England clawed their way back into the game with three crucial wickets in the evening session to keep their hopes in the Test match at Headingley, and the series, alive.
Moeen Ali claimed his 200th wicket, taking both the scalps of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne who were out cheaply, as Australia closed out the second day on 116-4, with a lead of 142.
Despite Ollie Robinson suffering from a back spasm sustained in the field on the first day, England’s bowling attack stepped up after a toiling first hour after the tea break.
Just before the evening session, David Warner yet again fell to Stuart Broad to the delight of the Western Terrace, with the bowler claiming the Australian opener’s wicket for the 17th time in Test matches.
Questions over Jonny Bairstow’s abilities behind the stumps will be raised yet again after he denied Mark Wood a sixth match wicket by spilling a catch off Marnus Labuschagne’s glove with the batter on 33 and Australia at 67-1.
It leaves Bairstow with an unenviable record of having taken just nine catches and a stumping from 18 opportunities in this Ashes series so far.
Fortunately for England, it did not prove too costly, and the very next ball he was caught by Harry Brook who came off the rope at deep midwicket to take a low catch off the slog-sweep off Ali.
Ali then brought up his 200th Test wicket, and there aren’t many better scalps to have to reach the milestone than Smith, who chipped the ball straight to midwicket and received a small send-off from Bairstow.
Steve Smith chipped Moeen Ali into midwicket to give the offspinner his 200th test match wicket— (PA)
It was a case of bowling in partnership, with Mark Wood causing all sorts of problems for Australia, despite not hitting the mid-90s in terms of miles per hour as he did on the first day, and Ali at the other end reaping the rewards.
Chris Woakes took the key wicket of Usman Khawaja, this time caught by Bairstow diving to his left, for 43 to leave Australia 90-4 before they added another 26 without loss at stumps.
However, England will hope to at least take the wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head early on day three, to prevent the former from repeating his first-innings run-a-ball 118.
In the morning session, Ben Stokes went above and beyond yet again for England, absorbing the pressure before unleashing a barrage of sixes to drag his side closer to Australia’s total than looked possible, from 68 for four to 237 all out, with an individual 80.
The England captain, as he had done at Lord’s, started with a measured innings before a massive acceleration with one eye on the boundary rope as the wickets tumbled around him.
When Mark Wood came out to bat at number nine, the hosts were 121 runs behind, but the fast bowler played an entertaining cameo, striking 24 from just eight balls, including three sixes at a strike rate of 300 before he was caught by Mitchell Marsh off Pat Cummins.
Mark Wood’s batting cameo helped England close the gap on Australia but his main effort is still to come with the ball— (Getty)
It could have been worse for England; Stokes was dropped on 45 by Mitchell Starc, and the next ball Todd Murphy missed a caught and bowled.
But Stokes’s heroic effort with the bat came to an end as Murphy claimed his first Ashes wicket, when he hit the ball to Smith on the boundary, trying to hit yet another six.
It was a mammoth effort that took England to within an unlikely 26 runs of Australia’s total, one that included 95 runs in the 10.2 overs after lunch.
Cummins led from the front with his side in the field, taking six for 91 from 18 overs, four more than anyone else as Australia moved into a dominant position in the match, although England’s late inroads brought it closer to parity.
