Ashes: Aus on top as Eng struggle at 17-2

After hosts Australia racked up 473-9 declared, England’s openers failed once more as Joe Root’s side closed on 17-2 in the day-night Ashes Test at Adelaide on Thursday. Rory Burns nicked Mitchell Starc to second slip for four in the third over and Haseeb Hameed chipped debutant Michael Neser’s second ball in Test cricket to mid-on and was out for six.

Only a lightning storm, which took the players off 45 minutes from the end, spared England further pain under the floodlights. Earlier, Marnus Labuschagne turned his 95 not out overnight into his first Ashes hundred before being caught behind off an Ollie Robinson no-ball on 102, only to fall lbw to the same bowler for 103.

That was one of three England wickets in the first session but Steve Smith once again thwarted any chance of a fightback. Australia’s stand-in captain, who began on 18, put on 91 with Alex Carey in the late afternoon - the wicketkeeper making 51.

Smith was trapped lbw by a James Anderson delivery that kept low for 93, denying him a 12th ton against England.