Australia have begun on a positive note in reply to England’s 334 as Jake Weatherald scoring his maiden Test fifty and is still there batting. Marnus Labuschagne is giving him good company from the other end and the duo have added 50+ runs in no time after the openers put on 77 for the first wicket. England added 9 runs to their overnight score before being bowled out for 334. Travis Head fell for 33 to Brendan Doggett thanks to Marnus Labuschagne’s screamer in the deep.
The match is nicely poised and could go either way at the first interval which is the Tea Break in this Test match. Important session coming up for both teams after this break.
England bowled out for 334; Australian openers make a solid start
Joe Root and Jofra Archer resumed proceedings for England while Brendan Doggett had ball in hand for Australia. Doggett bowled a decent first over. Mitchell Starc had ball in hand from the other end as Archer showed his class by getting underneath it and smashed it through extra covers for a boundary. Doggett continued and removed Archer for 38 off 36 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name as Marnus Labuschagne pulled off a stunner to take the catch out of thin air as England were bowled out for 334 in 76.2 overs with Root remaining unbeaten on 138 off 206 balls.
Mitchell Starc finished with 6/75 in 20 overs while Michael Neser, Scott Boland, and Brendan Doggett got a wicket each while Ben Stokes was run out as England ended with a decent score on the board.
It was time for Australia to come out to bat as Travis Head and Jake Weatherald came out to bat for Australia while Jofra Archer had ball in hand for England. Archer started with a maiden. Gus Atkinson had ball in hand from the other end and he too bowled a maiden. Archer followed it up with another maiden. Atkinson continued as Weatherald broke the shackles by slicing it to backward point for a boundary. Weatherald managed to get an edge and got the top edge over the keeper for a boundary.
Archer continued and gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side as a bonus. Atkinson continued and bowled a decent over. Archer bowled another probing over. Weatherald drove Atkinson to the right of mid-off for a boundary. Weatherald punished the bowler as he picked it up and whipped it away to midwicket for a boundary. Weatherald then crouched and drove it to the left of backward point for a boundary.
Archer continued and Head got a lifeline as he got the outside edge to Jamie Smith who put down a sitter. Weatherald threw his hands at the ball and slashed it away through thick outside edge to the gully region. Brydon Carse came into the attack next. Head lofted Carse over backward point for a boundary. Then he slashed Carse over deep backward point for the maximum. Head got a triple as the 50 came up for Australia in 10 overs and of the partnership.
Captain Ben Stokes brought himself into the attack. Head got a triple first ball. Weatherald hit Stokes by going back and across and slapped it to the backward point and gully region for a boundary. Australia reached 57/0 in 11 overs with Weatherald on 33* off 33 balls while Travis Head was on 20* off 33 balls when we all paused for the Drinks Break.
Travis Head falls but Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne drive Australia forward with aggressive batting
Brydon Carse continued after the Break as Weatherald took him on by ramping over the slip cordon for the maximum. Ben Stokes continued as Head drove him straight down the ground for a boundary. Head got a ball on the pads and whipped it over midwicket for a boundary. Against the run of play, Carse got rid of Head for 33 off 43 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name as Head looked to whip it away and the leading edge went to Atkinson who stepped back and took the catch.
Marnus Labuschagne came out to bat next. Stokes continued and overstepped as well. Carse continued as Labuschagne hit his first boundary by waiting for it and got on top of the bounce and cut it between backward point and gully for a boundary. Stokes continued and overstepped. Labuschagne drove him past mid-on for a boundary. Carse continued as Weatherald tucked it away to the fine leg region for a boundary. Weatherald nailed the upper cut off Carse to fly it away between gully and deep backward point for a boundary. The 100 came up for Australia in 17.2 overs.
Weatherald got to his maiden Test match fifty off just 45 balls. Labuschagne got hold of Carse by hitting him for consecutive boundaries by pulling through square leg and then bisected it through the covers for a boundary. Stokes continued and bowled a decent over. Will Jacks came into the attack next and started by giving away 4 byes. Weatherald then got a ball sprayed down the leg side and tickled past the keeper for a boundary. Labuschagne got into the act as well as he charged down the track to drive it back past the bowler past mid-on for a boundary.
Ben Stokes bowled the last over before Tea. The 50-run stand came up between the two players Weatherald and Labuschagne. Labuschagne got a double to end the session as Australia went into Tea on Day 2 at 130/1 in 21 overs with Weatherald batting on 59* off 56 balls with 10 fours and one six to his name while Marnus Labuschagne batting on 27* off 29 balls with 5 fours to his name. 11 extras given by the fielding side so far.
It was a testing phase for the England bowlers with Brydon Carse getting a wicket to his name as he has figures of 1/45 in 5 overs. Jofra Archer bowled a great first spell but was unlucky not to have a wicket as he has figures of 0/9 in 5 overs. Gus Atkinson gave away 23 runs in 4 overs. Ben Stokes’ 6 overs went for 35 runs while Will Jacks only over went for 9 runs. Australia trail by 204 runs with 9 wickets in hand.
What Lies Ahead In 2nd Session
Australia have begun well in pursuit of England’s 334 as they have raced to 130/1 in 21 overs. Travis Head has been dismissed but Weatherald and Labuschagne are looking good out there. Australia will aim to keep on going and solidify their position while England will hope this break serves them good and brings them wickets and a control in run rate.
An intriguing second session awaits us all and the match is nicely poised at this stage with no team on top at this stage.
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