Australia close to securing Ashes despite England bowlers’ fightback

• Third Test, day 2: England 185 all out, 31-4; Australia 267 all out
• Anderson takes four wickets before Starc dismisses Crawley and Malan

The second day in Melbourne began with serious concerns over the completion of the third Ashes Test and ended with Australia doing their utmost to wrap things up swiftly. In a febrile final hour that saw the MCG turned up to 11 by way of volume, their relentless fast bowlers induced the latest grim England batting collapse.

Joe Root's tourists had done so much right up to this point, dutifully clearing their minds from the swirling uncertainty of a Covid outbreak in the camp overnight and, through Jimmy Anderson's masterful figures of four for 33, bowling out Australia for 267 in 87.5 overs. A limp demise to 185 all out the previous day was never going to be easy to overcome but an 82-run first-innings deficit hinted at a possible contest boiling up.