Key Takeaways
- The second day of the day-night Test match between England and Australia was marked by a sense of dread for England’s supporters due to their team’s poor bowling and catching performance.
- Australia’s batsmen took advantage of England’s mistakes, with Jake Weatherald top-scoring with 72 and Alex Carey delivering a busy unbeaten 46.
- Despite dropping five catches, England managed to stay in the contest, with Ben Stokes and his men restricting Australia’s lead to 44 runs.
- The match saw several extraordinary catches, including a diving effort by Marnus Labuschagne and a stunning catch by Will Jacks to dismiss Steve Smith.
- The day-night cricket format added to the excitement, with the pink Kookaburra ball coming out to play after dark and events taking on a life of their own.
Introduction to the Match
The second day of the day-night Test match between England and Australia was a thrilling affair, with the atmosphere inside the Gabba stadium being an all-too-familiar one for England’s supporters. The sense of triumphalism that had greeted Joe Root’s first Test century on these shores 24 hours earlier had given way to a creeping sense of dread, as England’s bowlers struggled to contain Australia’s batsmen. The English bowlers sent down a plethora of long hops and half-volleys, making it easy for the Australian batsmen to score runs.
England’s Bowling and Catching Woes
England’s bowlers had a poor day, with Brydon Carse shipping 113 runs from 17 overs and removing two set men in Cameron Green and Steve Smith. However, Carse also bungled a simple chance off Michael Neser before the close, summing up the chaos that had ensued. The English team’s catching was also woeful, with five chances going to grass over the course of three sessions. Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith were guilty of dropping a couple of catches each, making it difficult for England to take 20 Australian wickets.
Australia’s Change of Approach
Australia’s batsmen, on the other hand, took advantage of England’s mistakes and rattled along at a tick over five runs per over. The difference between the two teams was that every time a wicket fell, the incoming Australian batter picked up where their predecessor had left off. Green aside, bowled by Carse trying to carve a yorker off his stumps, wickets had to be earned. Alex Carey, in particular, put on a clinic behind the stumps on day one and then delivered a busy unbeaten 46 with the bat that stemmed the bleeding.
The Fortunes of the Two Wicketkeepers
The fortunes of the two wicketkeepers, Alex Carey and Jamie Smith, were a contrast. Carey put on a clinic behind the stumps on day one and then delivered a busy unbeaten 46 with the bat. Smith, on the other hand, dropped a simple chance off Travis Head on three as Australia raced to 130 for one by the end of the first session. He didn’t even move on when Carey offered a chance on 25 later on, the ball flying past Root’s hopeful effort to his right at first slip.
Extraordinary Catches
Despite the howlers, two of the catches actually held on the day were truly extraordinary. Marnus Labuschagne made 65 to confirm his resurgent form, but teammates will probably hear more about his diving effort in the deep first thing. It removed Jofra Archer for 38, shut down England for 334 all out, and left Root marooned on an unbeaten 138. Will Jacks probably topped it for the bottle of Moët, however, with the all-rounder swooping round from backward square during Carse’s two-wicket surge, clinging on at full stretch to remove Steve Smith.
The Day-Night Cricket Format
The day-night cricket format added to the excitement, with the pink Kookaburra ball coming out to play after dark and events taking on a life of their own. The match saw huge momentum swings, agony and ecstasy in abundance, and closed with the match still very much in the balance. Jake Weatherald top-scored for Australia on day two with 72, ramping uppercuts and driving the inevitable over-corrections that followed. Comparisons with Eoin Morgan stop at the crouching stance, however, Weatherald having recently called franchise cricket "shit". Held up against this second day at the Gabba, Weatherald makes a fair point.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the second day of the day-night Test match between England and Australia was a thrilling affair, with the atmosphere inside the Gabba stadium being an all-too-familiar one for England’s supporters. England’s poor bowling and catching performance was exploited by Australia’s batsmen, who took advantage of the mistakes to rack up a healthy lead. Despite the setbacks, England managed to stay in the contest, and the match is still very much in the balance. The day-night cricket format added to the excitement, and the match saw several extraordinary catches and huge momentum swings. The stage is set for an exciting third day, with England looking to restrict Australia’s lead and get back into the match.