Australia vs England, Ashes 3rd Test Day 2, Highlights: Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer Steer England To 213/8 After Batting Collapse

Welcome back for Australia's second stint with the bat. The umpires and players walk out. Stokes leads his men out as the players of England spread out and take their spots on the field. Travis Head and Jake Weatherald are the two openers for Australia. Half-centurion with the bat, Jofra Archer will kick things off with the new ball. Head to face with three slips and a gully in position. Here we go...

... THIRD INNINGS ...

Well then, Australia will effectively begin at 85/0 and given how evidently this pitch has looked good for batting, Australia will aim to just snap the wind out of England's sails and push them absolutely on the mat. England need early breakthroughs in the next 22 minutes or so if they're to make inroads before the interval. They will need to bowl with heart and find a bit more consistency in their lines and lengths. Archer, the man who took a five-for, will be the absolute key for England with the ball. Australia's task is simple. See off this tricky period and head to Lunch unscathed. We'll be back shortly as Australia resumes their innings after the break. Don't go anywhere.

What followed after that was a perfect example of a brave fightback. Many thought that England would fold under pressure, but being absolutely cornered at 168/8, Stokes and Archer led a valiant partnership together. They battled hard to coast England on Day 2, and did extremely well this morning against the aged ball. Both reached their respective fifties, and their stand was growing nice and steady at 106 runs. The deficit was trimmed below three digits and just when frustrations were about to creep in that Aussie camp, Mitchell Starc produced a moment of brilliance to end Stokes' resistance before Boland cleaned up the remaining wicket.

Bat your time out. Stay at the crease for long and the runs are in the offing. This has been a dream pitch for batting, but the English top order yet again failed to show that 'dog' Stokes mentioned at the start of this Test. The top three again gave underwhelming returns with just 41 runs shared among them. Root batted well for his 19, but Cummins proved just too good to cut short his stay. At 71/4, Brook and Stokes worked really hard, but Green was the one who ended that fightback, pushing England back to a rebuild.

The walls have fallen for England. Nothing to take away from the way Stokes and Archer resisted together for that lengthy period of time. But Australia have time and again displayed that knack of seizing the right moments. Australia will begin with still quite a considerable lead, but England would definitely see it as a psychological win to truncate that deficit into double figures, which, at one point, looked almost impossible.

OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Scott Boland wraps things up with a three-fer. He goes fuller and on off, gets it to shape away just a bit. Jofra Archer, without much footwork, looks to drive it away, but gets a thin outside edge. It flies straight to first slip, where Marnus Labuschagne takes a sharp catch near his midriff. Archer will have to walk back now, scoring a gritty 51 off 105. England have been bowled out for 286, conceding an 85-run lead to the Aussies.

Good length and on middle, Jofra Archer gets behind the line of it and blocks it out.

What stood out most about the Stokes-Archer stand wasn't just their lengthy resistance, but Stokes' clever man-management. By backing Archer and feeding him the strike, he injected belief into the quick, and that newfound confidence is now radiating from him. Tongue can bat, but can Archer show the same trust in him is the question. And here's the bowling change from Australia. Scott Boland (15-6-45-2) is back on, replacing Starc.

Overpitched and outside off, Josh Tongue reaches out for it and drills it wide of deep point and comes back for the second run.

Beaten! Pitched up and around off, angling away, Josh Tongue looks to drive it away but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Fuller one and on middle and leg, Jofra Archer flicks it to deep square leg and takes the runs this time. Two balls to survive for Josh Tongue.

Back of a length and just outside off, Jofra Archer leaves it alone.

That's a wild shot from Jofra Archer! Fuller and on middle, angling away from the batter. Archer skips down the track and has a big hoick across the line. Gets a top edge that goes towards deep third, but he refuses the single.

FOUR LEG BYES! England will take that! Mitchell Starc lands this short of a length but down the leg side. Jofra Archer misses his glance as the ball goes off his pads behind. Alex Carey dives to his left, but it goes well wide of him and rolls to the fine leg fence for a boundary. The deficit is 88 runs now.

STAT - The 106-run alliance between Stokes and Archer was the third-best partnership in this Ashes for any wicket. It was also the 5th highest 9th wicket partnership for England against Australia in the Ashes.

Full and just around off, Josh Tongue plays well inside the line of it and misses.

Full again but angling into the pads, Josh Tongue flicks it away wide of deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Beaten! Pat Cummins goes fuller and on off, angles it in, and then shapes it away. Josh Tongue looks to drive it on the up but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Bangs in a bouncer now, on middle and leg, Josh Tongue ducks under it.