Oh God it’s a Sunday what is in our glorious papers now!?

Apparently headbutted Bancroft 4 weeks ago in a Perth nightclub

f*ck our media, so determined to undermine any of our achievers in any field.

The two of them talking about the 'incident' here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/42134982 Bancroft is hilarious.

Ahaha ha what the fuck!?

Smith next to him can’t take his hand off his face he’s lost it.

What is that all about!?

Gilchrist and Vaughan were talking about it as well

Ben Stokes conveniently flying to New Zealand to visit family

Missed the start today, what’s the black armbands for?

We can still win this... right?

Best we can hope for is it pisses down for 3 days

I’m not sure I’m a fan of these day night Tests, apart from being able to watch more with the timings, for large parts of the day it felt as if the Aussies were batting for time so they got the new ball at dusk and it felt like the game wasn’t going anywhere especially after they were 6 down. I don’t think an Ashes series really needs something that is designed to attract better crowds, the ground would be full anyway.

The pitch is pretty flat and easy paced. We have to bat well tomorrow or the Ashes are gone for me then we have to look at the bowling attack for Perth as it looks far too samey and Moeen isn’t fit to bowl properly, it’s either his side or his finger but he’s putting no action on the ball he’s almost bowling Sunday afternoon lobs. The best we can hope for is a draw as I can’t see this attack going through a fairly average Aussie batting line up as things stand unless Broad or Anderson have a magic spell. Woakes has taken 10 wickets in overseas Tests at 70 apiece. As much as I like him as a cricketer he’s got to find a way to take wickets with a Kookaburra or not play.

Tremendous start to the day with Vince and Root having a competition to see who can play the most horrific shot.

What were Vince and Root thinking playing those shots??

Chasing 440 after clearly getting the toss wrong, you’d expect Root to play a captains innings by being belligerent, disciplined and steady the team.

Instead the Ashes is over as a contest inside 8 days of play.

It’s been pretty pathetic stuff from the England team. Piss poor concentration, discipline and application with the bat, pedestrian bowling and some school boy fielding. That dropped catch yesterday........ fuckin hell

Too much is being made of the toss I could see why he bowled. People are going on about the bowling as well, it’s not been that bad. We were unluckily at times yesterday. The Aussies are being made to work for their runs both hundreds in the series have been slow but the Aussies are applying themselves with the bat we aren’t. The fact is including the last series we have scored one one century in six and a half Tests in Australia. Oh and the that was by Ben Stokes.

Nice to see Woakes and Overton showing some application with the bat this morning. Hopefully they can get to the follow on mark. Small mercies of course but it would improve the chances of survival no end if we can make Australia bat again.

I thought England were a little unlucky with the ball in Australia's first innings, particularly Anderson with his 2 overturned LBW's.

I don’t think theirs much chance of them unforcing the follow on either way.

People are only going on about the bowling (including yourself yesterday) because it’s not been good enough.

After electing to field the decision was compounded by our main strike bowler Anderson bowling poorly and too short. There’s no real penetration.

Losing wickets like we have with predictable indiscipline and crass decision making has meant after 8 days the Ashes is done. We’ll lose this test badly and have to go back 40 years since we won in Perth.

This Aussie team aren’t amazing but England have given them this test with awful decision making at every level, and we’re gifting wickets and letting them off with wayward spells with the ball. How many collapses have this team had. Wickets falling, 4,5,6 of them for 50 or 60 runs. It’s test cricket not 20/20 but there’s no application,no concentration, no determination to protect your wicket, and no discipline.

It’s like watching Pools defend. You know at anytime it’s all going to go wrong.

I thought apart from the first new ball spell Anderson bowled well first innings, especially in the first session yesterday when he had no luck. It maybe looks a bit samey and Moeen doesn’t look right but 450+ is the norm in Australia especially somewhere like Adelaide. If you can’t put runs on the board then we could have the best most quickest most varried attack in the World and still lose.

Smith gone for 6. They're giving us a glimmer of hope now with a good showing with the ball. It really is a glimmer though given bowling them out for 100 would still mean us chasing over 300 for the match.

The games long gone realistically they have too many runs now. Australian results in home Tests when they have led by 200 after the first innings W25 D0 L0. The highest ever chase at Brisbane is 315.


At least we showed a bit of fight and showed up Smith a bit for his daft decision not to enforce the follow on under lights. Possibly tinged with arrogance as apparently he didn’t even consult the bowlers. It’s more likely that he’s trying to protect the seam bowlers though as they are all injury prone.

Still early days but at least they now have a slim chance. This could be very interesting...

Unless Root plays out of his skin we’ll do well to take into tomorrow once the lights come on.

He's due a big knock. He's been quite underwhelming so far in the series.

James Vince, oh dear!!

He looks decent enough but keeps getting out exactly the same way the same way as his first go in Test Cricket.

At least having a right and left hander in at the same time might disrupt Lyon a bit.

On the BBC tracker someone has hilariously suggested Hales as a replacement for Vince. Yes, that will be the most logical solution to the problem of needlessly playing at wide, tempting deliveries!

Very sporting of them to toss away both reviews in consecutive overs.

If we can hold out for the rest of the day then who knows, simply brilliant stuff

A long way to go and Australia still firm favourites but we're doing far better than I'd dared hope when I went to bed last night.

In England's favour is the fact that Australia will know they had this game in the bag. Certainly more convincingly than is now looking the case. Never underestimate the effect that can have on a team.

Smith must be feeling a bit twitchy. Not enforcing the follow on when the feeling was England would have collapsed, 2 reviews in 3 balls lost and then that drop.

But, as I say, Australia still in the driving seat you feel.

This is like the last day of the football season, I went into it quite relaxed as we were down weren’t we? Oh no but here’s some hope at 1-1, then 2-1 we’re safe then bang! It’s much more straightforward when the white flag comes out We’ve shown some great fight but still a long long way to go.

Amazing days play so far. Just got to hold out with these two in for another 25 mins or so.

Be a cracking little knock from Malan if he can get through this session, rode his luck, faced some cracking balls, took some hits, looked nervy for a spell but done exactly what was required so far.

And another drop! This time Root. Bad luck you Aussies

probably be all over by the time I get up tomorrow but credit to England for making a fist of it. I echo TMS's comments earlier today bemoaning the fact it's took a 200 run deficit for us to kick into gear in this match.

Could argue the series. I still think we've got half a chance, I would also be putting Bairstow in next ahead of Ali

its the hope that kills you.

I think Bairstow should be batting 6 anyway, but I don’t think they’ll swap them now Woakes has come in early moving Moeen down would mean that 3 of our bottom 4 batsmen would be left handers, all of Lyons wickets in the match have been left handers.

Realistically Root needs to make a huge contribution here. Ideally another 100 runs, or thereabouts, to his current score as I can't see the remaining players getting the required runs if he goes early.

If Australia do win, and the chances are they will still win this, I hope they just do it quickly so I can just get the news in one fell blow when I wake up

Good point. Really tempted to tune in on BT in the morning but i'll only blame myself if we lose quick wickets.

Well at least anyone who did get up can go straight back to bed!

Feels like another Aussie whitewash is on the horizon. All the experts said the Adelaide day/night test was England's best chance of a win. 4 innings down and no England batsman has got anywhere near a 100 yet. Off to Perth next, where England haven't won since 1978!

A valiant effort indeed

At least it was over quickly. It was indeed far easier to deal with this morning

I find it a bit frustrating that people seem to be focussing on Root's decision to bowl first on Saturday. Maybe it was a bad decision but Smith has made at least 4 extremely questionable decisions in this match and Australia have won by 120 runs!

If people are going to criticise Root then highlight the fact that he didn't add a single run to his overnight score. Or that he hasn't been that great with the bat so far. As have none of England's batsmen.

People will want to criticise the bowlers, too, in this match but the fact is that Australia's 2nd innings score of 138 is the lowest of the series so far. The bowlers performed superby in the 2nd innings.

The reason this test has been lost is because, once again, we haven't put enough runs on the board. No one has gone on to make a big score after making a start and batsmen are still throwing their wicket away needlessly.

Surely the bowling attack has to change in Perth, yeah they did a job here but what are Overton & Woakes going to offer in Perth except 78mph deliveries whilst Starc and Cummins are hitting 90-91 on a renowned fast wicket. I would swap Overton with Mark Wood & Chris Woakes with Stokes (won't happen sadly) would also like to see Mason Crane in there as we are pretty much playing without a spinner the way Ali is performing.

Yeah, I got up at 4 expecting to see Root and Woakes still there still chipping away but was very disappointed to see they had both gone but thought, not to worry maybe, just maybe Ali and Bairstow might just dig in and get us somewhere near with 50 or 60 each. When Ali went shortly afterwards I should have went back to bed but didn’t. Didn’t hang around though when Barstow finally went.
I think the main problem is not all down to the bowlers because they did perform in the second innings, but our openers who have consistently failed to perform, not just in these Ashes but for quite a while. You can understand and accept a top order batsman failing the odd time but when did we have a couple of really good opening scores, you know like a couple of centuries? The middle order and down on average are being expected to pull us out the shite time and again. The top 4 batsmen should really be setting the tone. In my limited opinion, that is!

The next Test match is at Perth, the fastest and bounciest wicket in the world and the Aussie 90 mph bowlers will not only secure the Ashes but will drain our batsmen of whatever little confidence they have left. They need Stokes back in the squad instead of pissing about in NZ.

Perth used to be a quick wicket it’s not anymore apparently. The Aussies recent record there is poor for what it’s worth and England won there as recently as 1978 so the players can take heart from that

No seriously it’s meant to be pretty dead these days, this is likely to be the last Test at the WACA. We might even manage over 300 in an innings...

For me the main problem is the batting, so many batsmen throw their wicket away. Vince is shocking, plays like it's a 20/20 game, Malan is so limited, seems to be stuck on the crease all the time and as for Moeen, give me strength, Lyons bunny, two awful "strokes" in this match. The problem is who do have to come into the side? Ballance? er no thanks. Looking like a 5-0 whitewash again I'm afraid.

The batting is 100% the problem. We are in an Ashes series with a team that three of the top five haven’t scored a Test Century. Moeen is a brilliant cricketer but something is up I think he’s nowhere near fit. He’s normally not bowling well when he bowls too quickly he always gives it a rip and tries to spin it. He looked like he was bowling lobs in this game and couldn’t go through with his action. Jonny Bairstow has to bat higher. I like Malan but I feel like he needs to believe in himself a bit more he has all of the shots but I have the sense mentally he feels like he’s not good enough to play Test cricket at least he battles and puts a value on his wicket I suppose but this is alad who’s an an exciting T20 player. Vince can’t be a Test number 3 when he’s so hopeless around off stump. He again is a talented player I just think an Ashes series is a bit too much for a few of them mentally they aren’t bad players.

I definitely think Cook's best days are behind him also, this team need him and Root to get big scores but it's not happening. Of course Ben Stokes is a huge miss but I think we all knew he would be.