Mitchell Marsh has not looked threatening with the ball in the two matches he has played in this series but he does have a career best 4-61 on this ground.

He is persisting with this wacky field but Cook once again pierces the line of five men on the off side.

Now a single to Woakes and that takes England level with Australia's first innings score! The visiting fans are on their feet applauding.

Image source, Getty Images

Alastair Cook has now passed West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul to go seventh in the rankings for most career Test runs.

Brian Lara (above) is the next man in Cook's sights...

1. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) - 15,921
2. Ricky Ponting (Aus) - 13,378
3. Jacques Kallis (SA) - 13,289
4. Rahul Dravid (Ind) - 13,288
5. Kumar Sangakkara (SL) - 12,400
6. Brian Lara (WI) - 11,953
7. Alastair Cook (Eng) - 11,872

A brief hint of danger as the Australians appeal for a bat-pad catch off Cook but that was nowhere near the bat. Cook takes a single and now England are just the two runs behind. Michael Atherton was the last England player to carry his bat. Just saying.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport in Melbourne

Steve Smith is going through the plans for Alastair Cook. When Pat Cummins was on, we had six men on the leg side. It almost worked, too. After the dropped catch, Cummins was replaced by Mitch Marsh, and now we have seven on the off side, with five catchers.

Good news for Chris Woakes. His tortuous attempt to see out a short-ball barrage from Pat Cummins is over for now. Cummins is replaced by the significantly slower Mitchell Marsh.

This is a bizarre field Marsh has to Cook. He has no slips and five fielders between gully and extra cover, relatively close in. He's bowling for a misplaced cut shot from Cook but the England batsman manages to hit the ball right between two of those fielders for a single.

And now Alastair Cook is the seventh highest Test run scorer as a couple takes him to 11869 runs and above Chanderpaul. He has been dropped twice but this has been an crucial innings from Cook. He has taken England to the brink of parity.

Tom Hague: To all the Moeen doubters - if you drop him who exactly are you going to pick instead to bat 7 and bowl spin? Woakes can't bat there.

And that drop brings to an end an extremely eventful first hour of this afternoon session.

The players pause for a drink. The single Cook took on that drop from Smith takes him one run behind Shiv Chanderpaul in seventh in the all-time Test run scorers list.

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

Cook absolutely middled that. Smith is still down on the ground, he can't believe he's dropped Cook again.

Image source, PA

Another big moment! Steve Smith drops Alastair Cook for the second time in the innings! Cook nails a bouncer low to Smith's right at square leg and Smith goes one-handed but the ball hits his wrist and then the turf. Smith can't believe it. He looks gutted.

Earlier in that over, Chris Woakes got away with another and I'm not sure how. Another short ball from Pat Cummins and Woakes looks all at sea and just pops the ball in the air. Luckily it carries over the short leg fielder but not as far as the mid-wicket fielder.

Image source, Getty Images

Joe Kennard: Shame for Moeen - if he had gone on to make 50 people would be saying it was a brilliant innings. A few months ago he got us a hat-trick and was a match winner. Instead of just saying drop him why not support the guy back into form? He's becoming the scapegoat for the series.

I still feel England need to be looking at 400 as an absolute minimum here. They need Chris Woakes to stick around. Nathan Lyon has three wickets in this innings even though the ball has hardly spun an inch. Even when he is not taking wickets he is restricting the scoring and bowls his fifth maiden.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

If England's tail are ever going to bat, they've got to bat on this because it's so slow. It shouldn't be fearsome at all.

Nasty from Pat Cummins. Chris Woakes knows the short stuff is coming. It is just a matter of whether he can deal with it. This latest bouncer stays a little low and Woakes ducks but the ball still nearly clatters into his helmet.

That's wise. A single to Woakes gets him off strike but now Cook is in a spot of bother. A big appeal from behind the stumps after Pat Cummins hits him on the pad but that looked to be sliding down. Australia decide against a review.

Alastair Cook now has 11 scores of 150-plus in Test cricket, the most by an England batsman. Wally Hammond, Len Hutton and Kevin Pietersen all have 10.

Alastair Cook isn't going to suddenly go crazy and start charging down the wicket like Moeen. He stays on the crease, patting the ball back to Nathan Lyon before hitting a firmer drive and collecting a single. Chris Woakes adds another to get off the mark.

Nick: For a player with five Test centuries (third most in the side) that was a pathetic innings from Moeen. His position in the side for Sydney is untenable.

Matt Roberts: That innings was one of pure desperation & low confidence from Mo. Utterly inappropriate. What a stinker of a series he’s had.

Chris Ingram: What on earth have I just seen? Moeen batting like a no. 11. Possibly the worst innings from a no. 7 I've ever seen. Yet another self inflicted collapse. Incapable of basic concentration. (Cook excepted).

This pitch is far slower than those in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth which should help the England lower order. In theory they shouldn't be blown away as they have been.

Pat Cummins is persisting with the short stuff to Chris Woakes but the England number eight is able to sway out of the way.

A pre-warning to Moeen Ali's family if you're reading. England cricket fans are not impressed...