Lightning strikes give England Ashes respite as Australia take control again

England endured a torrid second day in Adelaide as Australia bullied their bowlers and feasted on their openers to put themselves firmly on course for a 2-0 Ashes lead. If the opening day of this day/night second Test was chastening, with England scraping together only two wickets in three full sessions, then what followed here was even worse. There were bruising moments individually and collectively and the nagging sense that after only six days of cricket, this could be a tour that slides off the rails.

Gleefully taking the chance to put the tourists in under the lights, when the pink Kookaburra usually does its worst, they then wiped out the struggling Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed for single-figure scores. Several bolts of lightning lit up the night sky and sent the teams scurrying for the pavilion with England in trouble at 17 for two, a mercifully early end to a painful passage of play.

Smith held his end up with predictable confidence, but England chipped away his next couple of partners with minimal damage. Travis Head, fresh from a match-winning 152 at The Gabba, got his footwork in a tangle and was bowled by Root for 18 and Stokes briefly abandoned his bouncer policy to clean bowl his fellow all-rounder Cameron Green for two.

Following a nightmare first Test he needed a show of resilience but was treated as easy pickings by his tormentor, Starc. Feeling for contact off his third ball he sent a chunky edge straight to Smith at second slip to exit the stage for four. He may have just one more innings to save his skin.

Hameed fared little better, handing debutant Neser a first wicket with a soft-handed scoop to mid-on with only six to his name. It was an improbably meek departure and exposed the captain, Joe Root, early. He edged his second ball just in front of the slips as Neser roared in but the weather spared any further drama.