Ashes 2019: 4th Test – Smith’s double ton puts England under the cosh on Day 2

Steve Smith continued his dominant run after a comeback, with his humongous double century putting England to the sword. Any hopes England had of establishing a strong footing on Day 2 of the Manchester Test were quickly laid to rest by the brilliance of the No.1 Test batsman in the world. Smith’s double century, his third against England has put Australia in a commanding position to attack with verve. Smith was given good support by skipper Tim Paine and Mitchell Starc also unleashed some late innings fireworks to help Australia to a mammoth total of 497/8. Pat Cummins then struck late in the evening to dismiss Joe Denly to put Australia firmly in the drivers’ seat.

Here we take a look at the key talking points from Day 2 of the Manchester Test:

It’s Steve Smith’s world and we are just living in it

What more can be written about Steve Smith? Is he elegant? No. Is his batting a sight to behold when it comes to a cricketing purist point of view? Absolutely not! But is he a run-scoring freak? Yes, and one of the greatest at it. His hunger for runs after making his comeback from a one-year suspension remains unsatiated. He is striving for more. Some high-quality English bowlers were made to look utterly mediocre as Smith ploughed down the runs. He did get a lifeline when he was dismissed by Leach only for it to be a no-ball. Business then resumed as usual, as he brought up the third double-century of his career. When he was finally dismissed trying to play an audacious reverse sweep against Joe Root on 211, it seemed that he got himself out. Such was the mastery of his knock.

Finally! A fantastic innings from Steve Smith comes to an end.

Scorecard/Clips: https://t.co/rDgrysSBQA#Ashes pic.twitter.com/F1dGlEAim3

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 5, 2019

The support staff finally stand up

Often in the series so far, it has seemed that Steve Smith has waged a lone battle. Marnus Labuschagne did a commendable job as his replacement. But support from the other end has been hard to find. Smith in his marathon knock, finally found an able partner at the other end. Skipper Tim Paine showed some feisty grit with the bat, hanging in the middle to lend Smith a helping hand. His knock of 58 will undoubtedly relieve some pressure from his shoulders. Starc then opened up his arms, with some lusty blows to accelerate the scoring. His quickfire 54 off 58 deliveries helped the Aussies to a score close to the 500-run mark.

England under the cosh

The pressure will now firmly be on an England batting lineup, which so far has failed miserably as a unit. Yes, there have been moments of brilliance from individuals. But collectively, they are yet to raise their arms and take up responsibility. Australia will not hunt them down like a pack of wolves. They have already tasted blood, dismissing the promoted Joe Denly for 4. On paper, there is still batting yet to come. But will they deliver with the urn on the line?

Brief scores: Australia 497/8 dec (Steve Smith 211, Marnus Labuschagne 67; Stuart Broad 3-97). England 23/1 (Rory Burns 15*; Pat Cummins 1-10)