England's Ashes hopes wilt as Australia turn up the heat in Adelaide

England's batting woes resurfaced in the Adelaide Oval heat, leaving their Ashes aspirations hanging by a thread as Australia tightened their grip on the Test match. The frustration was palpable, perhaps best exemplified by Travis Head's exasperated cry of, "What's going on here?" – a sentiment likely shared by English fans both at the ground and back home in the UK.

The English batting lineup squandered an opportunity to establish a strong position on a pitch that appeared ideal for their style of play. Instead, they suffered yet another collapse, raising familiar questions about their ability to compete in Australia. Despite being touted as England's best team in 15 years, they find themselves on the verge of another Test defeat and a potentially failed Ashes campaign.

Steve Smith's dismissal, while debatable due to technology, highlighted England's struggles. After Cummins telegraphed his intentions by setting a field for a short ball, Smith still fell into the trap, hooking a wide delivery towards the on-side. Ollie Pope's earlier dismissal, a weak flick off Nathan Lyon's bowling, was equally disappointing.

That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. focusing solely on England's shortcomings would be unfair to Australia's exceptional bowling performance. Led by Pat Cummins, who bowled with relentless precision, the Australian attack suffocated the English batsmen. Cummins removed Zak Crawley with a special delivery and later dismissed Joe Root. Scott Boland also contributed with two late wickets, while Cameron Green produced a stunning ball to dismiss Harry Brook. Despite Mitchell Starc's high pace, he went wicketless.

Ben Stokes offered some resistance, delivering the fourth slowest innings of the 'Bazball' era at this stage. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. while the Australian bowlers operated in perfect harmony, Stokes appeared out of sync, struggling to find his rhythm in challenging conditions. This resulted in an unharmonious performance, mirroring England's struggles with the bat.