It was the kind of session England's hard work on the opening day deserved. It was also the kind of luck England had been searching for throughout the series. The visiting bowlers brought England back strongly in the game taking 5 wickets in the morning session on Day 2, as Australia moved to 326/8 at Lunch.
The biggest headache for England, going into Day 2, would have been how to dislodge a well-set Steven Smith. The answer came through a short, wide delivery from Tom Curran. Smith's attempted back foot push only resulted in an inside edge that crashed into the stumps, giving England a prized scalp. Curran, who had missed out on a maiden scalp yesterday after having David Warner caught off a no ball, picked up perhaps the best maiden wicket in cricket today, of the best Test batsman.
The wicket was also a portent of how things would turn out in the morning session. Three batsmen, including Smith, were out inside edging onto the stumps. All three batsmen were out almost immediately after a bowling change.
It was certainly the theme of the morning session, highlighted especially by a pitch that was starting to slow down rapidly.
Mitchell Marsh, fresh off his smashing hundred at Perth, inside edged another wide delivery, this time from Chris Woakes, to walk back after making just nine, while Tim Paine's attempted pull off a short Jimmy Anderson ball ricocheted back onto the stumps as well. It was Anderson's 520th Test wicket, moving him past Courtney Walsh in the all time list.
Sandwiched inbetween were the fifty and the dismissal of Shaun Marsh, the one batsman to hold his own in the morning session. The left-hander was a picture of calm even as Australia struggled to press home the advantage on a pitch that offered more of a challenge than Day 1.
He drove with ease and looked intent on rotating strike whenever the opportunity presented itself. He was finally undone by a Stuart Broad delivery that nipped back in after pitching. A DRS review later, England had the second overnight batsman back in the hut for 61.
With the barrage of wickets, England's bowlers were suddenly transformed. Either that or the batsmen were suffering a severe form of jitters.
Broad and Anderson got the ball to move both ways, and Jackson Bird having edged past the 'keeper in the previous over, was trapped in front by Broad, his third victim.
From a position of strength at 260/3, Australia swiftly slid to 325/8, losing five wickets for 65 runs, the kind of collapse England have been guilty of this Ashes.
Five wickets for 82 runs in the session, and England will hope they can bat as quickly as possible on a pitch that is deteriorating a bit.
Brief Scores: Australia 326/8 (David Warner 103, Steven Smith 76, Stuart Broad 3-51, James Anderson 2-60) vs England
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