Summary

  • Cook 244* - highest score v Australia

  • Smith drops Cook on 66 & 153

  • Cook & Broad (56) add 100 for 9th wkt

  • Root 61, Woakes 26, Bairstow 22

  • Lyon, Hazlewood & Cummins - 3 wkts

  • Australia lead 3-0 in five-Test series

  1. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 04:53 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Text 81111

    Not much room for Moeen once Stokes comes back - unless Root moves to three to fit Moeen in. You’ll have Stokes & Bairstow at six & seven, Woakes at eight which leaves you room for a specialist spinner and two quicks.

    Alex, Clapham

  2. Eng 372-7published at 117 overs

    Cook 181, Curran 4

    Cummins goes short and Cook swivels, knocking it out to the man on the fence for one.

    So Cummins will have another go at Curran - he greets him with the inevitable short ball, but Curran sees it early and easily ducks under.

    Another short one and Curran again ducks under. That should be two for the over - will it be enforced?

    Runs follow - Cummins pitches it up and Curran has his first runs in Test cricket, edging along the ground through a gap in the slips and to the fence.

    Last ball of the over - it's short and Curran ducks under. So that's three for the over. Hmm.

  3. Eng 367-7published at 116 overs

    Lead by 40

    Cook knocks away Bird to point for one.

    Curran slightly dangles his bat at one outside off but then finds the middle on the last, defending nicely.

  4. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 04:45 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    #bbccricket

    Saqlain A Choudry: Woakes gone. Poor shot selection. If we knew Cummins is steaming in to bowl a bouncer, surely he did too...

  5. Eng 366-7published at 04:45 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Here is Tom Curran, batting for the first time in Test cricket. He has a first class average of 17.70, with five fifties.

    The first ball is a bouncer (what else?) and Curran ducks under it.

    Cummins has a word, then a shout, desperately trying to get Curran's attention. The debutant ignores him.

    Watch out for Warner too - he said he was going to have a chirp when Curran batted.

  6. Postpublished at 04:43 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport in Melbourne

    Pat CumminsImage source, EPA

    All of England's batsman have made it to 14. Only two have gone past 26. Wasted starts.

  7. Postpublished at 04:42 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Ebony Rainford-Brent
    Ex-England batter on BBC Test Match Special

    Woakes was through the shot early and tried to readjust. He just ended up getting in a tangle.

  8. wicket

    WICKETpublished at 114.5 overs

    Woakes c Paine b Cummins 26 (Eng 366-7)

    Tame.

    Pat Cummins bangs down a short ball and Chris Woakes goes for the pull shot but miscues - the ball lobbing gently up off his glove and Tim Paine taking probably the easiest catch of his career behind the stumps.

    A scratchy innings comes to a meek end.

    Pat CumminsImage source, Getty Images
  9. How's stat?!published at 04:39 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Andrew Samson
    BBC Test Match Special statistician

    Wally Hammond has the most double hundreds for England with seven. Cook is second with Len Hutton on four.

  10. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 04:38 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    #bbccricket

    Ben Wire: I've been a vocal critic of Cook but, waking to do the night time feed for our newborn, I suffered an involuntary and massive grin when I saw his current total. Well done, Cookie.

  11. Eng 365-6published at 114 overs

    Lead by 38

    Bird lobs it up towards Cook's pads, the customary tuck away and that's two more for the total.

    And again - similar ball, same result.

    Bird adjusts outside off but Cook follows it and drives away for a single before Woakes calmly plays out the rest of the over.

  12. Postpublished at 04:33 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    I'll leave you to mull over those views on Moeen Ali.

    For now, Alastair Cook, Chris Woakes and the Aussies are back out on the field.

    Bird to Cook to start...

  13. Postpublished at 04:32 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Michael Vaughan
    Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    It's interesting to see where England go with Moeen Ali - for the future they have to get a spinner into the team.

    An option would be to put any spinner at number 11 but then Moeen will have to bat in the top six if he's going to get into this Test team. Batting eight, he looks great and it's daunting for an opposing team - but can he do it at five or six?

    For England to get better and better they have to find a spinner.

    Moeen's bowling record is so poor overseas. I don't think he likes being the main spinner. England really need to find the next one.

  14. Postpublished at 04:31 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    But will Moeen Ali be dropped for Sydney? Will Mason Crane replace him as the lead spinner?

    Trouble is, dropping Moeen really disrupts the balance of this side. Who do they bat at seven? That's a place too high for Chris Woakes, surely.

    So do they put another batsman in, perhaps Ben Foakes? But then you lose a bowling option.

  15. Postpublished at 04:28 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Ed Smith
    Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

    Moeen AliImage source, Getty Images

    Moeen Ali's innings has to be assessed in relation to how bad his form really is.

    If we think he's batting OK, then it's a poor innings. If we think he's batting badly, then it's OK.

  16. Postpublished at 04:26 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    So yes, Moeen Ali. Safe to say his ultra-attacking yet short-lived innings of 20 off 14 balls before he was caught in the covers didn't go down well with many people.

    Though, given the rotten form he's been in with the bat this series - getting out meekly and often to Nathan Lyon - was the counter-attack perhaps not the right approach to take?

    Whatever you think, his lack of menace with the ball is a big worry. Here are the stats from his series so far...

    Moeen AliImage source, BBC Sport
  17. Postpublished at 04:21 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Cheers Matt, excellent work. During the tea break, we're going to have a chat about Moeen Ali.

    But first things first - I know the reason the fine for entering the field at the MCG is $9,514.20 and not a round $10k...

    The Victoria State Government set the amount a person is fined for one penalty unit for an offence according to the cost of living each year.

    The current value of one penalty unit is $158.57

    Entering the field of play amounts to 60 penalty units and 60 x 158.57 = 9,514.20

  18. Postpublished at 04:19 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    So that's 96 runs for the loss of two wickets in that session by England. There was plenty of concern when they lost Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, the latter playing an eventful but short-lived innings, but Chris Woakes has ably supported Alastair Cook since drinks.

    Cook meanwhile just keeps on batting.

    That's me done for a little bit. Jack Skelton is refreshed after more Christmas leftovers and will take you though the next period.

  19. Postpublished at 04:18 Greenwich Mean Time 28 December 2017

    Michael Vaughan
    Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    It has been an intriguing session. When Moeen Ali fell you had a feeling that England would get blown away again. But Steve Smith dropped Alastair Cook and England started to find some rhythm.

    This is a great opportunity to get a 100-run lead and put Warner and co under pressure.

  20. Tea - Eng 360-6published at 113 overs

    Lead by 33

    The England fans are going through their full set of songs now. They've waited three-and-a-half matches for their team to be on top.

    The flags wave as Chris Woakes blocks out the final ball before tea. He and Alastair Cook trudge off.

    After a difficult start to the session that ended up being pretty good for England.