2nd over: Australia 4-0 (Harris 4, Warner 0) Broad - around the wicket - is full and inviting the drive and Warner accepts immediately, he strikes his cover drive nicely and it’s well saved in the ring, preventing any runs. Broad gets one to tail in, well left from “Davey”, and the next angles away and beats Warner - the 13464th time we’ve seen it. Make that 13465! Warner sees out the rest. Mine too. 1st over: Australia 4-0 (Harris 4, Warner 0) First ball and Harris wafts at one outside off stump, it floats past a vacant third slip and rolls away for four! Wow. Warner half-heartedly threw his hands at it, the ball found the edge but no one was there. The rest is altogether more peaceful. Ollie Pope is taking the gloves for this innings. Meanwhile... England all out 294 England were bright this morning, aiming for as many as possible before the second new ball. They achieved it, and now Australia will commence with a lead of 122 and a question over their approach: does Warner et al come out and aggressively push the game forward, anticipating some rain? For “the sake of the contest”, let’s hope so. 294 is an exceptional result from a position of 4/36. I suspect the team will take heart - this could be an interesting little period. WICKET! Broad c Carey 15 Broad backs away to heave but it catches the splice of his bat, it’s up very high in the air, it hangs, but Carey is comfortably under it and that’s England done. Always entertaining from Broad. Boland finishes with four. 79th over: England 294-9 (Anderson 4, Broad 15) It’s Lyon to Broad, with a short leg gully in. He takes a single. Anderson leaves the first. On the second he executes a sensational reverse sweep which beats backward point and races to the boundary! Brilliant. He tries again(!) but misses. That was fun. 78th over: England 289-9 (Anderson 0, Broad 14) First ball, Broad backs away and swats Boland over mid off for four! Good length, Broad gave himself room, and bang. The next follows him and Broad can’t get it away. Only a few over until the new ball now. England aiming for as many here before it arrives, I guess. Boland zeroes in on the stumps, Broad gives himself more room and inside edges down to fine leg - Boland throws his head back. Bairstow’s back on strike. There are six inside the ring, and three out. Bairstow is then caught behind, a fantastic knock coming to an end. The innings’ end is also nigh. WICKET! Bairstow c Carey b Boland 113 Boland gets Bairstow! It’s a feather through to Carey, he’s trying to run it to third but nicks it, a surprisingly conventional dismissal in the circumstances. He leaves the ground to a standing ovation, he raises his bat to all parts of the ground. Hell of a knock, Jonny. Well done. 77th over: England 284-8 (Bairstow 113, Broad 9) Bairstow almost finds the boundary with Lyon’s first ball via another reverse. Boland was wrong-footed at deep backward square, and just reels it in. It’s three. Broad then grabs a single with a dab into the ring and that will be immensely frustrating for Australia - not reading the game at all there. Bairstow sweeps for one. Wasn’t sure whether he should take it, but does. Broad laps another for a single. Smith does that thing where he tries to run around from slip, but he’s nowhere near it. 76th over: England 278-8 (Bairstow 109, Broad 7) Scott Boland’s on now, so only two overs for Starc there. Broad is cramped but heaves one over square leg for two runs. They’re here for a good time, England. Broad attempts the same shot again but misses altogether. Chris Rogers says Boland “looks a little cautious” in his action, following his injury yesterday. Broad then enacts an effective inside edge down to fine leg for two, and the next over mid on for two. Runs, runs, runs... Anonymous text from a member of the press, facetiously, reads: “Carey “injury” is so Tim Paine makes an emotional comeback for a one-off Test in Tassie ... heard it here first.” Hello! 75th over: England 272-8 (Bairstow 109, Broad 1) Some talk Carey may have injured a finger trying to take that ball in the last over. Meantime, there’s a half shout for LBW against Bairstow as he tries to heave Lyon to the leg side, but it’s hit him outside off. Bairstow connects with the next but and it lands on the first bounce to Starc. He accepts the single. Broad is on strike with three balls left. England are looking for runs here. Broad delicately laps his first ball for a single, too. They needed to keep him on strike. Australia is leaky. Lyon is flat to Bairstow, he can’t find a run. Five overs until the second new ball. 74th over: England 270-8 (Bairstow 108, Broad 0) Starc starts with a very wide one that Bairstow chases and misses. Starc winces after the delivery, possibly due to the hollowed out crease line he’s attempting to land in. The next is worked to long leg where Bairstow scampers back for a brisk two - he just makes his ground. It was close enough to check. Later on Bairstow attempts to shovel-pull a very full delivery - it just misses off bail - and Carey can’t glove it. It bursts through his hands and England is able to take a bye, bringing Bairstow back on strike for Lyon’s over. 73rd over: England 267-8 (Bairstow 106, Broad 0) Lyon - with speed dealers on - is in to Bairstow. Second ball and Bairstow reverse sweeps him to the man on the boundary for one. England are bright here. Harris is retained at short leg for Leach, before switching to silly mid off. As described, Leach then top edges Lyon and he perishes. He looked great until that point - but he didn’t need to go so hard. Why not milk Lyon to bring Bairstow on strike? From Paul, who emails: “Not wishing to be pessimistic, but Bairstow doesn’t tend to last long the next morning, even when he is 100% fit and looked comfortable and scoring easily the day before (although I don’t have the stats to back this up). Broad tends to give his wicket away cheaply in circumstances when he accompanies his fellow bowlers, while Anderson inspires such confidence for the final wicket that 0 not out is probably his modal average score. I’m saying England will add no more than 15 runs to the overnight total.” WICKET! Leach c Cummins b Lyon 10 Leach tries to slog sweep Lyon, but succeeds only in top edging it. Cummins comes around from mid on and takes it comfortably. Leach tried to drag that from well outside off-stump. Too much, too soon. 72nd over: England 265-7 (Bairstow 104, Leach 10) It’s Starc from the Paddington end. Bairstow knocks him into the vacant point region - Australia has started with a boundary rider there. There’s a leg gully for Leach and Starc is aiming it there or thereabouts. There’s a lethargic and unconvincing shout for caught behind for one that Leach attempted to flick to fine leg, before Starc serves up a half volley that Leach cracks for four through mid off. Another beautifully correct drive. Inspiring start from Leach. Leach appears to play and miss at the next and Cummins reviews! Leach is nowhere near it. How strange. 71st over: England 260-7 (Bairstow 103, Leach 6) Nathan Lyon has the first over, and he’s bowling to Leach. Harris is under the lid at short leg. Third ball, and Leach lofts him over mid off handsomely, sumptious technique, beautiful feet, with elbow up! It plugs, so it’s only two. Lyon is then flatter to see out the over. Early enterprise from England as Jerusalem rings out. The accepted wisdom is that once the rain hits, we’re done for the day. From Max via email: “Hi Sam, I’ve just been at the sixes cricket bar in Manchester and only nicked off 3 times in 3 overs in the net. Should I book my flight to Hobart now?” Does anyone else have experience of these cricket bars? I’d expect to find it tremendously triggering. I’d be staying up while Bairstow is there, big time. I don’t know how “big time” amplifies it in any way, and yet, there it is. England’s best day yesterday. They are still a long way behind.