ADELAIDE: Marnus Labuschagne became the first player to hit three centuries in day-night test matches when he scored 103 runs for Australia while England took three wickets during an even first session on the second day of the second Ashes test Friday.
Labuschagne resumed on 95 and Australia on 221-2. At the first break on Friday, Australia was 302-5 with captain Steve Smith on 55 and Alex Carey 5 not out. Australia won the first test in Brisbane by nine wickets.
In a dramatic 40 minutes to start the day, Labuschagne edged Jimmy Anderson to third man for four to record the sixth century of his career and first in the Ashes. Moments later he was caught behind off Ollie Robinson, retreating all the way to the boundary rope before replays showed it had been a no-ball.
Labuschagne eventually fell in the 400th minute of his innings, lbw after trying to leave a ball in Robinson’s next over that came back at him. Of the 3,068 players in test cricket’s 144-year history, only Don Bradman, George Headley, Herbert Sutcliffe and Mike Hussey have reached 2,000 runs faster than Labuschagne’s total in 34 innings.
Bradman achieved his 2,000 runs in 22 innings, Jamaican Headley in 32 and England’s Sutcliffe and Australia’s Hussey in 33. Labuschagne has now scored centuries in three consecutive day-night tests at the Adelaide Oval, averaging almost 100 and with just one score below 40.
The 300-run total appears to be an important one. All eight teams which have posted 300 or more batting first in day-night tests have gone on to win. And the eight teams to pull up short of that mark have all lost. Australia is playing its ninth day-night match, and has won all previous eight, all at home.
First test century-maker Travis Head was out for 18 Friday after being bowled playing over the top of a ball from captain Joe Root. Cameron Green soon followed for 2, bowled by Ben Stokes when the England allrounder pitched up and the delivery seamed away into his off stump.
On Thursday, Smith returned to the Australian captaincy for the first time since the 2018 sandpaper scandal in South Africa after Pat Cummins was ruled out. Cummins was deemed to be a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case when he dined at an Adelaide restaurant on the eve of the match.
Smith became the third Australia captain in three tests. Tim Paine, who replaced Smith as test captain after the sandpaper scandal in South Africa, quit last month after reports emerged he’d been investigated four years ago for sending an inappropriate text to a work colleague.
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