Mark Wood picked up the key scalp of Labuschagne © Getty
England impressed in the opening session on the second day of the Boxing Day Test with some brilliant bowling to leave Australia in a spot of bother at 131 for 4. Having started the day half an hour late due to positive cases in the England camp (LINK), James Anderson and Mark Wood led the visitors' fightback, picking up three wickets in the morning session in Melbourne to share honours, leaving Australia trailing by 54 runs with 70 runs coming in the session.

Joe Root was unable to use the raw pace of Mark Wood early given that he couldn't bowl the pacer for the first 18 minutes of the session since he was off the pitch last night. However, Ollie Robinson was quick to get rid of the nightwatchman in the fourth over of the day to give England the first breakthrough. England's pacers had a good morning with the pacers bowling with accuracy, hitting the pitch hard and beating the batsmen a number of times by varying their lengths. Once Wood was brought on, he struck straightaway, undoing Marnus Labuschagne with his raw pace. The batsman was forced to play a delivery that he would've normally left, as the pace on the delivery hurried him up on the back foot as the ball kicked off up a length. Labuschagne copped his first single-digit score of an Ashes innings as Root obliged at slip.

Anderson troubled Smith with his offcutters that were coming into the right-hander. Marcus Harris, who was batting for his place in the side, was given out leg-before to Ben Stokes, but on review, a spike was found on Snicko as he survived, only just, when on 36. England stuck with bowling a good length to Harris, making him play, but the opener fought it out to remain unbeaten at Lunch on 48. Smith, meanwhile, looked unsettled in the middle with indecisive pokes with the bowlers getting some seam movement. Eventually, it was a poke that did him in as he hung his bat out to one that nipped back in to chop on for 16. It was the eighth time that Anderson account for Smith in Tests, opening up Australia's middle order. Smith was handed a life off a tough chance off Anderson's first ball when Buttler put down an inside edge, but since, in the veteran pacer's six-over spell, he returned 1-1 with five maidens.

There was drama galore an hour before the second day's play in Melbourne. A couple of family members of the players had tested positive for COVID-19 in the rapid-antigen tests ahead of the game. While there was a cloud of doubt over play on Monday (December 27), the ECB were quick to issue a statement that play would go on, albeit a delay in proceedings with sessions pushed back by 30 minutes each. Cricket Australia eventually confirmed four positive cases in the England camp with two staff members and two from the families, raising serious questions regarding the future of the series.

Brief scores: England 185 (Joe Root 50, Ben Stokes 25, Jonny Bairstow 35; Mitchell Starc 2-54, Pat Cummins 3-36, Nathan Lyon 3-36) lead Australia 131/4 (David Warner 38, Marcus Harris 48*; James Anderson 2-22) by 54 runs.