Key events
Stumps report
James Wallace
Ali Martin’s report from Adelaide Oval is here:
Here’s how to orchestrate an Ashes comeback.
The controversy:
And Barney with the day one analysis on Jofra Archer:
That’s my cue to get out of here, thanks for your company and comments on what turned out to be an absorbing if lackadaisical day of cricket.
BIG DAY TOMORROW!
Goodbye.
Stumps: Australia 326-8
That’s yer lot. An absorbing and hot day of cricket comes to a close in Adelaide. Australia played a series of poor shots to keep gifting England wickets, immediately after lunch the hosts were 94 for 4. Khawaja and Carey dug in for Australia with the latter going to an emotional century on his home ground.
Australia won the toss and won’t have counted on losing eight wickets on a belter of a wicket. England picked them up with a mixture of luck and design, their Ashes series hinges on whether they can knock over the tail sharply in the morning and put in a performance with the bat on what promises to be a scorcher in more ways than one.
Jofra Archer led the England attack with 3 for 29, he was by far the most potent and miserly of the bowling attack. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue were patchy but kept going in the heat and Will Jacks had little control and got milked for a ton but also claimed two wickets. Both sides not performing at their best on day one, it is tantalisingly poised for day two.
83rd over: Australia 322-8 (Starc 33, Lyon 0)
82nd over: Australia 322-8 (Starc 33, Lyon 0) Archer comes back for a one over burst before the close. After five dots Starc clips neatly off his pads for four! One over left in the day, you’d think England will be the happier of the two sides but they will need to bat to stay in the series tomorrow.
81st over: Australia 322-8 (Starc 29, Lyon 0) England take the new ball and Ben Stokes starts with a maiden. Stokes is vey full but there is no sign of early swing.
80th over: Australia 322-8 (Starc 29, Lyon 0) Will Jacks stitches together just his third maiden of the day. He has popped up with two wickets.
79th over: Australia 322-8 (Starc 29, Lyon 0) Interestingly, former international umpire Simon Taufel has been on Channel 7, he believes that earlier caught behind off Carey was out and it was a possible technology failure. Less of a murmur and more of a rumble with this one. Carey was on on 72 and Australia 245-6.
78th over: Australia 321-8 (Starc 28, Lyon 0) Nathan Lyon is the new batter, he’ll be interested in the turn and bounce on offer in that Carey dismissal but has a job to do with the blade first.
WICKET! Alex Carey c Smith b Jacks 106 (Australia 321-8)
Carey is gone! A big moment in the game as England were wilting… Jacks gets some turn and bounce and Carey hacks across the line, a top edge ending up in Jamie Smith’s gloves. Top innings from Alex Carey who departs to a standing ovation.
77th over: Australia 321-7 (Carey 105, Starc 27) The fifty partnership comes up between Starc and Carey, in just 10.5 overs. BIG TWENTY MINUTES INCOMING.
76th over: Australia 319-7 (Carey 105, Starc 27) Jacks is worked for four runs. 56,298 in the ground today – the highest ever attendance for a day’s cricket at Adelaide Oval. They are so lucky to have seen Will Jacks bowl. Ahem.
75th over: Australia 315-7 (Carey 103, Starc 25) Stokes to Starc, a thick edge flies wide of the solitary slip and away for four. A dangerous period before the close here for England, if Australia put on another 30 odd and this pair are unbeaten overnight then the day takes on a different hue.
74th over: Australia 311-7 (Carey 103, Starc 21) Will Jacks is back on. He goes to a hundred of a different kind with sarcastic cheers greeting his expensive shipping of three figures.
73rd over: Australia 307-7 (Carey 101, Starc 19) Alex Carey goes to his third Test century and the first on his home ground! He removes his helmet and looks to the skies, he looks very emotional, understandable given the occasion and after the events this week in Australia. His father passed away in September too. He’s a lovely player and top bloke to boot, well done that man.
“Morning James, morning everyone.” Back at you Guy Hornsby.
“It’s cold and damp in South Manchester but waking up to 280-7 doesn’t feel nearly as bad as I expected, but then I can imagine some pretty bleak things, having grown up watching cricket in the 90s. I suspect that Australia will not be happy having lost 7 wickets, but this left-handed pair could easily add another 50-70 so England have to keep probing here. I just want a contest where England don’t slash their wickets away, is that too much to ask?”
It’s the time of year for Miracles innit?
72nd over: Australia 302-7 (Carey 97, Starc 18) Starc aims a swipe at Carse and clears the infield to pick up two. Shadows stretching across the outfield at Adelaide Oval. Three hundred up for Australia and Carey nearly has one of those to himself.
71st over: Australia 296-7 (Carey 96, Starc 14) Stokes brings himself back on in place of Tongue. Just two runs off the over as Carey inches closer to a ton. The debate about whether he nicked off earlier on is still raging. On Channel 7 in Australia, Hayden and Ponting reckon Carey edged it and the snicko wasn’t lined up correctly.
70th over: Australia 294-7 (Carey 95, Starc 13) Bish and bosh! Starc clears the front leg and deposits Carse over cover for four and then follows up with a meatier and more balances strike down the ground for another boundary. The new ball is ten overs away, England would dearly love to not have to use it.
69th over: Australia 284-7 (Carey 94, Starc 4) Carey pinches a single off the final ball of Tongue’s over to keep strike for the next. Remember, Mitchell Starc top scored for Australia at the Gabba. This batting effort is far from over with him and Carey still out there.
68th over: Australia 282-7 (Carey 93, Starc 3) Carey careers into the 90s by slapping Carse wide of mid on for four. He’s in a hurry, and nearly plinks a catch next ball to the outstretched hand of Crawley at midwicket, the ball just plooping over the King of Clapham’s regal hand.
67th over: Australia 274-7 (Carey 86, Starc 2) Tongue goes short with the field set appropriately. Not sure about this as a tactic, why not target the pads and stumps? I know nuthin, obvs. Starc clips for two to get off the mark.
66th over: Australia 271-7 (Carey 85, Starc 0) Starc survives his first ball from Carse.
WICKET! Pat Cummins c Pope b Carse 13 (Australia 271-7)
Cummins is caught at short leg off Carse! The Aussie skipper reviewed straight away suggesting he was confident he hadn’t actually hit it but the snicko reveals a spike and the replays show a deflection. Australia are seven down and Starc comes out to join Carey. Do not adjust your set.
65th over: Australia 269-6 (Carey 85, Cummins 11) Cummins shows his class with the bat by tucking Tongue away for four off his pads.
Mike Selvey, formerly of this very parish, is tuned in and has a revelation for those who were enjoying some Eddie and the Hot Rods riffing earlier!
“Morning. Just joined and scrolled to the chat at start of play. So trivia. My erstwhile next door neighbour and friend managed Eddie and the Hot Rods. He also managed Manfred Mann, Uriah Heep ( ever so ‘ eavy ,ever so ‘ umble ) and the Blues Band. I worked for him one winter and met a few musicians. Alexis Korner the most memorable.”
64th over: Australia 262-6 (Carey 84, Cummins 5) Gah! Jacks is cut for four by Cummins and then plonked into the stands at long on by Carey! SIX! Twelve off the over and Jim Maxwell is particularly scathing about Will Jacks on the BBC’s TMS commentary. In fact he’s positively apoplectic.
“Fred Titmus would be turning in his grave watching this… this bloke would be dropped from the seconds to thirds in Sydney grade cricket.”
63rd over: Australia 250-6 (Carey 77, Cummins 0) Drama as England think they have Carey caught behind! Tongue and the keeper and cordon go up as one and there is a noise… the umpire says not out but England send it upstairs immediately. NOT OUT! What was it then? The snicko doesn’t sync up with the a large spike appearing before the ball passes Carey’s bat. Have England been duped by the old clicky bat handle or is the snicko not fit for purpose? This one will rumble.
62nd over: Australia 245-6 (Carey 72, Cummins 0) Jacks continues and keeps the scoring to a single. Here comes Tongue with the bit between his teeth. Me either. It’s early.
61st over: Australia 244-6 (Carey 71, Cummins 0) Fair to say Big Patty C wouldn’t have wanted to be strapping the pads on after winning the toss earlier today. Tongue fires his first delivery to the Aussie skipper down the leg side. Hmmm. I’m saying nothing.
WICKET! Josh Inglis b Tongue 32 (Australia 244-6)
Tongue does strike! He hurries the ball onto Inglis and the batter is caught in two minds, an under edge splattering the stumps. Is Josh Tongue about get his infamous mop out? Here comes Pat Cummins, he won’t have had a bat in the middle for quite some time. England have a moment here…
60th over: Australia 238-5 (Carey 71, Inglis 26) Carey rocks back and bunts Jacks for four through the leg side! Archer is going to have a blow and Josh Tongue is coming on for a bowl, England need something from his golden arm in order to break this burgeoning partnership.
59th over: Australia 231-5 (Carey 66, Inglis 24) Archer spears down his fifth maiden. Might be time to see if Root can do a better job than Jacks with his no nonsense tweakers.
58th over: Australia 231-5 (Carey 66, Inglis 24) Jacks is slapped by Inglis for four. This is a problem for England, Jacks isn’t giving them any control and it means Australia can bat out Archer and collect runs at will the next over.
57th over: Australia 226-5 (Carey 65, Inglis 20) Archer continues to look threatening, a sharp bouncer nearly cleans up Carey but he manages to glove it safe.
56th over: Australia 222-5 (Carey 62, Inglis 19) Jacks continues to leak runs, Carey collects a brace of twos and then larrups a short ball to the midwicket fence for four. Close! Carey loses his shape trying to cart another short ball from Jacks and he completely misses it, the ball narrowly missing the stumps and the outside edge.
