Second Ashes Test, Australia v England, Adelaide Oval, day five recap

Second Ashes Test: Day five scoreboard

Australia win by 120 runs

England 2nd inns: 233 (84.2 overs. Root 67, Stoneman 36, Bairstow 36, Malan 29, Cook 16, Vince 15; Lyon 2-45, Starc 4-84, Cummins 1-39, Hazlewood 2-41)

Australia 2nd inns: 138 (58 overs. Khawaja 20, Starc 20, Marsh 19, Lyon 14, Warner 14, Handscomb 12, Paine 11; Anderson 5-43, Woakes 4-36, Overton 1-11)

England 1st inns: 227 (76.1 overs. Overton 41*, Cook 37, Woakes 36, Ali 25, Bairstow 21, Malan 19, Stoneman 18, Root 9; Lyon 4-60, Starc 3-49, Cummins 2-47, Hazlewood 1-51)

Australia 1st inns: 442-8d (149 overs. Marsh 126*, Paine 57, Khawaja 53, Warner 47, Cummins 44, Smith 40, Handscomb 35, Lyon 10*, Bancroft 10; Broad 2-72, Overton 3-105, Anderson 1-74, Woakes 1-84)

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0516: AUSTRALIA WIN BY 120 RUNS AND LEAD THE SERIES 2-0
England had hope this morning but ultimately had left themselves far too much to do. The game was lost when they allowed Australia to reach 442-8d on a pitch where par was clearly something around 250. With Perth to come, it's hard to see any way for England to salvage the series. All eyes now on trying to avoid yet another whitewash in Melbourne and Sydney.

0516: WICKET! All over. Bairstow left with no choice but to go for everything, and he's bowled by Starc who was nowhere near his best in this innings but still ends with 5-88 which tells you something.

0514: Bairstow crunches a cover-drive to the fence off Hazlewood and then swats a bouncer to deep square-leg for a single to keep the strike. If he can do that for another 25 overs, England are home.

0509: WICKET! Astonishingly, Broad's mid-air technique against the full ball fails to last. Healthy edge through to Paine.

0508: Broad now digging out yorkers in mid-air. Two more runs.

0506: Broad playing all his shots in mid-air. It's like some mad freeform ballet. He's six not out, so fair play.

0458: Broad hopping and jumping around but manages to chip Starc into the legside for a single to get off strike. Bairstow gets full new-ball value for a glorious check-drive back past Starc. He can't stay so far down the order in this team. It's a scandalous waste of resources.

0453: WICKET! First ball with the new nut is an absolute peach from Mitchell Starc. Swings back at Overton and traps him in front of the lot. Overton swishing his bat in disappointment as he walks off, but he need not admonish himself too strongly there. Outrageous first deliver with the new ball from Starc.

0452: England have made it to the new ball. This shouldn't take long now.

0438: Bairstow works Lyon to leg for a single to bring up England's 200.

0436: Drop! Cameron Bancroft in close under the helmet at kamikaze slip, and shells one from Overton that would have carried to regulation third slip. You takes your chances. We've seen plenty of edges drop short of the cordon, so it's understandable why he's there.

0430: Overton gets four for a nick through the slips and then takes a nasty blow to the heart after getting in an awful tangle trying to deal with a short ball that doesn't bounce as much as he expected.

0414: WICKET! Two umpire's call amber lights can't save Moeen, who is lbw sweeping at Lyon. One does just wonder whether umpires are more inclined to give on-field decisions in favour of the team with no reviews...

0359: Genuine edge from Bairstow lands short of Smith at second slip and bounces through for four. Lovely delivery from Starc, just a hint of reverse away from the right-hander. Odd that it didn't carry: it was a full, healthy edge at 90mph.

0352: Jonny Bairstow off the mark with a glorious cover-drive off Mitchell Starc, who hasn't quite matched Hazlewood this morning. But then Hazlewood is bowling like Glenn McGrath on fast-forward right now, so no shame in that.

0344: WICKET! All over. Hazlewood on fire this morning. Root feathers an edge through to Tim Paine. All that hope England had overnight utterly extinguished inside 15 minutes. Two stunning deliveries from Hazlewood, stepping up magnificently at the biggest moment.

0342: England get their first run of the day in the third over. England are halfway there, but Australia got there first.

0331: WICKET! Early drama. Aleem Dar eventually gives Chris Woakes out caught behind. Woakes reviews immediately. There's nothing on Hot Spot, but a small mark on snicko is enough for the third umpire to uphold the original decision.

0328: The players are out for day five under blue, cloudless skies in Adelaide. Here. We. Go.

0305: England are 11/4 for history here. With a 5/1 Price Boost on offer for Joe Root to score a century in an England victory. It's a 6/4 Price Boost just for Root to reach three figures.

0245: They couldn't, could they? England, ludicrously, need another 178 runs with six wickets - including Joe Root's - in hand to record the most staggering Ashes Test win since 2006 on this very ground. It's ridiculous they even have a chance.

Day four recap

1101: CLOSE: England, 176-4, need another 178 more runs to win
Woakes clips the last ball of the day through midwicket for three. That is an incredible day for England, despite the late Malan setback. England, against all odds, go into the final day with a very real, if very slim, chance of doing something genuinely extraordinary. They're 11/4 to do it. Tomorrow's night session is out of the equation now as well, which could be significant.

1059: England desperately trying to make this the last over of the day. Woakes just about gets the toe of the bat to a yorker and squeezes it down to third-man for a couple. That will probably do it.

1055: Root just about avoids a wonderful bouncer from Hazlewood that follows the England captain like a heat-seeking missile and whistles an inch over his helmet.

1052: Woakes in as nightwatchman. Probably two overs for England to negotiate tonight, if they're sensible with shoelaces and such.

1048: WICKET! Australia get the breakthrough! Cummins just too quick for Malan, beating his forward defensive push and flicking the off bail. Malan battled hard, but that's a big, big wicket for Australia with the close just over 10 minutes away.

1040: Root drives Cummins twice through the covers. The first crashes into the boards, the second brings a scampered three. England need another 186...

1035: Australia are 4/9 for the win. Still feels like a HUGE price to me. England are 15/8. Still feels skinny.

1015: Malan had to battle for an hour to reach 10. Races past 20, though, with three boundaries in one Starc over. England's target is down to 200 runs.

1006: Root goes to 50 with a Bell-esque back-cut off Starc. Gorgeous shot. Root's struggles with the conversion of 50 to 100 is well known. This one, you sense, has to double up. At least.

1000: Drop! Smith furious with himself after dropping a really difficult chance at slip off Lyon. Carbon copy of his dismissal at Brisbane, beautiful delivery from Lyon, but Smith diving low to his right can't hold on with his right hand.

0951: Cries of ROOOOOOOTTTT echo around the Adelaide night sky as Hazlewood drifts two full deliveries into his pads and watches both disappear to the square-leg fence.

0943: Australia have strangled England here, but despite some close calls they haven't managed to get a fourth breakthrough. Malan eases the pressure with a sumptuous cover-drive for four.

0930: Desperation review here from Smith for an lbw shout against Malan. It always looks high, and so it proves. Not even clipping, so Australia have lost both reviews in the space of two overs. And they won't top up at 80 overs now. So there are no reviews left for Australia in this run-chase.

0927: Oomph. Batting starting to get tricky out there. Cummins absolutely slices Root in two but the ball flicks only thigh-pad on its way through. Australia lose a review having another look.

0920: Shot from Root, smacking a slog-sweep off Lyon to the fence.

0906: Astonishing scenes. Root inexplicably leaves a dead straight ball from Lyon and is given out lbw. He reviews and incredibly the ball is clearing the bails. It's no exaggeration to say this is the best leave in the history of cricket.

0904: Good again from Root. So quick to read the length and rock back to pull Lyon through square-leg for four.

0901: Cummins bowls the exact half-volley that dismissed Root in the first innings. This time he smacks it through cover for four.

0854: WICKET! Vince goes after a wide one from Starc and edges to Handscomb at first slip. Not a great shot, it has to be said.

0842: Encouraging signs early in this session as these two right-handers manage to get some runs off Lyon. Root nudges a couple of singles, and Vince gets three for a glance past Warner at leg-slip.

0839: Root gets three for a clip off his pads, Vince three more for a drive through the covers. Warner chases it down, as he seems to do with any ball hit towards any boundary while Australia are fielding. Stupidly quick.

0836: Another slice of luck for Root as a thick edge off a back-foot force finds the gap between third slip and gully. Runs away for four, but there's surely no future in that shot.

0834: Two runs off Lyon's first over after Dinner. The lights are on now, but not yet taking full effect.

0755: The odds have been up and down for the last couple of hours. Australia were as big as 1/3 before Cook's dismissal, with England nudging 5/2. It's now 1/8 Australia and 6/1 England. The draw, at least, staying still at an irrelevant 50/1. Root now a 9/4 Price Boost to top-score.

0752: DINNER: England, 68-2, need 286 more to win
England doing just about enough in that session to keep the dream alive. Cook and Stoneman started well, but the runs dried up once Lyon started bowling and both openers have now gone. If England are going to get anywhere near this, they have got to find a way to score against Lyon. It's not easy, but it has to happen. He's currently through eight overs for just six runs.

0748: Last over before the break coming up...

0744: Lucky for Root! Aims a big drive at a wide one from Starc and sends a thick outside edge in the air but also in the gap between gully and point for four.

0739: Lovely shot from Vince, leaning into a half-volley from Hazlewood that follows a good bouncer, and pinging a drive through the covers.

0735: Root gets a single. England's target now below 300. England back out to 15/2 having got as short as 5/2 during that opening stand.

0731: WICKET! Stoneman follows Cook back to the changing room, steering a short ball from Starc to gully where Usman Khawaja takes a low but straightforward catch. Australia successfully dried up the runs after a sloppy start, now reaping the rewards.

0722: Lyon bowling absolutely beautifully. It's all well and good saying England need to attack him. But it's turning square and bouncing. Paine wears one on the shoulder as Stoneman prods forward.

0713: WICKET! Australia get it right with the review this time. Looking to work Lyon to leg, and ball-tracking confirms it's thudding into the inside of leg stump.

0706: For the first two days, absolutely everything went Australia's way. That's changed. Last night England got two lbw verdicts with two amber umpire's call lights. Australia have already been denied a three-redder in this innings. Every miscued shot from Australia went to hand. Here, Stoneman's top-edged sweep off Lyon lands an inch short of Hazlewood in the deep.

0702: Slice of luck for Stoneman as he aims a drive at Hazlewood and gets an inside edge past his stumps for a couple. A single to cover takes England to 50, and the target is down to 304...

0645: Four more for Stoneman, crashing Cummins through gully. What nonsense is this?

0640: Absolutely outrageous over from Lyon. One that spins and bounces past Cook is brilliantly taken by Paine, who whips the bails off as Cook's back foot wobbles around in the crease. Crucially, it stays down and Cook survives. A huge lbw shout on the sweep is turned down. Australia think there was bat or glove on it and don't review, but I'm not sure. Like to see that again. Next ball spins past the outside edge again.

0632: Here comes Lyon. Going to be key to the next day and a bit. If it takes that long, of course. Stoneman back-cuts him for a couple.

0624: England are 10 per cent of the way there. Another boundary, Stoneman driving gloriously through mid-on. He's 26 off 22 here. England trying to win this with a day to spare...

0621: Another thumping pull shot from Cook reaches the boundary. Stoneman gets four more with a safe edge guided wide of the slips. It's the start England needed. Let's say no more than that.

0618: Cook in on the act now, crunching a pull shot to the square-leg boundary. Starc bowling a "nothing length" in Ricky Ponting's words on commentary. Waist height and an easy put-away for Cook.

0615: First runs off Hazlewood from the last ball of his third over, a controlled push to cover for two from Stoneman.

0613: That 11/2 about England is already 4/1...

0610: Another leg-stump delivery from Starc to end the over. Only three for Stoneman this time, but it's 15 from the over.

0608: Starc guilty of going for the glory ball against Stoneman here. The first ball of the over is down the legside, the next three all on the pads and all whipped through midwicket for fours. Friendly deliveries they may be, but three glorious shots from the left-hander.

0604: Huge let-off for England. Cook pinned on the crease by Hazlewood and Australia roar as one in appeal. Chris Gaffaney says no, and Steve Smith opts against the review. You'd think it has to be at least clipping leg stump - and therefore under the new regulations a free review for Australia - but they opt against it. Three red lights on ball-tracking, though, with the ball smashing leg stump. Cook would've gone on review.

0552: England up and running in the run-chase, Cook pushing a quick single from the first ball of Starc's opening over. The huge thing England have done by bowling Australia out in the first session is ensure that while they may have to deal with two night sessions, they won't face the double threat of night session and new ball.

0532: England, 33/1 rags during another top-order collapse yesterday, are now 11/2 for an astonishing victory. That looks short enough to be honest, but it tells you something about this fightback. If they are to make history, surely Joe Root has to go big; he's a 7/2 Price Boost to top score.

0529: TEA: Australia 138. England need 354 to win
We might, just might, be watching one of the all-time great Test matches. I still think we probably aren't. But we might be.

0528: WICKET! Overton returns to end the innings as Hazlewood fends to Malan in the gully. England's bowlers have done all they can; over to the batsmen...

0524: Cummins and Hazlewood nudge a few singles off Anderson and lift the lead to 350.

0520: Cummins playing slightly differently compared to his sterling efforts when it really mattered in Brisbane and the first innings here. Swinging for his life now, and why not.

0510: WICKET! Five for Anderson now! His first five-wicket haul in Australia as Starc's slogathon reaches a predictable conclusion as he holes out to Ali at mid-off for 20. Clever bowling from Anderson, who ran his fingers across that one leaving Starc early on his shot.

0509: Anderson back on after Woakes' over with some non-torn trousers.

0506: Anderson goes off after that ball, the last of the over. Hopefully that's just to change his trousers.

0505: Drop! Starc top-edges an attempted slog. Anderson runs the length of the pitch to try and take the catch. Gets there, but fumbles it. Really should have held it having made the ground. He's torn his trousers, and stays down clutching his hamstring. Not good.

0502: Anderson back on. Little internal five-fer battle with Woakes now...

0455: WICKET! Four for Anderson, and now four for Woakes as he shapes one back at Marsh who is bowled via an inside edge as he looks legside.

0453: Huge six for Starc, slog-sweeping Ali into the grandstand beyond midwicket.

0450: Big thick outside edge from Starc flies down to the third-man boundary off Woakes. Marsh follows up with a crunching drive through cover off Ali. Australia's lead up to 330, and quick runs the order of the day now.

0440: England were 33/1 at one stage yesterday; 15/2 now.

0435: Marsh has been becalmed, but jumps out of his bunker here to carve Woakes over the slips for four. Just a bit short, bit wide, and Marsh just needed to get some bat on it.

0426: WICKET! Paine falls to the short ball for the second time in the match. Skies a pull shot, and Craig Overton - having a very handy Test debut - takes a great catch running in and diving from long-leg as team-mates converge.

0420: Big moment. Moeen Ali into the attack. He's been a huge disappointment with the ball in this series so far.

0417: And that's drinks. Paine and Marsh, who batted beautifully in the first innings, have settled in again here. Anderson can't bowl forever. Things will get easier soon. And the lead is now 304, which is already an awful lot of runs.

0413: Anderson, 35 years old, has bowled 19 of the 41 overs in this innings so far. Incredible effort.

0409: Four overthrows takes the lead beyond 300. No blame on the fielder, Mark Stoneman, who had a shy at the non-striker's end after a yes-no-sorry from Paine had left Marsh with work to do.

0347: Anderson now has 50 Test wickets in Australia. It's been hard work and taken him 15 Tests across four tours at an average of 36.64. Tellingly, his 4-28 here (currently) represent his best figures Down Under. He's got five four-wicket hauls, but never managed to claim a fifth.

0343: WICKET! A curious innings from Handscomb, a man fighting his technique and mind as much as the bowlers, comes to an end. He actually hits this one pretty well, steering the ball to gully where Dawid Malan takes a really sharp low catch. Great grab, that.

0331: WICKET! Lyon's fun is over, for now. Backs away to Anderson and smears a catch to Broad at mid-off. The short ball from Broad shook him up, he was always here for a good time not a long time after that.

0327: Broad whacks Lyon on the grille with a short ball. Lyon responds by steering the next short over the slips for four and then backing away to carve four more. Another one goes past the outside edge, and this is already a textbook nightwatchman effort from Lyon. Timewasting for his life last night, and now mixing plays-and-misses with boundaries to great effect. Chips the last ball of the over in the air but clear of mid-off for two more. England already frustrated.

0317: Broad gets two full deliveries past Lyon's outside edge.

0308: Joe Root not happy about the decision. Clear from his sign language to the umpire that he thinks it came off the glove. To add to the fun, there was a tiny white Hot Spot mark on Handscomb's thumb, but it was there before the ball arrived.

0306: More DRS drama. Peter Handscomb given out caught at slip in James Anderson's first over of the afternoon, but he reviews it straight away. It's come off his shoulder rather than the bat's. England and, presumably, Aleem Dar think it flicked the glove on the way through. No evidence for that on replays or Hot Spot. Snicko offers a scruffy, unhelpful line. Must have been noise around as the ball passed the glove. Half a chance that England might get the original decision upheld, but the balance of evidence is in favour of not out, and the decision is reversed.

0259: The players are back out in the middle under bright, sunny skies which has been something of a rarity in this game.

0225: So have England given themselves a sniff, or merely hastened their own demise? We'll find out today. The fact remains that even if they take six wickets for no runs this morning they are heavy outsiders. You'd think to have any kind of chance at all, England need to bowl Australia out for about 100 here. Not impossible, but it's likely to be trickier taking wickets now than it was last night. At least they showed they've got a bit about them, even if yesterday was probably the day on which the urn was surrendered.

1101: CLOSE: Australia, 53-4, lead by 268 runs
England deserve some credit for the fight they've shown from 142-7, but the bare facts remain. They are going to lose, and the Ashes are all but gone. But still. The fight shown by Woakes and Overton is admirable, and the bowling was magnificent. It's something, and it didn't look like happening when Bairstow was so brilliantly caught by Starc

1100: Lyon cleverly gets hit by the fourth ball of Woakes' over and needs the physio on. That will ensure there won't be another one tonight. That's Australia, 267 runs in front with six wickets in hand, sending in a nightwatchman to waste some time. And that's what cricket is the greatest sport there is.

1053: Australia, who could have enforced the follow-on, now find themselves sending in a nightwatchman. Cricket comes at you fast. Lyon in, and immediately nicks one through the slips for a couple of runs.

1047: WICKET! No reprieve for Smith this time! Woakes gets his second as Smith is beaten by the outswinger and hit in front of off stump. As with Khawaja, a pair of amber umpire's call lights but it will save the review but not the skipper.

1035: Steve Smith given out leg-before, but the ball-tracking show that Anderson, bowling round the wicket to the right-hander, has pitched it a centimetre outside leg stump. Decision overturned. The third time in the match that Anderson has had an on-field decision reversed against him.

1026: WICKET! Warner gone as well. Perfect length from Woakes finds the outside edge, and Root pouches it at second slip.

1021: WICKET! Anderson into his 10th over and gets his second wicket as he swings one away from Khawaja and hits him on the knee-roll (just) in front of off stump. Two umpire's calls on review, so the decision stands but Australia don't lose the review. Lovely delivery and a brave but correct decision from Aleem Dar.

1016: Bairstow has a sore finger after failing to glove one cleanly. Couple of painkillers between overs. Warner and Khawaja

1005: Warner now on nine from 42. Anderson through eight probing overs for only nine runs but, somehow, also only one wicket.

0955: Khawaja has got going here, latching on to a couple of short ones, but England have done a good job of tying Warner down. He's got just nine from 36 in a match situation that should have been right up his street.

0920: The bittersweet sight of James Anderson arcing the ball past all-at-sea Australian batsmen long, long, long after the game has gone.

0917: Only 14 runs in the Test for Bancroft, so we probably won't get to see him stitch Bairstow right up in a press conference this time.

0909: WICKET! Anderson finds Bancroft's outside edge two balls running. The first is just short of a diving Bairstow, but the second is straight through to the keeper.

0908: Huge appeal behind the stumps for caught behind as Warner gropes at a full one from Broad, who didn't think it was out. Let that sink in: Broad didn't think it was out. Root reviews it anyway, but to no avail. Beat the edge, bat hit the ground.

0901: Bancroft gets four from the final ball of James Anderson's over, but a moral victory for the bowler. Anderson finally getting the new ball full enough to draw an outside edge, but it's wide of third slip.

0850: No follow-on. Australia bat again.

0847: END OF INNINGS: England, 227, trail Australia by 215 runs
Dreadful innings really, with only that Woakes-Overton partnership steering it clear of abject humiliation. Seems grossly unfair that those two will be charged with bowling while Warner and co tee off for a couple of sessions.

0846: WICKET! Anderson attempts to help Overton through to a debut 50 via the medium of reverse-sweeps. He gets hit in the privates and is leg-before.

0839: WICKET! Extra bounce from Lyon does for Broad who plays back and tries to work to leg but can only feather it through to Paine.

0836: Half a shout for a bat-pad catch as Cummins fires one into Broad's ribs. Straight off the chest, though. Broad flicks the next one into the legside and there might have been half a chance for a catch at long-leg had Starc picked the ball up quicker. He didn't, and it lands a good six or seven yards short of him in the end.

0832: Overton skips down the ground in the first over of the night session and thumps Lyon down the ground for four. He's now got the highest score of the innings.

0807: The match result market of no real interest now, but there are some interesting specials knocking about. Overton is 7/4 to outlast Broad and Anderson to be not out at the end of this innings, while it's 11/2 for the England innings to be wrapped up in the first over after the resumption. A six from either Overton or Broad is 9/1.

0751: DINNER: England, 219-8, trail Australia by 223 runs
Well against the odds England have made it to the dinner break and have probably ensured Australia will not enforce the follow-on even if they do pick up these last two wickets quickly tonight. Woakes was excellent, but Overton's been a revelation. This has not been some streaky tailender's fun-and-games 36 not out. He's batted properly, shown bravery and good technique against the short ball, and a sound defence. And, unsurprisingly, he can give it a whack when he chooses to. The overall match situation, needless to say, remains almost hopelessly bleak but at least there was something for England to cling to in that session.

0743: Just a really nice bit of good cricket here as Hazlewood bowls a perfect bouncer that jags back at Overton, who sways out of the way like a top-four batsman, and is then smartly gathered by a flying Paine high and to his left.

0738: WICKET! Third caught-and-bowled in a row, which must be something of a collector's item. Unlike the previous two, this one's a sitter for Starc as Woakes is too late on a pull shot and spoons it straight up in the air. Starc gives everyone else the call to clear out, and pouches it easily.

0732: Overthrows now! Overton gets three instead of the expected two for a steered edge past gully.

0726: Great batting from Overton. Slog-sweeps Lyon for four to bring up the 200. Smith puts square-leg back on the fence, so Overton helps himself to an easy single.

0723: Overton has survived the short-ball barrage. Australia now giving him the respect of bowling properly at him. The result: Starc sends three ludicrous deliveries past a groping outside edge. Overton doing the classic tailender trick of middling the ones on his stumps and missing the ones that aren't.

0715: Woakes guides a short ball over the slips for four, with perhaps just a small slice of good fortune, but either way that's a 50 partnership. As welcome as it is unexpected and futile.

0707: Woakes flays a drive through the offside for four. This is a genuinely good partnership, you know. Very brave, bit lucky at times, but with plenty of good shots from both batsmen.

0702: Overton has just leant on one through mid-on for three, so that's a thing that has happened. This is the highest partnership of the innings.

0655: That's drinks. Make England's a double.

0647: Genuinely good shot from Overton, steering Hazlewood through backward point for four. Just using the pace of the ball, lovely stuff.

0645: Thoughts turn, inevitably, towards the follow-on. I don't think Australia will enforce it. But. There's a break before the next Test, and the temptation to make England start again under lights tonight must be close to irresistible.

0643: Extraordinary all-round performance this from Australia. Overton goes after a Cummins short ball and nails it, but Hazlewood makes a remarkable save on the rope to keep it to a single.

0640: Overton shows plenty of ticker and technique to get through Hazlewood's over, and earns four runs for his troubles via a controlled edge past the slips.

0636: Good from Woakes, who's had a peppering here but climbs all over a wide long-hop to smash it through point for four.

0625: Craig Overton greeted to Test-match batting with a fearsome bouncer that whistles past his face. Does manage to get a run with a fend into the legside. He's handy with the bat is Overton, but his previous scores on this series were (most recent first): 0,0,0. So at least he's avoided the Audi.

0622: WICKET! A second extraordinary caught and bowled in the space of 20 minutes. Bairstow absolutely hammers a drive back at Starc, who sticks out a reflex right hand, knocks it up in the air and then catches it behind his back at the second attempt.

0617: Starc snakes two deliveries past Woakes' outside edge. Just needs to go a touch fuller.

0613: Woakes duck-hooks for four. Absolutely middled it to be fair, but you don't sense there's much future in it as a gameplan.

0602: WICKET! What a catch! Ali chips one back at Lyon who dives to his left and plucks the ball out of the air one-handed.

0552: Stats can sometimes be misleading. They can obscure as much as they reveal. This one, though. This one seems to tell the story of the last eight days quite beautifully.

0534: TEA: England, 128-5, trail Australia by 314 runs
Nice end to a horror session for England as Bairstow clips the last ball into the legside for a couple. But it's a sorry, sorry tale for the tourists. They now face the prospect of two equally unpleasant scenarios: being asked to follow-on under lights, or having to run in and bowl to an Aussie line-up with absolute freedom to build the lead as quickly as they can.

0533: Lovely drive down the ground from Ali brings three runs. Two balls to go before "Tea".

0529: England let Lyon rattle through an over. Thirty seconds of gardening would've got England through to tea. Now there's another over of Cummins to negotiate...

0520: Been a frenetic, unconvincing innings from Bairstow but he's still there and has now crunched two glorious boundaries off Cummins, driven first through mid-off and then through extra-cover.

0502: Bairstow off the mark first ball with a controlled push through cover for a couple.

0459: WICKET! Cummins strikes with the first ball of his spell. Good ball too, jagging back to cut Malan in half and flicking the glove on its way through to Paine.

0458: Been hard yakka for Moeen Ali so far in this innings but he turns five not out off 32 into 13 off 34 with a couple of well-struck sweep shots off Lyon. And the hundred's up for England as well.

0452: Chance! Big edge from Moeen off Lyon. No real chance for Paine, but the ball bounces up off his elbow and could have gone anywhere. Luckily for Moeen and England, it lobs up away from slip and lands safely.

0442: England becalmed here. Moeen dances down the track to Lyon to attempt to break the shackles, but drills a drive along the carpet straight to mid-on.

0424: WICKET! Lyon gets Cook, pushing hard away from his body at a spinning ball and nicking to slip. It's a decent delivery, but it's never threatening the stumps and Cook's defending to cover. It's a terrible shot.

0423: Starc targeting Malan's ribs from round the wicket. Malan playing it comfortably enough for now, getting inside it when he can and nudging the ball away for runs whenever he can.

0415: And that's drinks. Cook and Malan clinging on grimly by the skin of their teeth. Let's try and be optimistic: Australia were 65-3 in reply to England's 551-6dec here 11 years ago, and we all know how that turned out. England are 20/1 for victory here...

0405: Huge mix-up between Cook and Malan. Should be four down. Malan fends a short ball into the legside and sets off for a single. But he hasn't got the ball past short-leg and is sent back by Cook. Too late, but Bancroft rushes the throw and misses the target. Like Woakes when he ran Bancroft himself out on day one, Bancroft had time to pick his spot.

0400: Shot of the morning from Cook, rocking back and nailing a cut shot through a packed offside field as Lyon just drops a fraction short again. So far, Lyon not quite matching the standards he set in Brisbane.

0357: Incredible scenes here, as Aleem Dar waits an eternity on an lbw appeal from Mitchell Starc against Dawid Malan before nodding his head and raising the finger. Malan's on the back foot but it's hit him really high on the leg. Instant review, and it's going over the top. Malan survives, Dar sheepishly reverses a very strange decision.

0350: Genuine edge from Cook as Lyon spins one away from him, but it flies wide of slip for a couple of runs.

0347: First boundary for Malan, and it's good batting. He's used his feet against Nathan Lyon a couple of times this afternoon, and he gets his reward when the spinner drags one down short allowing Malan to rock back and cut behind point.

0338: Cook pulls in the air but powerfully through square-leg for four. There's a fielder there, and it wasn't that far from him, but he never moved.

0328: WICKET! The big wicket for Australia! Root aims a hugely optimistic drive at Cummins and skews an edge to Cameron Bancroft at third slip.

0325: Root off the mark with a couple of clips through midwicket that bring him a two then a three. Good shots, but we can all see what Australia are up to there after his twin lbw dismissals in Bris.

0317: Runs for Cook, who gets a couple for a nice drive through cover and two more for a deeply unpleasant miscued hook to deep square-leg.

0306: WICKET! And that's all he'll get. Plays a similar shot but, crucially, this one's away from his body and he nicks it through to Tim Paine.

0304: James Vince off the mark nicely from the first ball he faces this morning, punching past cover off the back foot for a leisurely two.

0302: Pat Cummins completes the over he began with a huge caught-behind shout against Alastair Cook last night before the rain came.

0250: Australia still 4/11 for the win, a price that may well look absolutely enormous by the time the floodlights go out tonight. Alastair Cook is a 7/4 Price Boost to reach 50, with Mitchell Starc enhanced to 6/1 for a five-wicket haul.

0245: It's not raining right now. The clouds are still here, but it looks like England are going to have to try and play some cricket.

0235: England's best friend, the rain, has been back in Adelaide this morning and afternoon. Might be a delayed start. Might be a genuine chance that England get away with this, which would be scandalous and hilarious.

Day two recap

1030: CLOSE: England, 29-1, trail Australia by 413 runs
England have dodged a bullet there. A full session under lights could've finished the game off, but England are now still in there fighting. They've now got the chance to bat for two sessions in decent conditions. No excuses.

1029: Trying to interpret the body language of players and umpires, and it looks like play is done for the day. Stopped raining a while ago, but the outfield is pretty damp.

0945: It's raining. Welcome respite for England.

0935: WICKET! Stoneman pinned in front of leg stump by a full, swinging delivery from Starc. DRS won't save him, cannoning into leg stump and they don't retain the review.

0929: England not going to die wondering anyway. Rattling along here, as Stoneman flashes a cut over gully's head for four and square-drives for another couple of runs.

0925: Starc and Hazlewood are obviously quicker than England's bowlers, but more importantly they've already settled on the right length. England did it for about an hour in the whole Australian first innings. Cook and Stoneman have both been beaten a couple of times, but they're just about still there fighting. Both men looking to cash in when the ball's anywhere near their pads.

0911: First slice of luck comes Stoneman's way as a rapid delivery from Starc squares him up and finds a thick outside edge that absolutely flies past gully and away for four. Wasn't that far away from the fielder, but beat him for pace. Ball was thudding back off the boundary boards before he'd dived.

0907: Starc gets the speed gun up over 150km/h in his first over. That's 93mph in old money. Tim Paine is out there with the gloves on, by the way, so we have to assume there's no issue with that finger that got banged up while he was batting.

0852: END OF INNINGS: Australia 442-8dec (149 overs)
Magnificent effort from Australia, getting 100 more than they probably dared to dream first thing this morning. How do England battle back from this? Some hard, hard work ahead under the lights over the next couple of hours.

0851: Marsh takes full advantage of that final over. Two legside fours off Broad are followed by an enormous bash down the ground for six. One of the longest straight boundaries in world cricket and he's cleared it by miles.

0847: There's one over left in this innings. Smith, in his whites, giving the signal.

0844: Same again with Overton bowling. Lyon gets some bat on one this time, though, and sends it over the rope at long-leg. Do wonder whether the risk of injury to a key Australia bowler is worth this really with well over 400 on the board, but it's entertaining enough. Another big top-edge this time and he gets a couple as Bairstow gives chase. Again, it's the "surprise" full ball to end the over, and Lyon this time bunts it into enough of a gap to collect two.

0839: Entertaining little spell here before the real business resumes. Broad bowling nothing but bouncers, Nathan Lyon doing nothing but trying to smash them into next week. Five swings, five misses, before Broad goes for the full ball to end the over. Lyon does get bat on it, lacing it to deep cover. The single is, of course, turned down. Great cricket.

0832: WICKET! Cummins signals the intent. Huge swat at the first ball he faces in the session, and he skies it to Dawid Malan at third-man. England have started all three sessions today with a wicket. It has thus far been as good as each session has got. Maybe this time will be different!?

0831: Back under way. Australia, you'd imagine, will bat until it's dark and then look to unleash hell.

0817: You can still get 4/11 about the Australian win here. With three days and a long session still to come under lights tonight, that feels like the sort of 4/11 you should be absolutely all over if 4/11 bets are your cup of tea. That session feels like it broke England, and there's no doubt the pitch has been quicker today. England are 20/1, which is not the sort of 20/1 you should be backing if 20/1 bets are your particular slice of toast.

Elsewhere, Mark Stoneman is 9/2 to top-score for England and I can certainly see a scenario where he toughs it out for 40-odd and that turns out to be plenty...

0752: DINNER: Australia, 409-7 (145 overs)
A second dreadful session for England, and not even the consolation of having been a bit unlucky to offer any balm this time. The bowlers, understandably to be fair, have nothing left, the fielding is flat, and they're now literally succeeding in impeding each other. It's going to take something extraordinary from England's top six to avoid this being 2-0 within the next few days. And 5-0 within the next few weeks.

0750: Drop! Extraordinary. If you want one moment to sum up a Test match, you'd struggle to find something better than this. Effort ball from Woakes finds the shoulder of Marsh's bat. Cook makes ground towards gully from slip to gully and takes a smart, low two-handed catch. But Vince has also made ground from point and tries to take the catch himself. Succeeds only in knocking the ball out of Cook's hands.

0740: A fifth Test century for Marsh, the 400 up for Australia, and humiliation complete for England. Brilliant, brilliant innings from the much-maligned left-hander. Survived a very close lbw shout on review when England bowled well this morning, but got through that and has absolutely filled his boots now when the going is good.

0734: Cummins whacks Ali over midwicket for four more.

0728: Marsh into the 90s with a steer to third-man. It's all very 2013/14 this for England. They fought for three days in Brisbane, and for a day and a session here. They're now a thoroughly beaten, broken team and this now looks very, very, very 5-0. After 141 self-inflicted overs in the dirt, a huge task for England's batsmen to fight against the tide when the time comes.

0719: Cummins hits Root straight back over his head and holds the pose.

0713: Cummins whacking England's bowling all around now. England's situation has gone from worrying, to forlorn and is now heading full steam towards humiliating.

0709: Cummins thrashes Woakes through the offside for four. This is so, so ugly for England now.

0704: Root does bring himself on for a trundle.

0649: Cummins clubs Ali down the ground for four. Marsh starts the next over by hooking Overton for four more. The 350 is up. Suspect batting might look a bit trickier in a couple of hours' time...

0642: Marsh rocks back and whips Ali through midwicket for four. Root should genuinely be bowling ahead of Moeen here. Don't think he's fully fit at all. We know he's had this finger issue, but I don't think his side injury is 100 per cent sorted. Not completing his action or getting the revs we're used to.

0637: Cummins ruins everything from his 37th delivery, rocking back and cutting Overton in the air but safely through gully for four. Australia know they've already got plenty of runs here. Now batting time to make sure England start their innings at the worst possible time. And rightly so.

0634: Anderson officially having One Of Those Days. Genuine edge from Pat Cummins, but it bounces a good two feet short of Bairstow. Cummins has now faced 34 balls without getting off the mark. Tremendous blocking.

0626: Worth pointing out that while Anderson and England have been unlucky today, there's nothing remotely controversial about any of the DRS decisions that have gone against them. The first Marsh lbw, in particular, looked absolutely dead in real time but even before ball-tracking the replays showed the ball hitting him high on the pad having got a good forward stride.

0623: England's turn to take a decision to DRS, but still no joy as ball-tracking upholds Chris Gaffaney's not out verdict on one that skidded through a bit to Marsh from Anderson. Hitting the stumps, but pitched outside leg.

0617: Marsh has got a couple away to the fence. Cummins, as at the Gabba, looking very solid in defence.

0557: WICKET! Broad strikes early in the session again. Starc, a bit frustrated in reaching six from 28 balls, then slices a legside slog straight up in the air to give Anderson a sitter jogging in from mid-on. Marsh reached a good 50 earlier in the over. Might look to go through the gears now.

0533: TEA: Australia 306-6 (116 overs)
That's a cracking session for Australia. Marsh was solid, Paine did to England what Brad Haddin built a career on, and the tourists face a long road back to keep themselves in this Test and the series. One way or another, England will be starting their innings plenty of runs in arrears with the floodlights on. Not ideal. The Aussies now 2/5 for the win, with England out to 8/1. And that seems fair enough.

0532: An over from the skipper before Tea. As ever he looks really likely to take a wicket. Honestly think he should bowl far more than he does.

0527: The 300 is up for Australia just ahead of "Tea". This pitch is flatter than previous day-nighters here, but also Australia could very easily have been bowled out for 250 here. The Aussies are a long way in front here.

0519: Marsh takes a dicey run to try and farm the strike. Starc would've been run out by a foot had Stoneman's throw from cover-point found the target.

0516: Ali rips one past Starc's outside edge. Turn and bounce there, the ball thudding into Bairstow's chest.

0508: STOKESWATCH: Otago beat Canterbury by three wickets.

0503: WICKET! Paine holes out, but he's surely done the job already. Picks out Moeen at deep square-leg to hand Overton a second wicket.

0454: Paine hits Woakes down the ground for two to reach 50. It's been a brilliant innings, putting England firmly on the back foot from the moment he walked in.

0453: Paine launches a huge six off Ali over midwicket. This partnership has killed England.

0440: England have bowled well today. They've certainly been a touch unlucky, while Marsh and Paine have been excellent. You can't escape the sense that the match and series has slipped away from England here. Especially as they're now going to be starting their innings under lights this evening. The tourists are out to 11/2 now, with Australia 4/9 for a win that all-but secures the urn.

0429: Moeen Ali's first bowl of the day. Gets away with three long-hops to start, giving up only two runs, and then settles on a better spot for Marsh. Finds the outside edge but it bounces just short of Root at slip.

0426: Paine taking on a couple of painkillers during some lengthy treatment on that finger during the drinks break. Australia do have two part-time keepers in the side if needed. England's best friends Bancroft and Handscomb both occasional glovemen.

0417: Paine hit again on that finger. It's hurting.

0414: Paine gets back off strike with a quick single and seems okay. It was his right index finger that was hit, and that's the one he's had to have operated on multiple times.

0411: Last ball of the over raps Paine on the glove. He gets a single, but he's in, well, pain here. Has had so many problems with his fingers throughout his career. This could be serious for Australia.

0410: Definitely more pace and bounce in the pitch today, as Overton sends a bouncer flying past Paine's head and over Bairstow for four byes. Great effort from Bairstow, flying to his left to tip the ball over the bar, but sadly this is cricket rather than football and his David de Gea impression is in vain.

0404: Fair to say this second spell has been better from Anderson, anyway.

0358: And again! Paine this time given lbw on the field to Anderson, but to be honest this one always looks a bit high. Hits him above the pad on the back leg, and would've gone over the top.

0349: Anderson wins an lbw verdict against Marsh. It looks absolutely plumb, but it's hit him on the knee with a decent stride and ball-tracking shows it going just over the top of middle stump.

0347: Root has turned Anderson round to follow Broad. See if he has any more joy from this end.

0335: Anderson out of the attack after only two dreadful overs this morning. Big win for Australia, that. Good reward for Paine's attacking intent and refusal to let Anderson find his range.

0332: STOKESWATCH: Now has figures of 8-0-41-0. His Canterbury team are going to lose. He's also feeling his side, so not sure we'll see him do any more bowling.

0330: Runs coming really freely now. Danger times for England. Marsh slaps a drive through cover-point off Broad and this partnership is up and running.

0329: Anderson not getting it right at all here. Paine going after him with a pull through midwicket and a slashed drive deliberately up and over the gully.

0322: Huge appeal for caught behind against Marsh, but it's missed the bat and clipped the thigh on its way through to Jonny Bairstow. England wisely opt against a review. Marsh lands a blow of his own as he clips an attempted yorker through midwicket.

0320: Broad has shown the way, but Anderson - as yesterday - bowling maddeningly and consistently a yard too short.

0315: Tim Paine off the mark with a single first ball, Shaun Marsh plays and misses. It's the law that it's said every time he picks up a wicket, but could this be one of those Broadspells?

0312: WICKET! Stuart Broad strikes with his third ball of the morning, nipping one back to trap Peter Handscomb - camped on the back foot as is his wont - in front of off stump. Chris Gaffaney raises the finger.

0307: It's the cover hokey-cokey. Off they come again.

0304: And they're back on again...

0300: Covers coming off, should be under way with only a 10-minute delay.

0255: It's raining a bit. Australia really need to sort out their weather if they want to host big cricket matches.

0235: STOKESWATCH: Ben Stokes made just two with the bat on his debut for Canterbury in the 50-over Ford Trophy earlier, and currently has bowling figures of 4-0-26-0. Bit rusty...

0230: We go again. Play starts early, 30 minutes from now, as we make up the time lost to rain on a gripping opening day. England have a ball just one over old and absolutely must wreak havoc with it this morning. Australia, you'd think, will be in firm control if they get up to and beyond 350 with the prospect of England starting their innings in the night session later a bit of a worry...

Day one recap

1132: CLOSE: Australia 209-4 (81 overs)
Well that's Australia's day, and by a decent margin. England have managed to remove David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith relatively cheaply, but still need a great session with the new ball first thing tomorrow afternoon(?) to come close to justifying Joe Root's decision to bowl first. The bowlers let the captain down in that shortened first session but toiled away manfully after that. Four wickets in 81 overs after inserting the opposition: disappointing.

1128: Australia two overs away now from having a fantastic first day. James Anderson will have one over with the new ball tonight.

1117: Handscomb and Marsh looking comfortable against Broad and Anderson in what was supposed to be the most difficult time to bat.

1059: Nine overs left in the day. Feels like a big nine overs in the match. Australia are 4/7 for the win, England 10/3.

1044: Marsh and Handscomb hanging on in the toughest part of the day. Handscomb in particular looks like he could get out at any moment, but they're still there.

1023: Eleven English heads in 22 hands here as Handscomb, way back in his crease as per, just about jabs his bat down on a Woakes yorker. He gets four for it but my word it's an astonishing way to play.

1016: WICKET! Overton has his first Test wicket, and what a wicket. Smith only half-forward to one that nips back enough to bowl him via the inside edge.

1015: Handscomb and Smith have a combined Test batting average of about 110. Disastrous for coaching manual printers.

0954: Anderson standing at short mid-off right next to non-striker Smith. There's a lot of chat. Aleem Dar keeps positioning himself between them.

0945: WHAT IF STEVE SMITH JUST NEVER GETS OUT EVER AGAIN? WHAT THEN?

0936: That Anderson wicket means he and Broad now have 900 Test wickets between them.

0932: Anderson arcs one past new batsman Peter Handscomb's outside edge. Could be in for some fun here. If Smith really wants to get inside England's heads he should declare.

0929: WICKET! Anderson strikes in the first over after Dinner, Khawaja driving loosely on the up and away from his body. Thick edge, and a smart catch from Vince in the gully.

0925: A slight delay to the start of the night session, but we're good to go now with the lights taking full effect.

0841: DINNER: Australia 138-2 (51 overs)
Better from England in that session, but still only the two wickets to show for it and unless the floodlights cause absolute carnage then Joe Root got it badly wrong at the toss.

0839: Hostile over from Overton just before Dinner. Up over 85mph and testing Khawaja with the short ball.

0824: Fifty for Khawaja, who loves Adelaide and loves the pink ball. Slightly unconvincing cut shot off Moeen but it flies wide of slip and races across a billiard-table outfield. England have given him a life, and he looks in the mood to punish them.

0821: Another bit of luck for Smith, who has made a shaky start on his way to at least 275 not out here, as he gets a thick inside edge that balloons up on the legside but short of midwicket.

0820: Genuine edge from Smith but it goes to ground and wide of the slips for a scampered three. Anderson bowling a beautiful fourth spell here, which is in its way absolutely infuriating.

0817: Long half-volley from Overton gets the full treatment from Smith, but he has generally once again been made to work hard for his runs here.

0810: Good over from Overton. Huge lbw shout against Smith, but it's going over the top. Squares him up again next ball, before a miscued off-drive almost offers a caught-and-bowled chance.

0807: England have to lift here. Game could slide away very quickly if they're not careful here.

0801: Drop! Huge moment in this game. Khawaja hammers two boundaries off Woakes but gets a big top-edge on the hook shot going for a third. It's straight down long-leg's throat, but Mark Stoneman shells it. Smith whacks the last ball of the over through midwicket for four more. First really bad fielding error England have made in the series, and it's an absolute shocker.

0757: Khawaja steers a controlled edge wide of the slips for three to bring up Australia's hundred. Anderson then snakes one past Smith's outside edge and there's a brief respite in the mutual loathing as Smith nods in acknowledgement of a fine delivery.

0753: Khawaja looking magnificent here, flicking Woakes away to the fine-leg boundary before hammering a pull shot to the man on the fence for a single.

0745: England have decided that if they can't bowl Smith out they'll try and sledge him out. Plenty of verbals out there now, with Aleem Dar trying to keep a lid on things.

0742: Lengthy chat between Smith and Broad after every delivery. Just two old friends shooting the breeze.

0740: Absolutely astonishing field for Steve Smith here. Three slips, a gully, two catching mid-ons, a catching point and a catching cover. Never seen anything like it.

0730: WICKET! The drinks break strikes! Warner fences needlessly outside off stump, a proper get-out shot, and gets only a feather through to Bairstow. That's the first wicket for an England bowler in 83.1 overs.

0725: Fifty stand and drinks. England had a really good 10 minutes either side of that run out, and Moeen's first over to Warner was excellent. Doesn't look any kind of bowl-first day, though. The floodlights are going to have to work genuine miracles later.

0720: Khawaja's intent clear. He's going to whack his way out of his spin troubles. Charges at Ali and gets nowhere near the pitch but slices the ball to safety at deep cover. That puts Moeen off his line and length, and Khawaja gets two cut shots away to the fence. The second goes straight through James Vince's shoddy long barrier at backward point, which the Adelaide crowd seem to enjoy.

0715: Lovely stuff from Warner, back-to-back boundaries off Overton with a big cover-drive and a deliberate steer over the top of gully.

0712: Leg-before shout against Khawaja off Moeen, but he's miles down the track. Not out.

0706: Moeen finally has Khawaja in his sights for the 12th delivery he bowls. Khawaja defends it tidily enough.

0703: Four more for Khawaja, but an element of luck this time as he top-edges a well-directed Overton bouncer but finds safe ground at long-leg.

0659: Here comes Mo, and it's a good maiden over to start. Doesn't even get to bowl at Khawaja, but plenty to think about for Warner. Turn and bounce straight away, with one ball catching the shoulder of the bat and lobbing wide of slip. The great news for Moeen is that his control is back, with all six deliveries landing on a sixpence, which suggests that index finger is healed.

0656: Glorious shot from Khawaja. If spin was outlawed he'd be the best player in the world. A fraction short from Overton, no more than that, and Khawaja's on it in a flash to lace a pull shot through midwicket for four.

0649: Good start. Beats Warner with a bit of extra bounce, and then gets him playing that weird flick-pull that gets him in so much trouble. Gets away with it this time, the ball landing well short of Moeen at deep square-leg, but England will be happy for him to play that as often as he likes.

0646: First Test bowl for Craig Overton.

0642: Warner drives again, off Broad this time, and gets three. But this is much, much better bowling from England. If you win the toss and bowl, you've got to try and get wickets. If Warner is too good, then so be it.

0640: Warner drives Anderson through the covers for four. It's good cricket. Not a half-volley, but Warner gets the middle of the bat to the ball. Plenty could go wrong, though, and Anderson hasn't been willing enough to risk the occasional boundary.

0626: Bit weird that England haven't gone straight to spin here to be honest. Daft to give Khawaja some sighters, and it's already got him three runs.

0624: England have come alive. Shame it took them 14 overs, but they're in this contest now. Oohs and aahs every ball, even when it's just a routine leave outside the off stump. Looking at the replay of that run out, Warner has absolutely stuffed Bancroft by setting off and then changing his mind. Proper yes, no, sorry stuff, although you can't imagine Warner said sorry.

0620: This is incredible. Completely different since the resumption. Broad has Warner on toast here, swinging one into his pads and then darting one past the outside edge.

0617: WICKET! As in Adelaide seven years ago, it's a run out that gets England on the board. It's a shambles of a thing. Moeen misfields at cover, and non-striker Bancroft thinks there's a single. Warner sends him back, but too late. Woakes picks up the loose ball and throws down the stumps. Big dive from Bancroft, but it can't save him.

0612: Players heading back out. England already out to 9/2 after utterly wasting the new ball in that shortened first session. They now have to bowl with a damp pink lump for the rest of the day, and it's no more than they deserve. Australia now 8/15 for a win that all but secures the Ashes in swift time. Warner a 5/2 Price Boost to top-score for the Aussies in this innings.

0610: They will play until midday UK time now, which is 10.30pm in Adelaide. England players in very real danger of breaking curfew...

0555: Play will restart at 0615, as long as we get no more rain. Meanwhile, on BT Sport, England are 516-4 here seven years ago. Those were the days. The next interval - no idea what to call it - will now be at 0840. We'll get 83 overs today, if there are no further interruptions, so that's another backfire for England whose bowl-first plan would have been partly built around 10 overs with the new ball under lights later. Flip side of that is that they will get longer at Australia under those lights, albeit with the older ball.

0530: TEA: Australia 33-0 (13.5 overs)
Tea/dinner/whatever you want to call it. It's been taken. This was due to be the shorter of the two intervals, but that may not be the case now. Covers still on.

0520: There was some movement out in the middle a few minutes ago. But no sooner were the covers being rolled off than the rain returned. Could be a reasonable delay here now.

0504: Meanwhile, over in Wellington, Golin de Grandhomme has made his first Test century for New Zealand. It's taken him 71 balls...

0440: And here comes the rain again.

0434: Broad induces a false shot from Warner, caught in two minds over whether to leave or play and ending up doing neither. The ball bounces away to slip off a bat withdrawn too late.

0431: Too full from Woakes and Warner drives him for four. But England have to be willing to risk that. Too full is far better than too short.

0430: Players back out there. Here's hoping England have had a chat and decided to stop being awful. It's now 368 balls since they last took a wicket.

0415: A heavy rain flurry arrives and sends the players scurrying for the rooms. Joe Root might wish he could have a do-over on the toss.

0406: A rare full delivery from Anderson goes past Warner's tentative defensive prod. Maybe the penny will drop.

0403: This is awful from England. Chris Woakes' first over features three back-foot clips into the legside from Warner. Each brings him two easy runs.

0358: Slowly but surely Anderson is nudging his length fuller, but without wishing to sound the alarm so early in the morning, it may already be too late.

0345: Better over from Broad, better length.

0340: First boundary. Short and wide from Anderson allows Warner to cut, and the absence of deep point means it's four rather than one. Anderson bowling too short here. England cannot waste the new ball here, and Anderson has tossed two overs away already here.

0333: Not the best first over from Anderson. Generally too short, but the one ball he does get up there goes past Warner's tentative drive. No deep point from ball one for Warner this time, unlike in Brisbane.

0329: Very windy out there. Blowing straight across the pitch. Bancroft off the mark with a quick single first ball.

0328: The anthems and such all out of the way. David Warner and massive-headed Cameron Bancroft are out in the middle. James Anderson has the pink ball in hand.

0320: England are 5/2 with Sky Bet for a series-levelling victory after winning the toss, but Australia are the 4/6 favourites to take a huge stride towards regaining the Ashes by making it 2-0 ahead of a trip to the WACA. Joe Root and Steve Smith both to score centuries in the match is an 8/1 Price Boost. Check out all the latest odds and Price Boosts here.

0310: Here's Paul Collingwood on the pink ball in one of his exclusive Sporting Life Ashes Diaries...

0308: Root is the first captain to win the toss and choose to bowl since India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin in 1992. Australia were 145 all out on day one... and went on to win by 38 runs.

0304: Root: "I think it's the attacking option on this wicket." Bowling first in the Ashes does have a... mixed recent history. Will this be Brisbane 2002, or Melbourne 2010?

0300: England win the toss and bowl first on a "fresh pitch" that Joe Root thinks gives his side a good chance for 10 wickets. Moeen Ali is okay to bowl, Overton in for Ball. Australia unchanged.

Steve Smith absolutely delighted to be batting first. At least he's not actually laughing at England just yet...

0250: Overton marking his run, so think we can assume he's in.

0245: The latest instalment of our exclusive Paul Collingwood Video Diaries is required viewing ahead of the kick-off here. Colly has his say on Jonny Bairstow's unorthodox methods of greeting and the Ben Stokes Situation, as well as thoughts on both the Brisbane defeat and this Test.

0240: As well as the betting preview, we've also got a 50/1 RequestABet with Sky Bet. It's a nice price if you fancy something to lob a bit of small change at.

0230 GMT: Welcome to our live coverage of the second Ashes Test. It's a momentous occasion; the first day-night men's Ashes Test. It's sure to be a beautiful spectacle at one of the sport's best-looking grounds. More importantly, with the dreaded WACA up next and already 1-0 down, we're surely already in must-win territory for England.

They really do have every chance, though, for the reasons outlined here in the betting preview. England really can't complain about the conditions they've faced in these first two games - got to make it pay this time.

As for the team news, we expect Australia to be unchanged while England have named a 12-man squad with all the morning buzz suggesting Craig Overton comes in for a debut in place of Jake Ball, who really struggled in Brisbane.

There are concerns about Moeen Ali's ability to bowl with a damaged index finger, but no Mason Crane in the 12 means Ali plays as a specialist batsman if necessary. If he can't bowl, that presumably means we'll see a bit more of the skipper with ball in hand - he was England's third-best bowler in Brisbane - and raises the tantalising prospect of some Dawid Malan leg-spin. Life is good.