Summary

  • Warner 56, Khawaja 91*, Smith 44*

  • Smith rides luck in stand of 107*

  • Eng 346: Root 83, Malan 62, Curran 39

  • Cummins 4-80, Hazlewood 2-65

  • Day three starts at 23:30 GMT

  • Australia lead 3-0 in five-Test series

  1. Postpublished at 23:06 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Absolutely magnificent work from Jonny's dad, there.

  2. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 23:06 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    #bbccricket

    .Image source, Twitter
  3. Eng 234-5published at 83 overs

    Mitch Starc will, unsurprisingly, take the second over. Moeen gets a loosener first up before a delicious cover drive is cracked straight to a fielder.

    It's a little scattergun from Starc first up, full but not quite full enough, before he spears one down leg, and Moeen pats out a maiden.

  4. Postpublished at 23:01 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Liam Gallagher played a gig in Sydney last night and dedicated For What It's Worth to the England cricket team.

    It contains the lyrics: "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the hurt/I'll be the first to say, "I made my own mistakes"/But sometimes we lose our way."

    How fitting.

    .
  5. Eng 234-5published at 82 overs

    Down the leg side goes Josh Hazlewood and Dawid Malan follows it, but avoids getting a nibble on it.

    A round of applause for Hazlewood as he stomps back down to fine leg.

  6. Postpublished at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Simon Mann
    BBC Test Match Special commentator

    The forecast is good for the rest of the game. It's going to get hotter.

  7. Eng 234-5published at 81.5 overs

    Josh Hazlewood picks up where he left off last night, and Moeen clips his first delivery nicely off his toes to get off the mark.

  8. Postpublished at 22:59 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Right then, let's have some actual cricket.

    Dawid Malan, resuming on 55, and Moeen have made their way out to the middle.

    Steve SmithImage source, Getty Images
  9. Were England right not to use a nightwatchman?published at 22:58 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

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

    I kind of agree with it. Tom Curran and Mason Crane are in their first or second game, then Anderson or Broad, who haven't looked confident against the quick bowlers. I'm not sure England had a better option.

  10. Risk or reward?published at 22:56 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Joe Root has passed 50 four times in this series, but he has yet to convert any of those half-centuries into three figures.

    Steve Smith, by contrast, has passed 50 four times, made three hundreds and turned one of those into a double.

    It's not a new problem for Root: he's reached 50 or more 37 times in 78 innings since January 2015, but he's turned just eight of those starts into a century.

    There's more on Root's conversion troubles over here.

    .
  11. Postpublished at 22:55 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Pat Cummins also said that he asked Mitch Starc about his heel yesterday, and Starc's response was that he cramp in both his calves so he can't feel his heel!

    It was hot yesterday, which caused the cramping, and Cummins says his team-mate is fine today.

  12. Postpublished at 22:54 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins, speaking to ABC: "We're very happy. It was a long grind and three down overnight would have made it a pretty restless night. But to get those last two made it better.

    "It's a pretty good wicket - not a heap of pace and bounce - and it felt like once the ball got soft there wasn't a lot we could do. We had to grind it out."

  13. Were England right not to use a nightwatchman?published at 22:52 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Vic Marks
    Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    It was an unusual decision. There's scope for the coach or the vice-captain to say, 'Hang on there's only five minutes to go. Let's use a bit of discretion because you're so important to us.' That suddenly changed the balance of the game.

    Jonny BairstowImage source, Getty Images
  14. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 22:51 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Worried by Joe Root's lack of centuries? Tired of watching James Vince make a classy 20 and then get himself out? Are England out of this Test already?

    Let us know your thoughts - the grumpier the better - by tweeting us using #bbccricket, texting on 81111 or emailing us on tms@bbc.co.uk.

  15. Postpublished at 22:50 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Vic Marks
    Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    It was a dramatic last 10 minutes last night - and a calamitous one for England.

  16. Postpublished at 22:49 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    What I will say, in Bairstow's defence, is who could he have sent in as nightwatchman that wouldn't have got out cheaply?

    Normal nightwatchman Chris Woakes is injured. Tom Curran is playing his second Test match, Mason Crane his first and Stuart Broad and James Anderson, against the new ball and a rejuvenated Starc and Hazlewood, wouldn't have gone much better.

  17. Nightwatchmen - yes or no?published at 22:47 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    The use of a nightwatchman is a debatable subject.

    Jonny Bairstow, with two overs to see out before the end of play, opted not to use one, and was promptly dismissed after seven balls.

    Both Australia all-rounder Mitch Marsh and unbeaten England batsman Dawid Malan said they were surprised not to see a nightwatchman coming out at the end of the day.

    "It takes a lot of guts to go against what people normally do," said Malan, who ended the day unbeaten on 55.

    "Perhaps he felt he was better suited to face the new ball."

    .Image source, PA
  18. TMS on airpublished at 22:45 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

    Test Match Special are ready to bring you ball-by-ball coverage of all of today's action.

    You can listen using the player at the top of this page, or by clicking here.

  19. Postpublished at 22:45 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Here's how the win-o-meter is looking. It looked much healthier for England before they lost two quick wickets at the end of the day.

    .
  20. Pint-sized Ashespublished at 22:43 Greenwich Mean Time 4 January 2018

    Runs for Joe Root, a classic James Vince dismissal and one of our commentators getting sledged by a lift.

    There's that, and more, in our Pint-sized Ashes.

    Media caption,

    Pint-sized Ashes: England thwarted after late drama