Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner both scored 95 runs as Australia took control of the second Ashes Test on Thursday, surviving an onslaught from experienced English seamers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad.
The visitors came into the day-night Adelaide Test after a nine-wicket loss in Brisbane, but were confident they could return in the five-match series.
But even with the greatest wicket-takers in English history, they struggled to take the lead with the pink ball as the home team posted 221 for two.
A consolation for England is that Australia’s captain Pat Cummins, the world’s leading Test bowler, was ruled out less than three hours before the Covid scare began.
Warner and Labuschagne put on 172 for the second wicket before Broad made an early breakthrough for Marcus Harris with three runs.
Warner was looking to score his 25th Test century as he began to open his bat, but was caught by Broad off Ben Stokes in a nervous 90s for the second consecutive Test.
Labuschagne did almost the same, too, on 95, when wicketkeeper Jos Buttler dropped a sitter off Anderson – much to the delight of the partisan crowd.
Of Butler’s costly mistake, Labuschagne said, “There were a few prayers because I don’t know how it happened.”
“There’s a little bit of mistrust – it’s my job to capitalize on it now, I’ve given him a chance… I have to make sure there’s no chance tomorrow.”
Labuschagne lived to go unbeaten off 275 balls at the end of the game, while Steve Smith – captaining the team in Cummins’ absence – scored an unbeaten 18 in front of 32,328 fans.
Broad took 1-34 while Anderson bowled 18 overs for 29.
There was drama before the ball was bowled. Cummins was at a restaurant on Wednesday evening when a man at a neighboring table was identified as positive for the coronavirus.
Cummins tested negative, but he will now have to isolate for seven days under the strict bio-security rules of the state of South Australia.
“Extremely disappointing but Covid has bowled us all some curved balls over the years. Will cheer together!” he tweeted as the match began.
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Teammate pacer Josh Hazlewood is also missing, injured, leaving Australia with inexperienced Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser to lead the attack with seasoned campaigners Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
Smith took over the captaincy in 2018 for the first time since his exit from the “sandpaper-gate” ball tampering scandal. He won the toss and opted to bat.
England controversially ousted Anderson and Broad in their heavy defeat at Brisbane, with 1,156 Test wickets between them.
But he bounced back at the expense of Mark Wood and spinner Jack Leach, once again bowling a quick start.
His discipline and accuracy restricted Australia to just 45 runs in the first session, where Harris fell.
The opener never looked comfortable and after surviving an LBW review lasted just eight more deliveries before bowling a pull shot off Broad, in his 150th Test, wicketkeeper Butler took a flying catch.
Harris also flopped in Brisbane and is now under pressure to stay in his place.
Wearing a headband, Broad attributed seven times to Warner on a dreaded Ashes tour of England in 2019 and made a massive, but unsuccessful appeal for LBW on his first ball, on the 35-year-old, who was nursing an injured ribs .
The usually flamboyant Warner survived two reviews for the first four of the game before a loose ball from Chris Woakes was driven to the boundary.
With Labuschagne at the other end, he picked up runs and picked up the pace as the day progressed.
Warner hit 50 off 108 balls and then turned on the style with some flamboyant shots, but just as he scored another Test century, he hit a wide ball from Stokes and swung the ball straight to Broad at cover .
Labuschagne struggled early and was first dismissed by Butler for 21, while Stokes missed an opportunity for 45. But he made the most of his luck and was eyeing a big score on Friday.
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