‘From bad to worse’ - England’s eightball disaster, Aussies twist knife

Day two is going from “bad to worse” for England after their stoic opening day at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday.

Unfortunately for the tourists Australia’s middle order pair of Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja looked comfortable from the outset, as England turned to spinner Jack Leach after just eight overs. But for what point?

In a long, stop-start first session on day two Australia has moved to 3-209 with Smith (51 not out) registering his 33rd half-century on the stroke of lunch and Khawaja — playing his first Test since the 2019 Ashes — unbeaten on 39 in a worrying fourth-wicket stand of 91 for England.

In reaching fifty, Smith has now passed Justin Langer on Australia’s list of all-time run scorers in Test cricket, moving into seventh. Next on the list is Mark Waugh on 8,029 runs.

Meanwhile, Khawaja was given a life on 28, as he edged Leach but Joe Root could not hang on after the ball glanced wicket-keeper Jos Buttler.

“That is a big chance,” Adam Gilchrist said in commentary for Fox Cricket.

“It should have been taken. Unlucky for Leach,” added Kerry O’Keeffe.

Soon after all-rounder Ben Stokes left the field with a side strain after a bumper barrage had Smith in two-minds, having been struck on the hand as he awkwardly attempted to evade a short ball that did not get up.

“It goes from bad to worse for Joe Root and the England team,” Gilchrist said.

“We saw a chance go down in the previous Leach over and then this from Ben Stokes.”

An England statement on the stroke of lunch said Stokes was “being treated for left side tightness” and would be “assessed over the course of the next hour”.

Leach, who was dropped for the second Test after Australia hit him out of the attack and the side in Brisbane, started with four men towards the ropes and Shane Warne — the king of spin — was left flabbergasted.

Yet another rain delay, the briefest of sprinkles, saw Smith turn for the pavilion.