Ashes 2021-22 2nd Test Day 1, Australia vs England Highlights: Australia End Day 1 At 221/2, Marnus Labuschagne Unbeaten On 95

The second innings is set to begin! The Australian players stride out to the middle. Followed by Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed who walk out to bat for England. Mitchell Starc to start with the ball.

Rght then. The visitors have a steep task in front of them. They would hope to remain unscathed till the stumps on Day 2. Australia, on the other hand, would hope to take a couple of wickets and put instant pressure on the tourists. Do join us in a while for a thrilling passage of play.

England bowlers toiled hard for two days straight in this game. There were moments when they thought the game was getting away from them. With a couple dropped catches on the first Day and a few falling short of the slip cordon on Day 2. Only Broad and Stokes got into the wicket’s column on Day 1. The hosts had a lot of wickets to play with on Day 2, and Smith took complete advantage of that. He was scoring at a brisk rate and the Englishmen were forced to change their bowling plans. Robinson was on fire with the ball in the first session and set back a set batter in Labuschagne. While, Root and Stokes chipped in as well, to make the first session theirs. It was Smith and Carey who looked solid in the middle and scored at a brisk rate. But it was Anderson, who weaved his magic and sent back both the set batters, to take the momentum along with them in the Tea Break. The last session was just an insult to injury, the bowlers would’ve liked to chop the tail-enders quickly but took a beating instead.

Declare! Steve Smith has signalled from the pavilion and Australia DECLARE AT 473/9 . It was a steady start by the hosts with the blade. They lost Harris pretty early on. Then it was the third wicket-partnership between Warner and Labuschagne who took the game away from the visitors. Yet again, in the series, Warner slipped out in his 90s and Smith and Labuschagne ended on a high at the end of Day 1, after the latter was dropped at 95. Runs came more swiftly on Day 2, thanks to the tremendous effort of the stand-in skipper, Steven Smith. Marnus Labuschagne came out and was sent back on 103 by Robinson, after getting him caught off a no-ball. Head and Green had a short stay in the middle. Later, Smith and Carey stitched a crucial stand for the sixth wicket of 91 runs, Carey was the aggressor with his maiden Test fifty, but both were sent back by Anderson at the stroke of Tea. Starc came out with Neser in the final session to bat. The pair stitched a quick-fire 58-run stand. The latter though slipped out, Starc then switched gears and made sure his side ends on a high.

OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Short ball, on off. Jhye Richardson looks to heave it away. The ball takes the outside edge and Jos Buttler takes the catch safely, unlike on Day 1. Steven Smith signals from the pavilion. AUSTRALIA DECLARE AT 473/9.

SIX! Jhye Richardson frees his arms this time. A short ball, around middle and leg. Jhye Richardson stands tall and smokes it over the mid-wicket fence for a biggie. The team-mates in the pavilion are loving it.

Fuller and outside off. Starc carves it over cover and gets a single.

Jhye Richardson is up and running straightaway!! This is a length ball, on off. Richardson looks to slog it over long on but he does not middle it and the ball goes just over Ben Stokes at mid on. The batters take three runs.

Fuller in length, around middle. Mitchell Starc works it to long on for a couple of runs.

FOUR! UP AND OVER! Banged into the pitch, around middle. Starc looks to pull but it goes off the top edge and flies over the keeper for a boundary.

Wide! Stokes bangs it into the deck, around middle. Mitchell Starc misses his pull and the umpire calls it a wide for height!

A slower ball, on a length, outside off. Mitchell Starc looks to heave it to the leg side but he gets an under-edge towards the keeper.

FOUR! BACK-TO-BACK BOUNDARIES! Length ball, in the slot, around off. Starc stays back and smokes it over the bowler's head for another boundary.

FOUR! Top shot! Back of a length, outside off. Mitchell Starc stays back and cuts it past the point fielder for a boundary.

Jhye Richardson comes in at number 10.

OUT! CAUGHT! That is a seriously good catch from Stuart Broad. Length ball, just outside off. Neser looks to go downtown but he gets the toe end of his bat and the ball balloons in the air behind the mid on fielder. Stuart Broad at mid on backtracks, keeps his eyes on the ball and takes a good catch. End of an entertaining innings from the debutant. Broad is making his teammate know that he could not see the ball. The lights were right in the eyes and that's why he tumbled into the ground as he grabbed the ball.

Back of a length, outside off. Mitchell Starc shuffles across and looks to scoop it over the keeper but he misses.

DROPPED! A tough one though! Length ball, outside off. Mitchell Starc heaves it uppishly towards the mid-wicket region. Ollie Pope runs in from the deep, reaches there but drops it in the end. The batters take a couple.

A slower ball, fuller in length, way outside off. Mitchell Starc looks to slog but the ball goes past his bat.

Play and a miss! Good-length ball, angling across the batter. Mitchell Starc looks to tonk it over long on but fails to get any blade on it.