Ashes, 5th Test: Cummins, Starc and Boland strike to leave England in spot of bother (Tea, Day 2)
Jan 15, 2022
Hobart [Australia], January 15 : Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland got among the wickets as Australia created relentless pressure on England in the second session on Day 2 of the ongoing fifth Ashes Test here at the Blundstone Arena, Hobart on Saturday.
At the tea break, England's score read 124/6 -- with the visitors trailing by 179 runs. Sam Billings (19*) and Chris Woakes (5*) are currently unbeaten at the crease.
Resuming the second session at 34/2, Dawid Malan and Joe Root added 44 more runs to the total, before Pat Cummins got the better of Malan (25) in the 22nd over of the innings. In his very next over, Cummins dismissed skipper Root (34) and England was reduced to 81/4, still trailing by 222 runs.
Mitchell Starc piled further misery on England as the left-arm seamer had Ben Stokes (4) caught at the hands of Nathan Lyon at backward point, reducing England to 85/5 in the 25th over. Sam Billings and Ollie Pope then got together at the crease, and the duo put on 25 runs for the sixth wicket, but this stand was cut short in the 31st over by Scott Boland as he got the better of Pope (14).
In the end, Billings and Woakes ensured that England does not lose more wickets before tea on Day 2.
Earlier in the day, Australia was bowled out for 303 in the first innings. Travis Head top-scored with a knock of 101 while Mark Wood scalped three wickets for England.
Brief Scores: Australia 303 all out; England 124/6 (Joe Root 34, Dawid Malan 25; Pat Cummins 3-32).
