Live Report - Head drives Australia forward after England dismissed for 384
By Vithushan EhantharajahStumps - Australia 166 for 2, trail by 218
Day Two ends with a delivery from Ben Stokes rearing up and catching the right forearm of Michael Neser.
He is in immense pain, tossing his bat away on the pitch, before staggering over to square leg and doing the same with his helmet and gloves. As he is tended to by the Cricket Australia physiotherapist, the heavens open and the umpires decide, you know what, let's knock this on the head.
A strange day for England, won they might have felt in control of at various points but ends with them in mild disarray in Australia's first innings. The hosts were wayward with the ball in parts, but the touring generosity prevailed to cap England's innings at 384.
It looked like something to work with at the time, with Joe Root's second century in Australia - and first against the red ball - a nice story to affix to it. Now that score looks about 150 light through some truly awful bowling.
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Which will come first?
The call for bad light? Or... Travis Head's century?
He's got 10 runs to go but is currently off strike with Michael Neser doing the right night watcher thing and hogging the strike. There is technically 10 minutes to go until stumps.
So... does Head go for the 10 with that little strike he gets? He's about to face up now to Josh Tongue from the Randwick End... and takes a single off the very first ball.
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Finally, some good food... Australia 162 for 2
Some enjoyable niggle closing our day two for us here at the SCG.
At the end of Ben Stokes' previous over, he and Marnus Labuschagne exchanged plenty of words, with England's captain clearly telling Labuschagne to, erm, keep quiet.
The back and forth ended with Stokes putting his arm around the batter and then breaking off. And now, with a single ball left in Stokes' next over, Labuschagne is on strike... and caught at gully!
He's thrown that away, just from getting a little rattled. 48 and done when there was a century out there for him... Michael Neser comes out as the nightwatcher.
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Trav does a Steve 2019
Travis Head has ticked over 500 runs for the series, becoming the first place since Steven Smith in 2019 to clear that milestone in an Ashes.
For the third time in the last two months, he has given England's bowlers - and, by proxy, Stokes, the run around. The fields are spread, with men out at deep midwicket, backward square leg and backward point. And yet Head is still finding boundaries with his signature cuts and clouts down the ground.
That being said, England have bowled appallingly. Their lengths have been all over the place, hence why the field is constantly being taken out of the equation. They look totally devoid of any impetus or ambition, which is pretty galling given how much they were controlling the game when they were batting.
It's hard not to feel for Matthew Potts. In his first Ashes Test, at the dregs of this tour having been here for two months, he is getting ransacked. A boundary through cover off the last ball of his seventh over brings him to 0 for 58...
Meanwhile, the official word from an England spokesperson is Joe Root "has some discomfort with his back" and is unlikely to return today.
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Head fifty as Root leaves field with back complaint
It's that man again. Travis Head thumps Brydon Carse through cover for his ninth boundary in 55 balls to bring up his half-century.
That's now a third fifty-plus score for Head in the series, with both the previous ones converted to centuries. The 2025-26 leading run scorer has looked his usual free and easy self, barring a misjudgment on his 54th delivery which sent a thick edge beyond the acrobatic dive of Jacob Bethell at gully.
Runs are coming pretty steady for him and Marnus Labuscagne. And more bad news for England is Joe Root seems to have suffered a back spasm, running off the field after picking up the issue in the cordon at the end of the 14th over.
We're awaiting official confirmation as to its severity and whether he was playing golf with Usman Khawaja. Root turned 35 six days ago.
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Weatherald LBW Stokes 21 - Australia 57 for 1, trail by 327
The breakthrough and, yep, it's Ben Stokes.
In his second over from the Paddington End, replacing Brydon Carse, Stokes has curved one into the shin of Jake Weatherald from around the wicket. Not for the first time, the left-hander is falling over himself to the off side.
The umpire deliberated and put the finger up, DRS eventually confirming a very correct, three-red decision. After reprieves on 9 and 14, Weatherald is dismissed for, well his series average. which is now 20.87 from nine innings. Four of his eight dismissals have been leg before.
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Potts hooked for Tongue
25 runs from Potts' first 3 overs
This might rank as one of England's loosest opening spells.
Australia were 77 for 0 after 10 overs of their first innings of the Brisbane Test, which was pretty bad, and made worse by Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes as the change quicks. But this right here is poorer given it has been clear throughout England's first innings that the new ball works best, on a specific line and length.
Matthew Potts has been the worst of them, his three overs getting carted about and seeing him replaced immediately on Ashes debut for Josh Tongue. What joy he had was short-lived - an edged cut from Jake Weatherald stinging the fingertips of Joe Root at first slip as good as it really got.
It was a tough chance to remove Weatherald on 9, but he should have been walking on 14 when the left-hander struck a short ball to Ben Duckett at square leg. Duckett inexplicably spilled the catch, leading to cheers around the ground and the realisation that this could be a long final session for England. It was Duckett's third drop of the series, meaning he's shelled more than he has taken (2).
At 50 for no loss after 10 overs, Ben Stokes has decided enough is enough and brought himself on. He constantly refutes the suggestion that he should just open the bowling. And here he is again, taking a newish ball when those up top have struggled.
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Clarke: “We can't afford to lose spin out of any format"
Michael Clarke has urged Australian cricket to guard against a diminishing role for spin after the home side went into the SCG Test without a frontline spinner for the first time in 138 years.
For the second match in a row, Australia couldn’t find a spot for Todd Murphy in the XI following Nathan Lyon’s series-ending hamstring injury. Captain Steven Smith said it was something he hated doing but that the nature of pitches forced their hand.
Clarke, the former Australia captain, said pitches across both Test and domestic Sheffield Shield cricket needed to be addressed after a significant shift towards seam-bowler dominated outcomes.
“We can't afford to lose spin out of any format of the game,” Clarke said on the day he was inducted into the New South Wales Hall of Fame. “I was always a fan of a spin bowler in my team, in any format. Certainly, in a Test match, you're not picking a team for just your first innings and I think spin bowling can be used not just to bowl spin. It can be [about] changing the momentum of the game, it can quicken something up, slow something down, make a batter make different decisions.
“You always want to see the production [line] of cricket continue to grow,” Clarke added. “I want to see young boys and girls wanting to be a batter; I want to see young boys and girls want to bowl lightning fast; I want to see young boys and girls want to bowl spin. Australian cricket has always been the shop front window. So that shop front window needs to show the young boys and girls what to buy.
“But you've also got to have surfaces for them [spinners]. I feel like our wickets in Sheffield Shield cricket and Test cricket in the last few years have been very tough for batting, which in essence means spinners are probably not bowling enough overs, or bowling in a different way because you're not seeing as much spin. Can we have another era of legspin bowling coming back? I'd love that. I think spin is a big part of our game.”
Lyon’s injury, picked up on the final day in Adelaide, was his second serious one in two-and-a-half years after the calf strain that ended his 2023 Ashes. However Clarke, who was Lyon's first captain in Test cricket, had confidence he would return. “I think Lyon has still got a lot of cricket in him,” he said. “I know he still wants to play and I think he'll get through.”
Spin featured in just 5 out of the 97.3 overs in England's first innings; four from Travis Head, and one from Beau Webster.
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England 384 all out!
Superb from Michael Neser. His returning spell has led to a quick kill of England's tail and scuppered any hopes of making it to 400.
The 35-year-old's 3.3 overs from the Randwick End read 3 for 5, the middle one the most impressive with Joe Root, on 160, fending a rising short ball that Neser scampered across to pluck with a full dive, a matter of inches from the ground.
It was Neser's third caught and bowled of the series, two of them coming in England's second innings capitulation under lights in Brisbane. Today was not quite as bad - at times, the tourists have controlled the game well. But after losing Harry Brook and Ben Stokes in the space of 10 balls in the morning, the manner of Jamie Smith's dismissal and the final collapse of 4 for 9, they are well short of where they should have been.
Nevertheless, this may be a decent score. We will find out after tea. In the meanwhile, a lack of red ink means Root's average in Australia dips back below 40...
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Neser gets Jacks! England 375 for 7
Michael Neser strikes in his first over back into the attack.
The second new ball's prouder seam has been doing the business in the previous 11 overs, and Will Jacks spent a lot of that time nodding respectfully when all of Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Cameron Green took turns to beat his edge.
Neser, however, finds a thick enough chunk of it, Green taking a smart catch relatively low to his right at gully.
Jacks had been pretty steady for his 27 in a stand of 52 with Root. Far more sensinble than Jacks and quietly accumulating in this tougher afternoon period. It had looked like he was just getting through the tough bits before the dismissal.
And Brydon Carse does not last much longer, dismissed for 1 off 6 deliveries as Green gets a precious wicket in his column, striking with the first ball of his 17th over. The previous 16 had gone for 83. Root remains unbeaten on 159*...
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Root moves to 150 - England 370 for 6
A single out to deep point and Joe Root has 150 from 226 deliveries.
It's his 17th score of 150 or more. Only Tendulkar, Lara, Sangakkara and Bradman have more.
That is one hell of a top five to sit in. Four more between now and the end of his career will take him to the summit.
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"He's coming for you..."
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New ball taken - England 347 for 6
Unsurprisingly, Australia have taken the new ball immediately and handed it to Mitchell Starc.
There is immediate movement on offer for Starc, and Joe Root does well to dig out an inswinging yorker, tailing in towards middle and off. Will Jacks, meanwhile, has calmly negotiated Scott Boland's advances from the Randwick End.
This is a key juncture in the Test for lots of reasons, but mainly because, judging by Jamie Smith's approach, England might think they are further ahead than they are. You can understand that to a point.
As Andrew McGlashan mentioned earlier, the two Sheffield Shield games here has seen the surface shift dramatically: "The team batting first in each game made 382 and 471 for 7 dec, then no other innings passed 171. Steve Smith referenced the cracks yesterday - they may already be coming into play."
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Lunch - England 336 for 6
A truly bizarre session comes to an end in which Joe Root's 41st Test hundred - and first against the red ball in Australia - along with Australia's opening spell were the only bits of actual quality. The rest, well, it's all been a bit gaff.
Elongated to two-and-a-half hours because of yesterday's early finish, it began sharply enough for England before they lost 3 for 2 inside 20 deliveries; Harry Brook missing out on a century, Ben Stokes unable to get off the mark in 11 deliveries for his first duck of the series.
Australia bowled well up front, with Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc setting the tone, and could have had more rewards. Had Cameron Green not overstepped, or had Beau Webster and Alex Carey not let an edge off the next delivery past between them, they have pocketed Jamie Smith for 22 and had more time to chip away through to lunch.
In the end, Smith was able to continue his good fortune with a stand of 98 with Root before throwing it all away with a truly awful shot to Marnus Labuschagne. Root remains 138 not out, but England should be further in front.
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Marnus with the breakthrough! England 323 for 6
Huge congratulations to Jamie Smith. In a crowded field, he has risen highest (lowest?) to seal the award for worst shot of the Ashes.
Maybe ever, you know. Because with England steady on 320 for 5, five overs to go to the second new ball, Australia were bowling Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne in tandem.
That Labuschagne was bowling pace was as much of an inditement of Australia's selection as leaning on Head for the first bit of spin of the match. How can a five-man seam attack rely upon a bloke who sends down nibbles for a joke?
Well, it worked. A rank delivery into the pitch - not just short, but wide too - was clothed by Smith to not just extra cover, but deep extra cover. Smith had backed away, presumably trying to access the leg side.
Why though? Only Smith will know. Having got two lives on 22 - dismissed off a no ball, then edging between keeper and slip with the very next delivery - he has wasted a golden opportunity on a flat deck. He might have also played his penultimate Test innings for some time.
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Converting convert
From Sampath Bandarupalli:
This is the first time Joe Root has converted five consecutive fifty-plus scores into hundreds in Tests. This streak started since the unbeaten 53 against India in the fourth innings at Leeds last year. He had previously converted four in a row - in 2022 and 2024.
England's record for most consecutive 50s converted into 100s in Tests is six each by Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook. Root's current run of conversation is the best for England since Cook's streak of six between 2012 and 2013.
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Most Test centuries for England...
- 41 - Joe Root
- 33 - Alastair Cook
- 24 - Joe Root since 2020
- 23 - Kevin Pietersen
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The worst bit?
In an Ashes with lots of bad cricket, these two deliveries, from Cameron Green to Jamie Smith, might be the worst:
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Jamie Smith, keen to strike boundaries from the off and, as a result, enjoying plenty of of luck, gets a bucketload at the start of Cameron Green's 11th over. A floater gets drilled straight into the hands of cover... but the television umpire to show that Green had overstepped.
How you overstep with size 14s is beyond me. But Green dusts himself off and comes in again only for Smith to dash at a length delivery outside off stump. The edge is pure, catchable and... left between keeper and first slip!
There is some disagreement in the SCG press box as to whose catch it was - Alex Carey or Beau Webster? Regardless of who ends up taking the blame, it should have been taken.
Smith has had a poor series, coming into this Test averaging 19.85. Can the keeper-batter make the most of his two reprieves on 22?
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Joe Root notches his 2nd century in Australia - 41st overall
A calm drive down the ground, beyond the grasp of Michael Neser diving to his left in his follow-through, brought Joe Root a second hundred in Australia. He is also the fourth England batter this century to register multiple hundreds in an overseas Ashes after Vaughan (3 in 02-03), Cook (3 in 10-11) and Trott (2 in 10-11)
This one took 146 deliveries, and becomes Root's first against the red ball after breaking his Ashes tour duck on day one of the Day-Night 2nd Test. Barring a dashing play-and-miss off his very first delivery upon arriving to the crease at 51 for 2, he has been crisp and vintage Root.
That he was made to work for the final few runs was a credit to Australia, who have been excellent this morning. After a fine spell from Scott Boland, Neser replaced him from the Randwick End and immediately cause Root trouble.
Having scored 38 runs through the third man region that was supposed to be his undoing, that almost became the case on 94 when an anther attempt to guide ended up skewing over first and second slip. His defense was tested for the rest of the over and he was almost caught out by one that kept a little low to close out the 58th.
Root survived, ticked over once more before celebrating with a few yelps to himself before saluting the ground, offering "the shrug" - his celebration for that first Australian century - momentarily.
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News from the Australia camp
Jhye Richardson has been released from the Australian squad to return to the BBL. Richardson will rejoin the Perth Scorchers for their next match against the Melbourne Renegades on Wednesday.
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Ben Stokes c Carey b Starc 0 - England 229 for 5
It was an absolute shambles from the Snicko operators - television umpire Kumar Dharmasena accidentally asked for UltraEdge - but we have come to the correct decision, as Ben Stokes walks off for a 10-ball duck.
Mitchell Starc did not look all that convinced. It was the cordon, Steve Smith in particular, who implored an appeal that, once struck down, was sent upstairs. After some faffing about - I'm pretty sure I saw the cursor on the big screen here at the SCG as they were working through it - everything lined up properly to show a delivery forcing Stokes to cover the line into off stump and being beaten with steepling bounce off a length, with enough movement to catch the edge.
It is the fifth time Starc has dismissed Stokes in this series - and the 14th overall, taking him above Ravichandran Ashwin's tally of 13 against the England Test captain.
Oh and by the way; both Brook and Stokes have had the indignity of being dismissed before the original scheduled start of 10:30am.
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Immaculate hands
12 No. of catches for Steve Smith this Ashes
Slightly blinded by Alex Carey up to the stumps. Late flashing blade. Scott Boland's familiar nip off the surface. All factors in a difficult chance that Steve Smith made look very easy indeed.
The Australia captain has taken every chance that has come his way. The only blemish being an incredibly tough opportunity against Joe Root in the first innings of the 2nd Test, diving low to his left from second slip.
Having been one of just two (a gully) in the cordon, he now has company for the arrival of Ben Stokes, with Beau Webster slotting into first. Likewise for Root who, is rounding on a second Ashes century after making the most of Smith's miss in Brisbane for his first.
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Standing tallest
England's fourth wicket partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook is now the highest of the series. It has just gone past the 162 Travis Head and Alex Carey put on in Adelaide that took the third Test - and the series - away from the tourists.
That has now been capped at 169! Scott Boland has the breakthrough and it is Brook to go for 84; getting the ball to nip away off the surface, and with the keeper up, Brook reached to guide it beyond the cordon. Unfortunately, he gets it straight to Steve Smith at first slip, who takes an excellent catch.
The younger Yorkshireman was rounding on his highest score against Australia - 85 at the Kia Oval in 2023 - but now has six unconverted Ashes half-centuries.
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Welcome to day two
Hello everyone and welcome to coverage of the second day from the SCG. England in a good position - a case of what might have been for the series - with Joe Root and Harry Brook well set. Can they drive England towards 400? Much of the talk, however, has been around Australia's selection and the lack of a frontline spinner. We've only had 45 overs so far, but it feel as though something was missing from their attack. Can probably only truly judge it at the end of the game, though. A reminder that we have a 10am start today to make up overs. The good news is that the forecast is set fair (and warm) for the rest of the game.
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