Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, says there will be no curfews imposed on his players in the wake of Ben Stokes’ arrest

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-20171:45

Getting drunk is the best form of team bonding – KP

Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, has confirmed that there will be no curfews imposed on his players during the forthcoming Ashes, but added that “sensible” guidelines have been drawn up in the wake of Ben Stokes’ arrest outside a Bristol nightclub last month.Speaking in Perth during England’s first nets session since arriving in Australia, Bayliss reiterated his long-held belief that personal responsibility is a key aspect of being a professional cricketer, and added that England’s players themselves had decided when is and isn’t acceptable to have a drink and enjoy the experience of being on tour.”Not drinking between matches is just sensible,” Bayliss told the BBC. “There’s been no set curfews. I think they’re just sensible rulings.”To me, they’re what we should be sticking to anyway as a player or someone around a professional set-up. The players have sat down and had a chat and they’re the ones that’ve come up with it.”With Stokes withdrawn from the tour pending further investigation into the incident outside Mbargo nightclub on September 25, and following the disciplining of three other players who had been out that night – Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Liam Plunkett -England’s captain, Joe Root, was forced to deny last week that the England team is beset by a drinking culture.But Bayliss believes that instilling a siege mentality in the wake of the Stokes incident would undermine England’s hopes of success in the Ashes.”We certainly don’t want to put too many curfews on them that keep them in their rooms,” he said. “It’s a long tour, you’ve got to get out and experience the country that you’re touring.”His comments echo the views of Kevin Pietersen, a three-times Ashes tourist, who last week told ESPNcricinfo that nights out on long tours were a vital factor in team bonding.”When we had the great tour Down Under in 2010-11, we had the most incredible couple of nights out at the start of that tour, which brought the team so close together,” Pietersen said. “I know that it sounds so stupid, but if you go and get hammered as a team on a night out – as senior and junior players – the bonds you can create there are better than any ridiculous sessions you can do in the forest in Germany.”Bayliss admitted that the aftermath of the Stokes arrest had been a “difficult time” for the team, but that their arrival in Australia had helped to focus their minds on the task at hand.”It’s a month ago now, and certainly the guys here in Australia have gone about their business and there hasn’t really been chat about it all,” he said. “Everyone’s been concentrating on what we need to do to win this series.”He conceded that Stokes’ absence was less than ideal but echoed Joe Root’s pre-departure statement that the team were preparing to be without the allrounder.”It’s something you’d much rather do without,” Bayliss said. “The Australian media will hammer away and try to put the pressure on in other areas as well. We have to try to deal with that and keep it separate from what we are doing on the practice field and in matches.”Root said the other day himself. They are concentrating on playing without him. If we worry too much about whether he is or he isn’t, that takes the focus off what we are doing. If we see that creeping in with the players, we will stop it as soon as we can. They are getting on with it well.”He also gave an indication of England’s thinking about how they would rebalance the side, with Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes set to move up the order in order to accommodate another bowler.”Having to replace Ben and the combination that we come up with requires doing a bit of both,” Bayliss said. “Personally I think we have to play a bowler in his place which makes our batting not quite as long but when you have Chris Woakes at No. 8, that’s probably the combination I’ve been after for a while.”Mooen Ali batting as low as No. 8 for the last couple of years I think that’s a waste. I think it’s something that as the team develops over the coming years, that’s a combination that we will get to. We have had problems at the top of the order so having Mo at eight and Woakes nine suited us. It’s been successful, so no problems there. Eventually Bairstow and Ali at six and seven and Woakes at eight is a combination England will end up with.”

Wolves "will do their best" to keep hold of midfielder Matheus Nunes beyond the summer transfer window, according to an update from renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

How much does Matheus Nunes earn?

The Portuguese, who currently earns £85,000 per week at Molineux, joined Wanderers from Sporting CP last summer, coming in as an exciting signing, having once been hailed as "one of the best players in the world today" by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

In truth, Nunes' first season in a Wolves shirt wasn't always the most eye-catching, with the 24-year-old arguably not enjoying the influence many hoped he would. He scored just once in 35 Premier League matches, and while that isn't necessarily his job in the team, more end product would have been nice, given his technical ability.

The Portugal international clearly remains an important player moving forward, however, and it should be stressed that many foreign signings can find it hard to adjust to life in England straight away, given the speed and power of the game in this country.

Nunes is contracted to Wolves until the summer of 2027, so it would surely take a huge bid from someone to be able to prise him away so soon after joining.

Could Matheus Nunes stay at Wolves?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano said Wolves are doing their utmost to ensure that Nunes is still at the club next season, following the exits of both Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho:

"Matheus Nunes – A player linked with big moves in recent times, but Wolves already lost Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves in the midfield this summer, so there’s no news at all about Nunes right now. Wolves will do their best to keep him. For sure he was on Liverpool’s list in January, but now their focus is on Romeo Lavia."

Keeping hold of Nunes has to be seen as a primary objective at Wolves this summer, considering he has been lauded as "unbelievable" by former teammate Goncalo Santos in the past. While he didn't always shine last season, he still averaged 1.9 tackles per game in the league, highlighting his defensive skills, and he enjoyed an 82.3% pass completion in a team that struggled at times and didn't necessarily see a huge amount of the ball.

At 24, the midfielder is also still a fairly young player who may only go on to improve in the coming years, so there is no reason why he can't become the new star at Molineux in the middle of the park, now that both Neves and Moutinho have moved on.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see a bid come in for Nunes from another club, given his quality, but as mentioned, Wolves find themselves in an extremely strong bargaining position when it comes to his future, and they would surely only consider accepting an offer if it was a big offer.

Retaining Nunes could be seen as a major positive as the new Premier League campaign edges closer all the time, and he may go up a gear in 2023/24, especially after enjoying a full pre-season working alongside Julen Lopetegui.

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has a "very good chance to stay" this summer as the club are yet to receive the amount that they want for him, according to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Thomas Partey leaving Arsenal this summer?

It's been an outstanding transfer window for the red side of North London so far this summer as the club look to go one better than runners-up next season.

So far, the club have spent £65m on signing German international Kai Havertz from cross-city rivals Chelsea, £34m to secure the signature of Dutch defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax and a whopping £105m to finally lure Declan Rice from West Ham United – a new record for a British player.

In total, Mikel Arteta's side have spent around £204m on signings this summer. With the spending set to continue, current players are going to have to make way, with Ghanian international Partey looking, at one point, as if his time at the Emirates had come to an end.

At the end of June, it was reported by CBS Sports that the 30-year-old had garnered interest from three clubs in the Saudi Pro League, a report backed up by the Express' Ryan Taylor just two days later.

Despite all this interest from the Middle East, if Partey were to leave this summer, he has always favoured a move that keeps him in European football, with Juventus being his primary destination of choice, per CBS Sports.

That said, the Old Lady are reluctant to stump up the fee that Arsenal would want for their star player, and with that being the case, the club are more than happy to keep the 6-foot-1 titan for another season, per Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"They were open to letting him go, but only in case of a big proposal. At the moment, they have been approached by Saudi clubs but not reaching the €40m-€45m (£34m-£38m) they wanted for Thomas Partey and also Juventus three weeks ago asked for Thomas, but they don't want to pay that money."

"At the moment, the feeling internally at the club is that Thomas Partey has very good chances to stay at Arsenal and to continue at Arsenal because no one is putting on the table €40m to €45m.

"So very good chances for Thomas to stay and it means Arsenal have gone quiet on Romeo Lavia."

Who else has Arsenal been linked to this summer?

While the club have been focusing on big-money signings so far, Edu and Co look like they'll pull off their annual foray into the Brazilian league once again this year to sign the highly rated Gremio midfielder Bitello.

According to Italian publication TuttoMercato Web (via the Sun), the Gunners are set to complete the signing of the 23-year-old later this week for a fee of around £6.8m.

The 23-year-old has had a decent season so far this year, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 36 matches for the Rei de Copas.

Another attacking player that has been touted for a move to Islington is Ajax's Mohammed Kudus, a versatile player who has filled in at striker, right-wing, attacking midfield and central midfield over recent seasons, and would add some extra bite to Arteta's midfield.

However, Edu should get a move on if he wants to land the Ghanaian international as reports suggest that Chelsea are also interested in Kudus and are currently slightly ahead in the race to sign him.

It looks like it's set to be another exhilarating year for Arsenal fans next season, and with Partey staying and the team getting stronger, they might just go one better than they did last year.

Arsenal have enjoyed a period of stable progression under Mikel Arteta, with little cause for worry as he forges a brighter future. However, that has not been a process without its hiccups…

Is Douglas Luiz leaving Aston Villa?

Having handed Emi Martinez a show of faith amidst Bernd Leno's injury, the Argentine impressed in between the sticks for a period.

Many thought they have pulled a blinder when such a stint resulted in a permanent move away to Aston Villa, retrieving a hefty £17m fee for what was essentially a backup goalkeeper. Few could have imagined just how far he would continue to grow.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

Now, in an attempt to avenge that devastating decision, and bolster their midfield too, perhaps the Gunners could seek to snag Douglas Luiz from Unai Emery's clutches.

After all, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones suggested that they remain in the hunt, speaking to GIVEMSPORT:

"I think it’s an open secret in football that Arsenal still want Douglas Luiz, but they have failed to sign him in the past and given that Aston Villa are in a better place now than they were in 2022, I would expect them to keep hold of him again.

"It would take a huge offer to change their stance on that and while I do actually think this would be a great style of player for Arsenal to sign, I’m not convinced they have the capability in this window to make an offer that is so strong that Aston Villa can not turn it down.

How good is Douglas Luiz?

In his debut campaign at Villa Park, the Argentina international quickly established how much of a blunder sanctioning his exit was with his fine goalkeeping displays.

Featuring in all of their Premier League games that year, he maintained a 7.18 average rating, buoyed by his 15 clean sheets and 3.7 saves per game, at a 76% success rate, via Sofascore.

He was comfortably the highest-rated shot-stopper in the division that term, made even more impressive given how busy he was. Martinez was forced to make the third-most saves that year too.

However, that was not the extent of his success in the Midlands, given he has gone on to feature 112 times for the club.

His exploits led to an emergence within his national team, which had huge ramifications on the recent 2022 World Cup.

The 30-year-old was called upon on numerous occasions, emerging at the biggest moments to keep his side alive. He helped them crawl through a penalty shootout against the Netherlands before his last-minute save from Randal Kolo Muani prevented France from winning the final at the death.

Then, he would be the hero yet again, saving once in another shootout to become the hero. Gabby Agbonlahor even suggested: "I think he's the best goalkeeper in the world."

To think of where his career has risen, and how easily he was allowed to leave by Arteta, it likely remains one of his few big regrets from his time at the Emirates.

However, adding Luiz to his ranks should alleviate that frustration, given the attacking impetus he would offer to his engine room, alongside a tireless work rate. It could be the key addition that helps push them closer to that title.

His 7.10 average rating in the league last season was the best of any Villa player, largely bolstered by his 12 goal contributions 86% pass accuracy, two tackles and 1.2 key passes per game, via Sofascore.

The Brazilian is creative yet cut-throat, with writer Jack Grimse having branded the £75k-per-week star a "warrior" in the past.

To bring this kind of steel and elegance to Arteta's side, which prides itself on blending work ethic with pure quality, and at last, they could be set to get back at Villa for taking and turning Martinez into one of the world's best.

Marco Marais earned himself a slice of cricketing history at East London last week, by crashing his way to the fastest first-class triple-century

Firdose Moonda01-Dec-2017

Border batsman Marco Marais earned himself a slice of cricketing history at East London last week, by crashing his way to the fastest first-class triple-century, for Border against Eastern Province.”I don’t think anyone actually thinks they are going to get 300,” Marais told after making an unbeaten 300 off 191 balls. “Before the season started I was targeting over 500 first-class runs and I have already passed that, so now I am going to have to make new goals for myself for the rest of the season.”Not only did Marais achieve a career-first triple-century but he broke a record that has stood for 96 years. Australia’s Charles Macartney’s triple-hundred came off 221 balls against Nottinghamshire in 1921. He went on to finish on 345.Marais may well have surpassed Macartney’s score at Buffalo Park but Border called time on his innings as soon he reached the triple-century. They declared on 512 for 4, bowled their provincial rivals Eastern Province out for 212 and were 66 for 2 in response.Though the match was not won, Marais will claim a personal victory after an innings which featured 35 fours and 13 sixes and featured a record fifth-wicket stand of 428. He hopes the innings can provide a stepping stone to break into the Warriors franchise side.”I really hope someone sits up and takes notice. I think every semi-pro player dreams of playing at the next level, which is franchise cricket, and I would love to play in it,” Marais said.The franchise are currently engaged in the Ram Slam 20-over tournament, where they sit at the bottom of the table with only one win from six matches. Their woes would well call for someone with Marais’ confidence, especially as his approach appears to be based on self-belief.”I was striking the ball so well,” he said. “I decided that I was just going to go hard at them and it came off in the end.”Marais’ coach Frank Plaatjes said he had “never seen anything,” like the innings before and believes there is more to come from the 24-year old. “I have always said Marco is a special player, I knew something was on the cards because he has been playing so well, but we didn’t expect 300 to be honest,” Plaatjes said.Marais is currently in action for Border against Northern Cape in Kimberley, where they are struggling. Border were bowled out for 115 in their first innings and Marais made just 5. He currently sits second on the three-day cup run charts.

Celtic enjoyed a terrific start to their 2023/24 Scottish Premiership term as they beat Ross County 4-2 on the opening day at Parkhead.

Who scored for Celtic against Ross County?

David Turnbull, who scored twice, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Matt O'Riley all got their names on the scoresheet for the Hoops in Brendan Rodgers' first official match of his second spell at the club.

O'Riley has started his campaign with a goal after the Denmark international produced three in 38 appearances throughout the entire 2022/23 season, whilst he also registered an assist on Saturday.

The former Fulham midfielder is an outstanding attacking threat from the middle of the park and Rodgers could find a dream partner for him by completing a swoop for Manchester United's Scott McTominay, who is a reported transfer target for the Bhoys.

How good is Scott McTominay?

Across the 2021/22 campaign, the Scotland international showcased his ability as a defensive midfielder for the Red Devils and could be a fantastic signing for Celtic if he is able to translate that form over to Parkhead.

McTominay only started ten league matches under Erik ten Hag last term, which meant that the United academy graduate did not have many chances to impress, but thrived as a number six across 28 Premier League starts during the previous season.

The £78k-per-week titan averaged an outstanding 3.2 tackles and interceptions combined per game for the English giants and the 6 foot 4 giant displayed his ability in the air as he won 2.3 aerial battles per outing, with a success rate of 67%.

Last season, no Celtic central midfielder with at least one Premiership start managed more than 2.2 tackles and interceptions or 0.7 aerial duels won per clash.

This suggests that McTominay has the quality to be a phenomenal defensive presence at the base of Rodgers' midfield, which could provide O'Riley with even more opportunities to show off his attacking ability at the top end of the pitch.

The ex-MK Dons ace racked up an exceptional 12 assists and created 2.1 chances per game for his teammates in the league last term, which meant that he topped the charts for the club in both statistics.

O'Riley provided 16 'big chances' from midfield and chipped in with three goals as he proved himself to be a consistently impressive performer in possession who can open up the opposition's defence on a regular basis.

McTominay, however, is not an attack-minded midfielder who is likely to bomb forward and leave the defence exposed as he has only scored 19 goals and produced five assists in 209 first-team appearances for United.

The Scottish colossus, who was once lauded as a "monster" by his former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, could sit in midfield and use his defensive instincts to consistently cut out opposition attacks to protect the likes of Maik Nawrocki and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

This could, therefore, free up the likes of Reo Hatate, David Turnbull and O'Riley to go and do what they want to do on the ball without having to worry about the other side of the game as much, as they would have a terrific enforcer there to cover for them if the ball is turned over in midfield.

They may have ended at 75 for 7 and been saved from defeat by bad light, but for most of the five rain-interrupted days at Eden Gardens, Sri Lanka were the dominant side. While concerned by his team’s batting collapse on the final afternoon, interim coach Nic Pothas was pleased overall with their performance to begin their tour of India.It was the continuation, he said, of a process of improvement that began when India visited Sri Lanka in July-August and whitewashed them 3-0.”The process absolutely began there, in Sri Lanka,” he said. “The day the Indian team got on a plane and flew out, the process started. It probably started before that, because of the amount of planning that goes on, so that we were ready. Things like that don’t happen overnight and certainly we’re not going to be counting our chickens.”We’ve played a couple of good Tests against Pakistan [against whom they won 2-0 in the UAE], we’ve played pretty well here. But we’ve got a long way to go. But this side is going to be a very good side in the future, there’s no doubt.”Pothas hoped Sri Lanka could keep this positive trend going through the rest of this series.”I think you always set a goal to improve,” he said. “We had a series in Sri Lanka where we did not compete at all. We’ve come here, and we’ve actually been very competitive in the first Test match. That’s a huge positive, and it’s a credit to the support staff, the players, the way they got about preparing, about strategising for this game.”You know, it’s only one game of cricket, this series is three games long. But the takeaway is going to be that we played a series against them, we got tougher. We obviously had some success; we played some very good cricket. So we’ll see if we could continue to ride that wave.”In the fourth innings, set a task of either surviving 47 overs or chasing 231, Sri Lanka crumbled against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. Pothas said India’s quicks maintained intense pressure on the batsmen, and that they would only learn to deal with such pressure by experiencing it more often.”I think there always are concerns if you lose seven wickets,” he said. “That’s going to be a concern for any team. But you look at three very good quicks, you’re going to be under pressure, but the more often you play, [the better you will get at handling it.] I think these two series back-to-back against India is going to be the making of the Sri Lankan team in the future, because if you play against quality under pressure you become better.”So yes, it’s a concern but I’m more excited about how we fought and came out the other end. Actually, you’re looking at one day or a couple of hours of cricket; I’m looking at four days of cricket where we played very good cricket.”India were in trouble in the morning session when three quick wickets from Suranga Lakmal left them four down while only leading by 91. Sri Lanka continued to chip away at the wickets, but India pulled away thanks to Virat Kohli’s 18th Test hundred, a knock that Pothas termed “fantastic”.”I don’t think it went wrong [for Sri Lanka],” Pothas said. “You’ve got to look at it in two ways. There was a fantastic innings played by a world-class cricketer. I thought we bowled very well, we fielded very well. The intensity was good. Yes, we had India under some pressure. Virat played a fantastic innings and actually set up a very good game of Test-match cricket. I don’t think anything went wrong. I think there was some very good cricket on both sides.”Kohli’s innings set up a tense finish, with Shami and Bhuvneshwar steaming in backed by the noise of a large Monday crowd, and sparks flew when Shami exchanged words with the combative wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella.”That’s fantastic, isn’t it? That’s Test-match cricket,” Pothas said. “It’s a tough environment, it’s a cauldron, and that’s how players earn respect from each other. I thought it was played fantastically well. Very tough, high-pressure. Very enjoyable. Great for the spectators.”

Jonathan Walters has hit back at Roy Keane over comments the Manchester United legend made about the Irish ex-winger.

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Walters hits back at KeaneUnited legend criticised Walters in 2019 clipEx-Stoke man breaks silenceWHAT HAPPENED?

In 2019 Keane criticised Walters during a live recording of the , alleging that the former Ipswich, Stoke and Republic of Ireland attacker used personal issues as an excuse to play poorly for him and at one point asked not to play for his country. Walters has now hit back on Twitter and says he "feels sorry" for his former manager.

AdvertisementWHAT WALTER SAID ABOUT THE CLIP

On January 5, Walters Tweeted: "To give context to the Off The Ball clip, this was on the back of an emotional interview I did on The Late Late show with Ryan Tubridy when I spoke of some personal issues. I discussed my brother who had recently passed and other family issues which I won’t go into right now but were just as poignant.

"I am an individual who stands up for what I believe is right, but there are others who struggle when people don't capitulate to them. The issue for those who make things up is ensuring there's no evidence to the contrary, and in this case, there is.

"Make no mistake, when Roy crossed the line at Ipswich, I put him firmly back in his place and I was fully justified with my response. Many years later when he regurgitated his thoughts whilst we were on International duty with Ireland, history repeated itself."

WHAT WALTERS SAID ABOUT KEANE'S TROPHY DIG

In the podcast clip, Keane jokes about the lack of silverware that Walters won during his 18-year playing career.

In response, Walters tweeted: "When it comes to measuring a successful life based on awards and medals. I don’t require material possessions to demonstrate what I’ve achieved in life. I feel sorry for those who judge their worth and believe that they are superior to everyone else based on these things. I’ve been able to live a dream and have a career at the very pinnacle of football, doing what 99.99% of the population will never get the chance to do. I have got a beautiful wife and amazing children who are my greatest achievement bar none."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Keane managed Walters both at Ipswich and the Republic of Ireland when he was assistant coach to Martin O'Neil. In the same Off The Ball clip, Keane was critical of other Irish players including Harry Arter and Stephen Ward, but he was especially harsh to Walters.

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Saurabh Kumar and Upendra Yadav add 246 for the seventh wicket after top order stumbles to 74 for 6 before lunch; Bawne 92 lifts Maharashtra

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2017Counter-attacking centuries from rookie Upendra Yadav and allrounder Saurabh Kumar helped Uttar Pradesh stage a remarkable recovery after being reduced to 74 for 6 before lunch on the first day against Assam in Guwahati. The seventh-wicket pair added 246 in just 38.1 overs to drive the innings, with UP eventually finishing with 349. Rishav Das and Rahul Hazarika played out a tricky new-ball burst towards close as Assam ended on 25 for no loss.Suresh Raina, the UP captain, continued to flounder in his quest to regain lost form, falling for 6. Mohammad Saif and Rinku Singh, who rescued UP in the first innings in their previous outings against Delhi, managed just 4 and 18 respectively. Rajjakuddin Ahmed, the fast bowler, picked up three wickets while Dhiraj Goswami, Abu Nechim and Gokul Sharma, the captain, picked up two wickets apiece for Assam.Ankit Bawne fell eight short of his second century this season and 18th overall, as Maharashtra overcame an early wobble to end on 249 for 5 on an attritional opening day against Railways in Pune. The innings was built on two vital partnerships: 71 for the fourth-wicket (between Bawne and Naushad Shaikh) and 95 for the fifth (Bawne and Motwani). Karaun Thakur, the medium pacer, who removed the in-form Rahul Tripathi earlier in the day, came back to dismiss Bawne minutes before stumps to even the scales for Railways.

England managed to take four wickets – including that of Steven Smith for 40 – but Australia had nevertheless built a solid platform after Joe Root’s decision to put them in

The Report by Brydon Coverdale02-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt is a bold captain who sends the opposition in to bat in any Test match, let alone in the Ashes, let alone away from home, let alone on an obviously good batting pitch. But that was the decision Joe Root made on the first day in Adelaide; by stumps it still looked a bold call, and not necessarily a good one. Australia were not exactly unscathed by the close of play, but at 4 for 209, neither were they as scathed as Root had intended.Two recent field-first decisions by England captains in Australia stick out in the memory. When Nasser Hussain sent Steve Waugh’s men in at the Gabba in 2002, he knew his mistake by the fifth over of the match. Australia closed the first day at 2 for 364. But at the MCG in 2010, Andrew Strauss was rewarded for his brave move when Australia were skittled for 98, and by stumps England were 0 for 157 in reply. Root’s call falls somewhere in between.There was some swing and seam movement early in the day, but Australia’s openers left well and were untroubled during a rain-affected opening session. Under lights in the evening, the ball again moved around, and here Australia lost two key wickets: Usman Khawaja edged behind to a James Anderson ball that moved away, and Steven Smith played on to the debutant fast bowler Craig Overton.Such was Smith’s impact at the Gabba that Root might almost consider getting Smith for 40 to be worth the bowl-first decision in itself. As Root noted in the lead-up to this Test, take out Smith’s score at the Gabba and Australia lost the rest of their wickets for less than 200. Still, England failed to run through the Australians after snaring Khawaja and Smith, and by stumps Peter Handscomb was well set on 36 and Shaun Marsh had 20.Australia were hoping that one of those two men would cash in, for David Warner (47), Smith (40) and Khawaja (53) had all made strong starts that did not evolve into great innings. No partnership lasted 20 overs, and England continued to chip away through the rain-shortened day.In fact, there was much chippy behaviour from both sides, not surprisingly after the Jonny Bairstow headbutt saga of the Gabba Test. Smith was welcomed to the crease by an aggressive spell from Stuart Broad that included many exchanges of words, and later Smith found himself involved in a petty turf-war with Anderson, who was fielding at catching mid-on to Handscomb, very close to where Smith was stationed as non-striker.In the end, it was Overton who did the important job of actually removing Smith, and not just annoying him. Overton found the perfect length to trouble Australia’s captain, who was caught in no-man’s-land between playing forward and back, and inside-edged onto his stumps. Picked in place of Jake Ball, Overton justified his inclusion with that one delivery.Earlier in the final session, Anderson had stopped Khawaja turning his start into something more when he moved one away just enough to be edged to gully, where James Vince took a sharp catch moving to his left. Khawaja had failed to add to his dinner score, and his departure must have relieved Mark Stoneman, who had dropped a gettable chance in the deep when Khawaja had 44 and top-edged a hook off Chris Woakes.Khawaja was not the first Australian to flirt outside the off stump when he felt set: Warner fell for 47 when he dabbled at Woakes and was caught behind by Bairstow. Warner was frustrated at himself after working patiently for 102 deliveries, and he wasn’t the only Australian left frustrated by David Warner.After the opening session was reduced to 13.5 overs due to persistent rain, it took only four balls for England to strike upon the resumption. Warner pushed Broad towards cover and a misfield from Moeen Ali resulted in Warner calling Cameron Bancroft through for a single. But Warner changed his mind and Bancroft was caught short at the non-striker’s end by a direct hit from Woakes. Perhaps Bancroft’s heavy head slowed down his turning speed.It was just the boost England needed after few balls threatened the stumps in the opening session. Still, Root had to find a way through the rest of the top order and it was therefore a little surprising, given Khawaja’s struggles against spin, that he waited until Khawaja had faced 26 balls before introducing Moeen. By then, Khawaja was set, and he had no qualms about advancing and lofting Moeen over mid-off.By the time Khawaja had the second half-century of his Ashes career, and stood alongside Smith at the crease on 2 for 139, Root’s gamble at the toss was looking poor. At least when stumps arrived, Root was well out of Hussain territory.