Summary

  • Denly falls for 4 in England reply

  • Australia 497-8 dec: Smith 211

  • Smith dropped by Archer on 65

  • Caught off Leach no-ball on 118

  • Labuschagne 67, Paine 58, Starc 54*

  • England drop three catches

  • Fourth Test, day two, Old Trafford

  • Five-match series level at 1-1

Live Reporting

Amy Lofthouse and Matthew Henry

  1. Aus 170-3

    Someone's thrown a towel over the van windscreen to keep the sun off it. Amazing.

    Anyway, play finally resumes, and Steve Smith promptly middles a defensive shot.

  2. Anyway, sun has briefly stopped play...

  3. Oh! The sun, reflecting off a van windscreen that's just parked behind the ground, is distracting Steve Smith.

    I have no idea how he's noticed that. Not a clue.

  4. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    What a frenetic start. Smith is doing everything - it's like he's had about 10 cans of Red Bull.

  5. Steve Smith is doing some animated pointing with his bat. Something seems to be distracting him...

  6. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    Smith is really cross - he swished at the air with his bat. It was like he's swatting a fly.

  7. Aus 170-3

    Steve Smith plays outside the off stump and misses!

    Oh, he is irked with himself. That might be the fourth time all series Smith has played and missed at something.

  8. Aus 170-3

    Oh, an edge - but it's gone along the ground to Rory Burns at a wide third slip!

    That's an actual false shot from Steve Smith. You don't see those very often.

  9. Three slips await as Steve Smith takes guard...

  10. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    There is a breeze, but not nearly like yesterday. It's bright; it's fresh - it feels like a batting day. England have got a big hour ahead.

  11. Joe Root brings his players together in a huddle before they all disperse.

    By the looks of things, it'll be Stuart Broad to get proceedings going.

  12. Mark Wood
    England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    Yesterday was tough. It's hard to get that intensity in the field because it was so cold. But Broady has just sprinted past us - I like it when he's up for it.

  13. Shall we have some cricket?

    Out come the umpires, while Steve Smith is still furiously shadow batting on the sidelines.

  14. Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport at Old Trafford

    It's almost like yesterday never happened and the Test can start properly today. Five minutes after leaving the house, I realised I was armed with only a hoodie to protect me from the elements, but the walk from the other Old Trafford was a pleasant surprise - only a T-shirt required. Whether that remains the case is a cause for serious doubt, mind.

    A simple task for England today: get Steve Smith out. Bowling better than yesterday would be a good start. If Smith goes big, the Ashes could go with him.

  15. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    Neil Benson: It’s a sign! Spotted in Chorlton, Manchester this morning.

    Neil BensonTwitter/NeilBenson

  16. It is properly bright sunshine at Old Trafford this morning.

    We could be playing if they'd decided to start a little earlier...

  17. Vic Marks
    Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    Where England went wrong is they got Archer to hit Smith on the head at Lord's. And now they've got Labuschagne.

  18. 'We need to be more patient'

    England bowler Stuart Broad, speaking to TMS, on the importance of Steve Smith: "He's a big player. He enjoyed batting on a pitch like this yesterday. It's up to to us to adjust to conditions, and we'll try and get the ball moving laterally. As a bowing group, we need to be a bit more patient."

  19. How do you get Steve Smith out?

    Ex-England captain Graham Gooch, speaking to the Today programme: "You’ve got to be patient. You have to bowl the ball just on the channel, and if he leaves the ball, at least he doesn’t score runs, at least he doesn’t go anywhere. He doesn’t move the score along, and you have to attack the other batsman I think, that’s just the general plan.

    "He’s got a technique that’s been proven, by his record. And great players are difficult to get out, they don’t make elementary mistakes, and he certainly doesn’t do that.

    "England have got to be patient and they’ve got to concentrate their attack at the other end."

  20. Michael Vaughan
    Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    What Australia have done is they've nullified Headingley. They've said to themselves, 'Headingley is gone, we've got 170 already on the board and if we have another good day tomorrow, England have got to bat very, very well in this Test.'