Ashes 2017/18, 2nd Test: 5 things we learnt from the second day's play
England's Ashes hopes quickly unravelled on a day that saw Shaun Marsh repay the selectors' faith with a fifth Test hundred. His splendid ton and the 99 run partnership with Pat Cummins helped Australia reach a domineering total of 442 before skipper Steven Smith declared the innings.
Earlier, Stuart Broad trapped Peter Handscomb in front even as Tim Paine survived quite a few blows on the body to compile a resilient half-century. It was the Marsh-Cummins show from then on.
When Australia inserted England to bat under lights in the final session, Mitchell Starc removed Mark Stoneman before rain intervened. A huge day awaits England tomorrow as another poor performance with the bat could possibly seal their fate in the match and series.
#5 Handscomb and his technical glitch
Peter Handscomb is all of a sudden under the spotlight after being one among the assured members in the Australian Test squad. It was always a toss up between Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell for that no.6 spot and inspite of Maxwell's Shield double ton, Marsh's pretty handy innings in the first Test was thought to be the end of Maxwell's Ashes hopes.
However, another opening has seemingly emerged in the middle order courtesy Handscomb's technical glitch. The middle order batsman has a habit of sitting on his back-foot and it is this tendency that the England bowlers have exploited with full balls on the stumps. Eight of his sixteen dismissals in Tests have been LBW or bowled and England seem to have done their homework against Handscomb.