Earlier, England were wrapped up for 334, adding only nine runs to their overnight total. Marnus Labuschagne's

spectacular grab in the outfield removed Jofra Archer, Joe Root stranded on 138* at the other end.

The second day of the opening Test was chaos incarnate in this series. The less said about what happened in Perth, the

better, as far as England are concerned. This is a new Test, they have batted well on the opening day, just about hold

the advantage with some late hitting, and finally managed to break Joe Root's Aussie duck by seeing him score an

excellent century despite coming in to bat as early as the 3rd over.

Root's 135* so far has been the backbone of the innings. He settled things down and helped England fight back from being

down 5/2, as he stitched together key back-to-back partnerships with first Zak Crawley then Harry Brook. After Brook's

dismissal, England lost their way just a touch: Mitchell Starc did what he has been doing best, just being effective

with taking wickets, delivering for Australia whenever he is called upon. Starc took six as England collapsed to 264/9,

a score that would have been under-par on a surface where batting is expected to get tougher.

Instead, Jofra Archer joined forces with Root and swung his bat around a little bit, with both batters connection often

enough for a 61-run stand overnight. From here, every run will be seen as a bonus, more to put pressure on Australia

with.

Now, Day 2 will be about Australia's batting response: can England's bowlers find the way with the pink ball? How will

Australia approach this innings? Do England have an answer to Travis Head? And will we have at the very least a heavy

favourite by the end of the day, even if the Perth-esque two-day fate is avoided by this match.

Australia vs England 2nd Test Playing XIs

Australia Playing XI: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Josh Inglis, Cameron Green,

Alex Carey (wk), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will

Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer