England’s Ashes hopes are fading in Adelaide after another desperate day with the bat against Australia

England’s Ashes hopes vanished after another batting surrender on day two in Adelaide.

Already trailing 2-0 after falling short in Perth and Brisbane, the tourists fell short for the third Test in a row as they capitulated in near-perfect batting conditions.

The pitch was good, the outfield fast and the sun was shining at over 40 degrees – the kind of conditions that give bowling teams nightmares.

But it was England who collapsed in response to the Australian score of 371, falling to a timid 213 for eight.

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AUSTRALIA V ENGLAND THIRD TEST DAY TWO SCORECARD

Confusion

Just as he did in a losing cause at the Gabba, captain Ben Stokes tried to inject some defiance as he blocked his way to 45 not off 151 deliveries, but his deep defensive trench could only do so much.

He was visibly uncomfortable throughout the final session, stretching, cramping and occasionally limping as he ran, and there must be fear of the damage he might do if he had to bowl in the second innings.

For the second day in a row there was confusion over the reliability of the Snickometer technology, with Jamie Smith involved in two controversial decisions that caused confusion on both sides.

He survived one and succumbed to another, eroding confidence in the system and increasing calls for an eradication of the DRS process in its current form.

Weak

But to fixate on that would be a distraction from England’s strong-willed performance and Australia’s excellent bowling, which relied heavily on returning captain Pat Cummins and recalled spinner Nathan Lyon.

Cummins, fit again after back problems, bowled with ruthless accuracy and high skill in his first league match since July, claiming three for 54.

Lyon, meanwhile, recovered from his fall in Brisbane to equal and then overtake Glenn McGrath’s score of 562 Test scalps to become Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker and sixth on the all-time list.

There were early signs that it would not be England’s day when another leaky bowling display saw them ship 45 quick runs for the last two wickets.

Jofra Archer picked up both to finish with five for 53, his best figures since his debut summer of 2019.

Terrible

After a lackluster tour there was a real chance to score some big runs on the friendliest ground in the country, but the opportunity went begging.

By 10, the entire top three had come and gone, with Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett leaving for lunch in the space of 15 balls.

Crawley darted behind the Cummins defense, and Duckett was bowled by a classic Lyon off-break, but Pope’s weak flick to midwicket was a terrible strike.

He looked harried during his 10-ball stay and with his average against Australia now down to 17.66, his time at number three has certainly increased.

England managed to avoid another hammer blow when Joe Root was spared one after grazing an inside edge from Scott Boland.

Feeling the heat

With uncertainty surrounding Alex Carey’s take – the man wrongly given a reprieve on day one due to a Snicko error – TV referee Chris Gaffaney is said to have felt the heat.

After a number of close looks from different angles, he arranged a tight call in Root’s favour.

It had the potential to be a key moment in the match, but England’s record scorer couldn’t make it count, with Cummins finally through to Carey for 19 in the third over after lunch.

Stokes blocked from one end for the rest of the session and began his long vigil, and Harry Brook showed a more disciplined method as he accounted for the bulk of the scoring in a 52-run stand.

He reached 45, including a remarkable knock for six over cover point, but came undone as tea approached.

Menacing

This time it was all-rounder Cameron Green who made the breakthrough, pinching one off the seam and flicking it to the outside edge.

Smith’s stay was eventful; his two brushes with Snickometer caused the now universal bewilderment at their use, but had no impact.

With a stern-looking Stokes bringing out a steady supply of defensive forwards to give his bowlers the night off, Boland praised Will Jacks and Brydon Carse.

Archer made a lively 30no as he provided Stokes with some late support, but Australia’s lead of 158 continued to feel ominous.

READ MORE: England question ‘Snickometer’ after Australian Alex Carey admits he was lucky