The Kennington Oval weather forecast today: What are the chances of rain on Day 3 of the 5th ENG vs AUS 2023 Test?
The fifth Ashes Test between England and Australia hangs in the balance after a captivating battle of control on Day 2 at the Kennington Oval in London.
Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja showed no intent of scoring runs in the morning session before the hosts started making inroads. Joe Root grabbed a spectacular catch at first slip to end Labuschagne's dead show. Khawaja, Travis Head, and Mitchell Marsh followed suit.
Steve Smith, who escaped a lucky runout, shifted the momentum with a 54-run stand with Pat Cummins. The Aussie captain then added another 49 with Todd Murphy, who frustrated the English bowlers with a quickfire 34.
The second day ended with a brilliant catch from Ben Stokes at the boundary to dismiss Cummins for 36, leaving Australia 295 all out and leading by 12 runs.
Smith sounded disappointed at the end of the day for not converting the 40-50 run partnerships into 100s.
"A lot of us got starts, the scorecards are very similar in a way, and we weren't able to capitalize and [turn] one of those partnerships that were 40-50 into 100-150 and that gives us a decent lead. Bit disappointed from that aspect," Smith told reporters at the end of Day 2.
Another compelling day beckons fans as England will look to take a sizeable lead to put Australia on the back foot in the fourth innings at the Kennington Oval.
London weather forecast: Kennington Oval weather report on Day 3 - Moderate rain predicted
The first two days of the Kennington Oval had rain in the forecast. However, fans weren't disappointed as full play was possible without any delays.
Day 3 also has chances of showers during the first two sessions with a moderate breeze. However, it is expected to be passing showers and no delays are expected.
The temperature is expected to be between 19 and 21 degrees Celsius, with the humidity to be in the 50s.