England is in complete disarray on the back of a series of mind-blowing moments where their Ashes turned into an instant nightmare.
Welcome to news.com.au’s live coverage of the second day of play in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.
The misery has continued for England with Australia reaching the end of the first session at 1/113 after England suffered the humiliation of being rolled for just 147 inside two sessions on the opening day of the series.
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There was hope for the tourists early on the morning of Day 2 with Ollie Robinson removing Marcus Harris for just three runs.
It left the Aussies 1/10 in the sixth over and it could have been 2/30 with David Warner clean bowled by Ben Stokes on a no-ball.
Instead Australia moved to the commanding position of 1/113 at lunch — trailing England by just 34 runs with nine wickets still in the sheds.
It has only gotten worse since then.
Rain is again expected to play a part on the second day of play with Brisbane expecting a top of 32C and up to 15mm of rain.
‘Everything is going wrong’: England falling apart
David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne have pushed Australia to 150 after England butchered three chances to remove the Aussie opener.
Warner has been bowled on a no-ball, dropped in the slips and let-off when stranded out of his crease.
The three blunders have left England on the brink of complete collapse.
Warner was dropped in the slips just moments before he brought up his half-century.
Having already been bowled on a no-ball by Ben Stokes when he was on just 17 runs, Warner has moved past 50 after Rory Burns dropped a regulation catch moving to his left at second slip.
Former Aussie test captain Alan Border said Burns had to take the catch to revive England.
“It’s a dolly too,” Border told Fox Cricket.
“That’s as easy and comfortable as you want them.”
In a nightmare for England, Warner was given a third life when Haseeb Hameed could have dismissed him with a genuine run-out opportunity.
Warner slipped after paddling the ball to short-leg and was short of his ground when Hameed’s throw skidded wide of the stumps.
Fox Cricket commentators feared England may already be beaten in the First Test.
“Everything is going wrong when everything needs to be going right to get England back into the test match,” Adam Gilchrist said.
Former test captain Alan Border said: “They’re the moments that turn captains grumpy. That just kills you”.
Labuschagne beats Warner to 50
Marnus Labuschagne has brought up his fifty from just 71 deliveries.
He reached the milestone just a few minutes before the lunch break.
Unbeaten David Warner was restricted to 48 at the end of the first session of play.
The pair also brought up their 100-run partnership in the final over before the break.
Technical failure is real reason behind ‘pathetic’ moment
The real reason for the extraordinary umpiring breakdown leading up to David warner being bowled on a no-ball has been revealed.
Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting earlier described it as a pathetic” performance from the officials after England quick Ben Stokes got away with bowling three consecutive no-balls — with none of them being recorded or called.
Channel 7 commentator Alison Mitchell has now reported the reason for the umpire failure is a technical breakdown of the system used by the ICC.
“From the start of 2020 no-balls have been looked at through technology which enables the third umpire to assess every delivery and inform the on-field umpire by signal that a no-ball has been bowled,” Mitchell said on Seven.
“Before this test match the technology provided to the ICC to enable that went down. This test match is being played under the conditions previous two 2020 where the only deliveries reviewed are wicket-taking moments.
“Hence why that ball when Warner was supposedly out was tracked. When we look back and saw they were deliveries prior to that not spotted, that is the responsibility of the on-field umpire.”
It was only his fourth no-ball which knocked Warner over resulted in Stokes being called out.Warner was given a second life after Stokes clean bowled him in his first over of the Test match, on a no-ball delivery.
Warner was brought undone defending forward to a delivery that sailed between his bat and pad and edged onto his off stump.
Stokes was subdued in his celebrations and the umpire immediately had a word with him to let him know the video umpire was checking for a front foot no-ball.
Replays showed Stokes had clearly overstepped the crease.
“Can you believe that,” Aussie Test legend Adam Gilchrist told Fox Cricket.
“We thought we saw some drama yesterday. How big a moment is that going to be?”
Warner was on 17 at the time and his dismissal would have left Australia 2/31.
That was just the beginning of the drama as Channel 7 analyst Trent Copeland exposed Stokes’ no-ball spree.
The English all-rounder was seen bowling four consecutive no-balls to start his first over of the Test with none of them being called by the third umpire.
It was only the wicket delivery, Stokes’ fourth ball. that was reviewed and found to have been a no-ball.
It led to outcry from cricket commentators about the on-field and video umpires failing to police the front foot.
Copeland suggested the on-field umpire should have been communicating with Stokes to let him know he was getting close over-stepping the crease.
Aussie Test legend Ricky Ponting was much more scathing.
“By the sounds of things now they are not actually even looking at the front line because it is left to someone off-field to do the calling,” he said on Channel 7.
“If someone upstairs is meant to be checking these, and they haven’t decided that any of those are a no ball, it is pathetic officiating as far as I’m concerned. We saw what happened late in the over… it was a wicket… If it he’d have been called for the no ball the first one he bowled there, then of course he’s going to drag his foot back.
“I’m not sure what’s going on.”
Ugly Harris is worst in history
Marcus Harris’ summer is off to a shocker after he was sent packing on the back of an average poke at a good bouncing delivery from Ollie Robinson.
Harris never looked comfortable as he crept to three runs from 17 balls with David Warner repeatedly walking down the pitch to speak to his partner as he made a rattled start to the innings.
Warner’s words weren’t enough to help Harris, who is ow under renewed pressure to keep his spot in the Aussie XI.
Dawid Malan had to take a nice catch moving forward at third slip after Harris’ prod took a thick edge.
It took Harris’ Ashes record to the unfortunate position of being the worst opener in the history of Ashes cricket.
As first pointed out by news.com.au’s Nic Savage, Harris’ failure on Thursday means he is now averaging 8.71 runs, the worst average for a batsman to have featured in at least four test matches.
In seven innings opening against England, Harris has a top score of 19 and has scored just 61 runs.
‘Speechless’: Conspiracy theory explains England bombshell
Aussie Test great Stuart Clark says the likelihood of the fifth Test being switched to a pink-ball Test could be behind England’s decision to overlook key quicks Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
Meanwhile, former Aussie Test captain Michael Clarke has predicted England’s Ashes campaign is already over, declaring there is no way back for the tourists, despite the series being just one day into a five-Test battle.
England dropped a second selection bombshell on Wednesday morning when Broad and Anderson weren’t picked — the first time in five years England has played with neither bowler.
England are going with Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes as their quicks, alongside spinner Jack Leach.
Clark on Thursday morning suggested there is chatter England left its two senior bowlers out as a plan to keep them fresh for the two pink-ball Tests as well as Sydney’s traditional New Year’s Test and Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test.
“They’re as speechless as the rest of us. Nobody can understand that decision,” he said of his discussions behind the scenes in an interview with RSN Breakfast.
“The only thing they could give me yesterday is that the pink ball Test, they’ll both play in that. With the last Test now looking like it will be a pink ball Test. That’s what their plan would have to be.”
The two swing bowlers have previously been lethal under lights with the pink ball.
Police ‘launch investigation’ into England’s humiliation
It was not only the Australian bowlers who tore into England’s cricket team on the first day of the Ashes on Wednesday — the local police also got in on the act.
Queensland Police did not pass up the chance to poke fun at the demoralised England team, tweeting: “Queensland Police are launching an investigation into a group impersonating a Test batting order at the Gabba.”
England made a disastrous start to the hotly anticipated series, bowled out for 147 at the Gabba ground in Brisbane.
The police force had already shown that it was keenly watching the Test match, name-checking several of the Australian team when it provided a “traffic update” in Brisbane, capital of Queensland state.
“A large crowd for the first Test so plan your Cummins and goings,” it tweeted, a reference to Australian skipper Pat Cummins.
“We’d be Lyon if we said there’ll be nothing but Green lights near the Gabba. Don’t say we didn’t Warner.”
— AFP
Warne reveals phone call with Steve Smith
Australian cricket great Shane Warne has revealed Test vice-captain Steve Smith confronted him over the phone following “harsh” remarks about his recent appointment as vice-captain.
Smith captained the Australian Test team for three years before the infamous ball-tampering saga in Cape Town, following which he was banned from any leadership positions for 24 months.
Warne argued before the first Test Smith should not have been named Australian vice-captain, questioning why David Warner was the only player banned from a leadership position for life.
The Spin King revealed on Wednesday he and Smith have since spoken about his critical comments.
“I spoke to Steve Smith,” Warne revealed. “He messaged me and said, ‘Jeez, you’re a bit harsh on me aren’t you,’ and we talked it out. That’s what respect does.
“Just because someone doesn’t like your opinion doesn’t mean you have to get nasty and personal about it. Everyone’s allowed to have their opinion. Just because you don’t agree with it.
“I was happy Steve Smith contacted me because I consider him a friend. We’ve worked together at the Rajasthan Royals, I used to work with him when he was bowling, was he a leg-spinner a long-time ago? So we’ve got a respect for each other and it was nice of him to actually ring me and say, ‘Mate, why did you think that?’
“I told him my point of view and he said, ‘I understand it and I’m sure a lot of people have that point of view too.’
“But it doesn’t mean we don’t like each other, so we respect each other and I like Steve Smith.”
— Nic Savage