Ashes in a nutshell: Another England nightmare before Christmas as Australia expose familiar failings | Cricket News

England have a mountain to climb to avoid going 2-0 down in The Ashes after their latest batting collapse saw them slip from 150-2 to 236 all out; Australia opted not to enforce the follow-on and closed on 45-1, a lead of 282 going into day four of the second Test

Australia were celebrating after another England batting nightmare in Adelaide

Dawid Malan and Joe Root laid a perfect platform for England before all-too-familiar failings were exposed again by Australia in Adelaide. This is day three of the second Ashes Test in a nutshell…

REPORT

England suffered a third batting collapse in as many Ashes innings as Australia tightened their grip on the pink-ball Test on day three in Adelaide, with their lead standing at 282 by stumps.

Dawid Malan (80) and Joe Root (62) ensured Australia went wicketless in the first session, with the pair extending their stand to 138, and England’s score from its overnight 17-2 to 150-2, shortly after the dinner break.

However, Australia then picked up four wickets for 19 runs as Root, Malan, Ollie Pope (5) and Jos Buttler (0) were all caught playing loose strokes and England were eventually dismissed for 236 in 84.1 overs.

Root’s side trailed by 237 runs on first innings in Adelaide on Saturday, but Australia captain Steve Smith opted against enforcing the follow-on, with the hosts closing on 45-1 in their second dig.

TALKING POINT

Firstly, credit must go to both sides as their reenactment of the 2017-18 series has, so far, been absolutely remarkable in its accuracy.

Yes, for England this entire series has felt all too grimly familiar and day three at the Adelaide Oval was no different. The away side did everything they needed to do in the first session only for their batting line-up to disintegrate again at the slightest sign of pressure.

Ben Stokes did what he could to hold England together before he fell trying to score quick runs with the tail

Root and Malan will be disappointed with the manner of their dismissals when set but the loss of one, or even two wickets should not be leading to such panic, especially against an Australian attack shorn of its two best bowlers.

Stokes was the one player to provide some real resistance, defending obdurately, while Chris Woakes at least managed a few boundaries before being cleaned up by Lyon.

Pope started well enough but a simple field change turned him into a cat on a hot tin roof and he succumbed to Lyon, Buttler was undone again by the ball angled across him by Starc and before you knew it, Stuart Broad and James Anderson were out there under the lights taking heavy fire from the Aussie quicks.

Stokes stood out due to his defensive technique, which is – by a distance – the best in the England side but is there more to the tourists’ struggles than just technique? No one should question the team’s effort and desire in trying to regain the urn but that there are fans who would shake hands on a 4-1 defeat now tells its own story.

Perhaps most worryingly, how England solve this longstanding issue with the batting remains a mystery. They really have tried all manner of different approaches in recent years but the problems remain the same.

MOMENT OF THE DAY

England went into the dinner break on 140-2, Root and Malan had batted through the first session and laid a solid foundation from which the tourists could build. However, the introduction of Cameron Green early in the second session completely changed the feel of the innings.

Root had been comfortable, easing his way to another half-century and combatting both pace and spin with minimal fuss. There is something about Green though that seems to disturb the England captain’s equilibrium at the crease, the Aussie all-rounder came on and very quickly Root’s assuredness waned as he was drawn into playing at deliveries he could have let go.

Cameron Green dismissed Joe Root to set off an England collapse

It cost him his wicket in the second innings at The Gabba and, after he was unable to adjust following a pair of plays and misses, it was the same story in Adelaide. A sixth stump line, Root drawn into the shot before decent bounce and a hint of movement off the seam helped the ball locate the edge of the bat.

The visiting skipper was livid with himself, the Aussies were jubilant. One error in judgement and the whole momentum of the game had shifted, the hosts took it and ran. Root’s runs were always going to be crucial to England’s chances but given the way they have folded after his dismissal in their last two innings, they better hope he is able to resolve his issues against Green.

WHAT THEY SAID

Dawid Malan, speaking to BT Sport: “After we lost those last two wickets last night we wanted to get a partnership going, which myself and Rooty got. We got ourselves in a half-decent position there, then once again as soon as the Aussies opened that door, they just jumped straight through it.

“It’s frustrating and disappointing that we got ourselves back into that fight and then lost too many wickets in clusters there.”

Sir Alastair Cook, speaking to BT Sport: “That first session was probably the best batting I’ve seen from this England side in a long time, they put the pressure back on Australia with low-risk batting and scored at 3.8 runs an over.

“We talk about Australia missing the experience of Cummins and Hazlewood and this was the big chance to get back into the series and bat big.

“Root and Malan were excellent and then as soon as the talisman went, early after lunch, then 4-19 is something you just cannot afford to do on flat wickets time and time again. The game of cricket is suddenly, in 45 minutes, almost out of reach.”

TWEETS OF THE DAY