 398 | 66.12 |
Brook,caught Smith, bowled Boland Brook, caught Smith, bowled Boland | 84 | 97 | 46 | 6 | 1 | 164 | 86.60 |
Stokes,caught Carey, bowled Starc Stokes, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0.00 |
Smith,caught Boland, bowled Labuschagne Smith, caught Boland, bowled Labuschagne | 46 | 76 | 55 | 6 | 1 | 104 | 60.53 |
Jacks,caught Green, bowled Neser Jacks, caught Green, bowled Neser | 27 | 62 | 48 | 2 | 1 | 76 | 43.55 |
Carse,caught Carey, bowled Green Carse, caught Carey, bowled Green | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16.67 |
Potts,not out Potts, not out | 1 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6.25 |
Tongue,bowled Neser Tongue, bowled Neser | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 3, wides 2, byes 1, leg byes 6, total 12 Extras, no balls 3, wides 2, byes 1, leg byes 6, total 12 | |||||||
Total,384 all out 97.3 overs Total,384 all out 97.3 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 23.0 | 2 | 93 | 2 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 4.04 |
Neser | 18.3 | 2 | 60 | 4 | 82 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3.24 |
Boland | 26.0 | 2 | 85 | 2 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3.26 |
Green | 18.0 | 0 | 85 | 1 | 63 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4.72 |
Webster | 5.0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.00 |
Head | 4.0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.00 |
Labuschagne | 3.0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4.66 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
35 for 1 (6.5 overs) | Duckett |
51 for 2 (11.4 overs) | Crawley |
57 for 3 (12.6 overs) | Bethell |
226 for 4 (47.4 overs) | Brook |
229 for 5 (50.5 overs) | Stokes |
323 for 6 (74.4 overs) | Smith |
375 for 7 (91.6 overs) | Jacks |
382 for 8 (94.1 overs) | Carse |
384 for 9 (97.1 overs) | Root |
384 for 10 (97.3 overs) | Tongue |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,leg before wicket, bowled Bethell Head, leg before wicket, bowled Bethell | 163 | 166 | 91 | 24 | 1 | 324 | 98.19 |
Weatherald,leg before wicket, bowled Stokes Weatherald, leg before wicket, bowled Stokes | 21 | 36 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 57 | 58.33 |
Labuschagne,caught Bethell, bowled Stokes Labuschagne, caught Bethell, bowled Stokes | 48 | 68 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 91 | 70.59 |
Neser,caught Smith, bowled Carse Neser, caught Smith, bowled Carse | 24 | 90 | 79 | 4 | 0 | 115 | 26.67 |
Smith,caught Smith, bowled Tongue Smith, caught Smith, bowled Tongue | 138 | 220 | 143 | 16 | 1 | 332 | 62.73 |
Khawaja,leg before wicket, bowled Carse Khawaja, leg before wicket, bowled Carse | 17 | 49 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 34.69 |
Carey,caught Bethell, bowled Tongue Carey, caught Bethell, bowled Tongue | 16 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 123.08 |
Green,caught Duckett, bowled Carse Green, caught Duckett, bowled Carse | 37 | 64 | 45 | 3 | 1 | 84 | 57.81 |
Webster,not out Webster, not out | 71 | 87 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 123 | 81.61 |
Starc,bowled Tongue Starc, bowled Tongue | 5 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 35.71 |
Boland,caught Brook, bowled Jacks Boland, caught Brook, bowled Jacks | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 |
Extras, no balls 5, wides 4, byes 4, leg byes 14, total 27 Extras, no balls 5, wides 4, byes 4, leg byes 14, total 27 | |||||||
Total,567 all out 133.5 overs Total,567 all out 133.5 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carse | 27.0 | 2 | 130 | 3 | 107 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 4.81 |
Potts | 25.0 | 1 | 141 | 0 | 93 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 5.64 |
Tongue | 30.0 | 0 | 97 | 3 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3.23 |
Stokes | 27.4 | 6 | 95 | 2 | 122 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 3.43 |
Jacks | 8.5 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.84 |
Bethell | 15.2 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3.39 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
57 for 1 (12.2 overs) | Weatherald |
162 for 2 (30.6 overs) | Labuschagne |
234 for 3 (54.4 overs) | Neser |
288 for 4 (67.1 overs) | Head |
339 for 5 (83.4 overs) | Khawaja |
366 for 6 (88.1 overs) | Carey |
437 for 7 (106.3 overs) | Green |
544 for 8 (128.5 overs) | Smith |
564 for 9 (132.6 overs) | Starc |
567 for 10 (133.5 overs) | Boland |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,leg before wicket, bowled Starc Crawley, leg before wicket, bowled Starc | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50.00 |
Duckett,bowled Neser Duckett, bowled Neser | 42 | 55 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 96 | 76.36 |
Bethell,caught Carey, bowled Starc Bethell, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 154 | 265 | 170 | 15 | 0 | 384 | 58.11 |
Root,leg before wicket, bowled Boland Root, leg before wicket, bowled Boland | 6 | 37 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 16.22 |
Brook,leg before wicket, bowled Webster Brook, leg before wicket, bowled Webster | 42 | 48 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 89 | 87.50 |
Jacks,caught Green, bowled Webster Jacks, caught Green, bowled Webster | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Smith,run out Weatherald Smith, run out Weatherald | 26 | 41 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 63.41 |
Stokes,caught Smith, bowled Webster Stokes, caught Smith, bowled Webster | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20.00 |
Carse,caught Smith, bowled Boland Carse, caught Smith, bowled Boland | 16 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 80.00 |
Potts,not out Potts, not out | 18 | 43 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 80 | 41.86 |
Tongue,caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc Tongue, caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc | 6 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 42.86 |
Extras, no balls 2, wides 3, byes 9, leg byes 11, penalties 5, total 30 Extras, no balls 2, wides 3, byes 9, leg byes 11, penalties 5, total 30 | |||||||
Total,342 all out 88.2 overs Total,342 all out 88.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 18.2 | 2 | 72 | 3 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3.92 |
Boland | 25.0 | 6 | 46 | 2 | 119 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1.84 |
Neser | 16.0 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3.43 |
Green | 6.0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6.66 |
Webster | 16.0 | 1 | 64 | 3 | 57 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4.00 |
Head | 4.0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6.25 |
Labuschagne | 3.0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
4 for 1 (0.5 overs) | Crawley |
85 for 2 (19.1 overs) | Duckett |
117 for 3 (31.6 overs) | Root |
219 for 4 (51.1 overs) | Brook |
219 for 5 (51.3 overs) | Jacks |
264 for 6 (64.1 overs) | Smith |
267 for 7 (65.2 overs) | Stokes |
297 for 8 (70.3 overs) | Carse |
328 for 9 (84.2 overs) | Bethell |
342 for 10 (88.2 overs) | Tongue |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,caught Carse, bowled Tongue Head, caught Carse, bowled Tongue | 29 | 35 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 82.86 |
Weatherald,caught Potts, bowled Tongue Weatherald, caught Potts, bowled Tongue | 34 | 40 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 71 | 85.00 |
Labuschagne,run out Potts Labuschagne, run out Potts | 37 | 40 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 60 | 92.50 |
Smith,bowled Jacks Smith, bowled Jacks | 12 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 100.00 |
Khawaja,bowled Tongue Khawaja, bowled Tongue | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 85.71 |
Carey,not out Carey, not out | 16 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 59.26 |
Green,not out Green, not out | 22 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 81.48 |
Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 3, leg byes 1, total 5 Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 3, leg byes 1, total 5 | |||||||
Total,161 for 5 31.2 overs Total,161 for 5 31.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carse | 8.0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6.37 |
Tongue | 11.0 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.81 |
Bethell | 3.0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.33 |
Jacks | 6.2 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6.63 |
Root | 3.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
62 for 1 (10.3 overs) | Head |
71 for 2 (14.4 overs) | Weatherald |
92 for 3 (17.5 overs) | Smith |
119 for 4 (22.1 overs) | Khawaja |
121 for 5 (23.1 overs) | Labuschagne |