Ashes 2017-18, 2nd Test, Day 1 - 5 Talking Points

53,000-plus spectators witnessed the action on the 1st Day of the 2nd D/N Ashes Test in Adelaide. Both the sides shared the spoils but Australia would be happy to have safely negotiated the pink ball under lights, as England looked impressive in the last session. Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh helped the hosts go past the 200-mark but not before debutant Craig Overton sneaked the ball in to claim his maiden Test wicket in the face of Steve Smith.

Chris Woakes sent Cameron Bancroft back with an exceptional piece of fielding before seeing the back of David Warner, as the batter nicked the ball to Jonny Bairstow. There was a light of fire in the field and it promises to get better with echh passing day. Let’s take a look at the five talking points from the action-packed day:

Usman Khawaja finds peace in pink

Top-order batsman Usman Khawaja brought back memories of his staggering hundred against South Africa under lights at this same venue a year back, as he took on the English bowlers on the first day of the 2nd Test in Adelaide. Khawaja stroke eight boundaries and ran pretty well between the wickets to score a much needed fifty after a failure at the Gabba, last month.

But he couldn’t build on to the good start and was dismissed straight after dinner. Khawaja and skipper Smith’s stand started to look threatening but James Anderson provided the breakthrough just in time as Australia lost their third wicket inside 140 runs.

Craig Overton writes Steve Smith’s name all over the ball

He is tall, he is accurate and his maiden Test wicket is the world’s best batsman at the moment- Steve Smith. Smith tried to block a length ball outside the off stump but the gap between his bat and pad was wide enough to invite the ball in as it disturbed the wood, much to the delight of England and the debutant.

England bowled in a tight line to Smith and didn’t let him score freely. English skipper Joe Root had said that Smith will have to earn each his runs just like he did in Brisbane (Smith’s slowest Test ton), and they made sure they bore him out before the end of day’s play.

Jimmy Anderson’s chatter brings Aleem Dar to the rescue

It was all happening in the middle. England were surely not happy with the way the ‘head-butt’ controversy, involving Jonny Bairstow and Cameron Bancroft, was blown out of proportion. And they made sure they give a piece of their mind to Smith, once he came out to bat.

Anderson and Smith exchanged a few words while Handscomb was negotiating Stuart Broad’s fiery spell. Jimmy was standing very close to the non-striker’s end and there was a lot of talk between the Aussie skipper and the veteran English pacer. Smith had earlier responded to Anderson’s ‘bully’ statement by calling Jimmy one of the biggest sledgers in the game. Umpire Aleem Dar had to intervene in the middle to keep things right till stumps.

England toiled hard

The Three Lions’ pacers worked hard on a day that saw both the teams share the honour. Two of the most economical bowlers so far in this series- Anderson and Broad once again bowled with discipline and intent. Broad bowled 19 overs, conceding just 39 runs while Jimmy picked a wicket in his 20 overs, that went for 45.

Overton, who replaced Jake Ball in the XI, looked promising as he bowled his heart out and made Australia score at a slow pace. Chris Woakes went for 50 in his 15 overs and he was the one who bagged the important wicket of opener David Warner, who missed out on a fifty by just three runs.

Handscomb-Marsh look set for a solid stand on Day 2

At 161/4, Australia needed an innings building session and Handscomb, who patiently kept on playing his own game, found support from the other end in the face of Shaun Marsh. Handscomb looked a little unsure against pace at one stage but he middled most of the deliveries that were aimed at the middle and leg. Marsh sent the loose ones to the boundary and rotated the strike to keep the scorers busy. The duo ensured Australia go into the dressing room without any further damage.