Dominant Australia strike regularly to take control of Adelaide Test

Australia is in a commanding position to win back the Ashes after a dominant bowling display left England struggling at the Adelaide Oval. At the close of the second day of the third Test, England were 213 for 8, a significant 158 runs behind Australia's first innings total.

The story of the series so far has been England's inability to capitalize on promising positions, and this Test has been no different. Moments of apparent strength have quickly turned into periods of collapse. After taking eight wickets on Day 1, despite losing the toss, England watched as Mitchell Starc led an Australian tail-wagging effort that pushed their score to 371. England's subsequent batting performance then faltered under sustained pressure from the Australian attack.

Jofra Archer's five-wicket haul was reduced to a mere footnote due to England's struggles. Despite intense scrutiny after his battle with Steve Smith in Brisbane, Archer bowled well in Adelaide, delivering more overs (20.2), more maidens (5), and at a better economy (2.60) than any of his teammates. He was later called upon to rescue the innings with the bat.

Archer needs the kind of consistent support Starc enjoys, but even that might not be enough to bridge the gap. Starc, despite not adding to his series wicket total of 18, contributed with back-to-back Test fifties for the first time in his career. His aggressive approach in the opening overs may have given England a false sense of security. With the return of Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to the XI, Australia presented a more potent and accurate bowling attack than England could handle.

England's innings began steadily, reaching the end of five overs without losing a wicket and hitting four boundaries. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. Cummins, playing his first competitive match since July, soon demonstrated his quality. He dismissed Zak Crawley with a delivery that found the edge, breaking the opening partnership.

Lyon then entered the fray, quickly surpassing Glenn McGrath to become second on Australia's all-time list of wicket-takers, behind only Shane Warne. He first dismissed Ollie Pope with a simple catch to mid-wicket. He then removed Duckett with a perfectly executed delivery that drifted in before spinning away to clip the top of off stump.

England were fortunate not to lose a fourth wicket before lunch when Joe Root edged Boland behind, but the third umpire ruled that the ball had not carried to Alex Carey. Australia also lost a review, despite the clear edge, after challenging the on-field umpire's not-out decision.

Shortly after the interval, Australia claimed their fourth wicket when Cummins dismissed Root, catching him on the crease and finding the edge. Ben Stokes, as he had done in the second innings at the Gabba, attempted to resist the Australian attack. He was struck on the helmet by Starc and took 36 balls to score his first boundary, while Harry Brook contributed with a more proactive approach.

Australia's bowling depth proved decisive when Cameron Green dismissed Brook, who edged a length ball and fell five runs short of a half-century. Jamie Smith, however, played aggressively, hitting three fours and a six in a 26-ball innings before under-edging a pull to give Cummins his third wicket. Smith's dismissal was controversial.

The Snicko showed a spike a frame after the ball passed the bat. Smith appeared to have gloved a Cummins delivery to the wicketkeeper. The on-field umpire referred the decision upstairs to check if the ball had carried. Despite a clear deflection and visible glove movement, the Snicko did not align, and the third umpire ruled that the ball had deflected off Smith's helmet, prompting a concussion check, much to Australia's surprise. Starc expressed his displeasure, suggesting Snicko should be removed.

This controversy only briefly distracted from England's overall collapse. Scott Boland then dismissed Will Jacks and Brydon Carse, the former courtesy of a good catch by Carey. Carey became the first wicketkeeper since Matt Prior in 2011 to score a century and take five catches in the same Ashes Test. Boland then bowled Carse, leaving England still two runs short of avoiding the follow-on. Archer and Stokes then combined for a 45-run stand, lasting 83 balls, to avoid that fate.