The Ashes 3rd Test Day 2 Highlights: Australia 116/4 at Stumps, lead by 142 runs as match remains in balance

Broad pulls hard over deep backward square leg, Smith and Labuschagne both sprinting towards each other. They even stop for a millisecond and look at each other before Smith dives to his right and takes it two-handed. For a few moments though, Australia pause their celebrations in dread as the umpire checks for the front foot no ball. It's good and Cummins now has six wickets. 

Broad c Smith b Cummins 7 (8), England 199/9

Ben Stokes has been dropped twice in consecutive balls, this time by the bowler Murphy himself! Stokes smacks the next ball after that drop low back to the bowler, who can't quite get his shape right to take the catch. What a way that would have been to get his first Ashes wicket. 

Todd Murphy has been brought in, Stokes tries to go down the ground off the second ball, he loses his balance in the follow through of that shot, the ball goes miles up in the air, Starc comes running in from long on, can't quite get there and replays showed that he didn't even make it in time before the ball bounced. There is the luck that seems to follow Stokes in these moments. 

That is four consecutive fours for the England captain. Late cut off the fourth ball of the 46th by Cummins. Cummins follows that with a wide outside off that goes to the boundary and all of a sudden, England trail by just 68 runs!

England 181/8, trail by 82 runs. He doesn't care that Broad will have to be on strike in the next over, hits the last ball of the over behind point. Stokes moves to 40 off 74 balls. 

Bouncer on middle stump from Starc for the next delivery, Stokes smashes it through midwicket. 

He has tried a couple of full blooded shots that have gone straight to fielders. This one from Starc is helped down the leg side to the boundary.

And that's five wickets for Pat Cummins. Another wild swing at a short ball, top edge and taken well by Mitch Marsh. It was fun while it lasted and it has taken England's deficit down to 96 as well so very, very useful innings from Wood. 

Wood c Marsh b Cummins 24 (8), England 167/8

Stokes lets Wood take strike with a single off the first ball of the 44th and the fast bowler, correction, fast bowling all rounder, smashes the second ball, which is short, over fine leg. He races to 24 off 6.

Forget about Ben Stokes' big hits, we have Mark Wood sending the ball to the boundary here. Short ball first up, Wood goes outside leg and smashes it over midwicket. Then the second ball is sent between deep third and deep backward point. The third ball is then smashed over deep backward square leg.

Right then, Mark Wood provided a lot of fireworks with the ball yesterday, now he is out there with the bat. Ben Stokes at the other end. Mitchell Starc to continue.

And that is the end of it. Two wickets in the first half hour and two wickets in the last half hour and Australia are firmly in the driver's seat in this match. The only potential banana peel they have in their path is Ben Stokes. He is hurting, seems to have some issue with his hamstring or his groin. He has had some attention from the physio once in this session. There is a very good chance that, with all recognised batters back in the hut, Stokes could go into T20 mode, as he did at Lord's and as he did famous on this ground in 2019. That might just be the best chance England have got of cutting Australia's lead down to about 50 runs. For now, England trail by 121 runs.  

Short ball, attempted pull shot, and Woakes nicks it behind to Alex Carey. He takes a review, almost as a formality, and the replays only confirm the umpire's call.

Woakes c Carey b Starc 10 (10) , England 142/7

Short from Cummins for the first ball of the 42nd, Woakes emphatically pulls the Australian captain over midwicket. Is he going to do a Mitchell Marsh here?

He had gotten away with a botched up pull shot a ball earlier but this time, he puts it straight down the throat of Smith at fine leg. Smith had gone to that position only a few moments back and Moeen sends the ball right at him. He won't be happy with that bit of cricket.

Moeen Ali c Smith b Cummins 21 (46), England 131/6 in 39.4 overs

Ben Stokes is on 25 off 61 and Moeen on 20 off 43. Steady going for these two here but England still have a mountain to climb. They still trail by 134 runs.

The last ball of the 34th was a length delivery outside off from Boland and Moeen opened the face of the bat and sent it to the boundary. First four of the innings for him and it has come off the 29th ball he has faced. Stokes and Moeen have done a good job of putting a stop on the seemingly runaway advantage that the Australians seemed to be gaining in the first 20 odd minutes. 

England are 102/5. This has been Australia's hour all the way. It is the CSK duo of Stokes and Moeen out there in the middle for England at the moment but they are hardly playing the way they normally would while wearing yellow and playing in the IPL. Moeen is on six off 18, Stokes on 12 off 38. Staying in is the order of the day and for once, England seem to have chucked the Bazzball .

England are batting deep in this Test, which is a relief for them as they would have been goners at this point had that not been the case. Stokes is on 10 off 22, Moeen Ali on 4 off eight. Boland had been replaced by Starc, now he replaces Cummins and switches ends.

Jonny Bairstow edges it straight to second slip and that is that for him. Mitchell Starc strikes in his first over of the day.

Bairstow c Smith b Starc 12 (37), England 87/5

Joe Root nicks Pat Cummins to second slip and that's it for England's best batter! Cummins goes back of a length, it climbs on Root and takes a thick edge. The ball seems to dip on Warner just as it came to him and so it was quite a brilliant catch in the end. 

Root c Warner b Cummins 19 (45), England 68/4

Ollie Robinson had hobbled off after bowling the second delivery of the 12th over. England only said that he is being assessed and nothing else. 

England all-rounder Chris Woakes is speaking to the broadcasters. “When you're part of an Ashes squad, you're dying to get back. The way we finished and closed out the innings was fantastic.”

He did his job reasonably well on the opening day but today, England might need his services with the bat.

The reverse sweeping Joe Root is exciting alright but the calm and calculative Joe Root is far more effective. And England need that Joe Root today. They desperately do. If Australia get rid of Root early, it could be curtains for the hosts but if Root digs deep and helps England past Australia's first innings total, we could be in for another humdinger.

Todd Murphy is making his Ashes debut. It would be an understatement to claim that he has big shoes to fill. Nathan Lyon's injury is being compared to that of Glenn McGrath's in the 2005 Ashes. Away from all this, Murphy knows, he has a job on his hand. He didn't get to bowl on Day 1 but he definitely will get his chance to make an impact today and from what he dished out in India a few months ago, he surely will be a handful for the England middle-order.