Australia (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Australia dominated day two of the third Ashes Test at Adelaide, leaving England 158 runs behind, with heat and strong bowling exposing their struggles.
As reported by Stephan Shemilt of the BBC, England struggled on the second day of the third Ashes Test, collapsing to 213-8 in extreme heat and trailing Australia by 158 runs, amid ongoing Snicko controversies.
How did Australia build a 158-run lead over England in the Ashes?
Under 41-degree heat at Adelaide Oval, England slumped to 214-8 in favorable batting conditions, trailing Australia by 158 runs. The collapse came from sustained Australian bowling, not aggressive play.
Only Harry Brook made 45 for England, while captain Ben Stokes (45*) and Jofra Archer (30*) added an unbeaten 45-run partnership, keeping England’s slim chance alive.
For the second consecutive day, England were hit by frustration with Snicko, as Jamie Smith (22) was controversially given out caught behind, though the technology’s flaws remained a minor point.
Australia’s Pat Cummins made a strong return after missing the first two Tests due to injury, claiming the key wicket of Joe Root and finishing with figures of 3-54.
Nathan Lyon made an immediate impact on his return, taking two wickets in his first over and moving past Glenn McGrath on Australia’s all-time Test wicket list, behind only Shane Warne.
Scott Boland maintained his impressive form with disciplined bowling, Cameron Green claimed the crucial wicket of Brook, while Mitchell Starc went wicketless on a quieter day after leading Australia’s attack in the opening Tests.
The day began badly for England as Australia added 45 runs to reach 371, Starc hitting a half-century before being bowled by Archer. England’s pacer then trapped Lyon for 9 lbw to end the innings, but his 5-53 was briefly overshadowed by a heated exchange with Stokes after Starc’s wicket.
England’s Zak Crawley edged a Cummins delivery to first-innings centurion Alex Carey, giving Australia an early breakthrough. Cummins’ decision to bring on Lyon before lunch quickly paid off, with Ollie Pope (3) caught at mid-wicket by Josh Inglis.
Duckett (29) fell after a promising start, trapped by a turning delivery from Lyon that beat the outside edge and hit off-stump. The 38-year-old off-spinner moved past McGrath with his 564th Test wicket.
At 43-4 overs, Root survived a close call when an inside edge glanced off his pad and went to Carey, with the on-field not out decision upheld. Shortly after, Cummins claimed Root caught behind, leaving England 71-4.
How did the Snicko controversy cost Jamie Smith in the Ashes?
Just like the day before, the final session was dominated by issues with Snicko, the technology assisting the third umpire. On Wednesday, December 17, Carey was incorrectly given not out, with BBG Sports, the operator of Snicko, admitting that the wrong stump microphone caused a mismatch, resulting in the wrong decision.
Snicko’s technology has continued to face issues throughout the series, with the problem highlighted again when Smith, 16, appeared to glove a delivery to Khawaja at slip, leaving only the question of whether the ball carried.
Smith’s contact proved irrelevant as replays showed the ball had bounced, but third umpire Chris Gaffaney spent considerable time determining whether it struck glove or helmet, with ongoing Snicko syncing issues, highlighted by Carey’s earlier incorrect not-out decision, adding to the confusion.
The third umpire, Gaffaney, initially ruled the ball had struck Smith’s helmet, but the final decision correctly went in his favor as not out. Snicko was called again shortly after to check a caught-behind appeal, with the umpires determining whether the ball had carried to Carey.
The delivery had clearly carried, yet Gaffaney referred to Snicko despite it being unclear if the on-field umpires had given Smith out, and no review had been formally requested by either side.
The Snicko system registered a spike after the ball had passed Smith, though slow-motion replays showed no clear contact. England looked on in disbelief as Smith expressed his frustration.
Jacks (6) and Carse (0) fell to Boland, leaving England at 168-8, though a cramp-hit Stokes and attacking Archer held the innings together against Australia.
Who’s in the Australian men’s cricket team vs England series?
For the current Third Test match in Adelaide, which began on December 17, 2025, the Australian playing XI is:
- Jake Weatherald
- Travis Head
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith
- Cameron Green
- Josh Inglis
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Pat Cummins (captain)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Scott Boland
Where and when are the Ashes 2025-26 matches scheduled?
- 1st Test (Perth): Australia won by 8 wickets
- 2nd Test (Brisbane): Australia won by 8 wickets
- 3rd Test (Adelaide): Dec 17-21
- 4th Test (Melbourne): Dec 26-30
- 5th Test (Sydney): Jan 4-8