Steve Smith passes fifty in Ashes again as Australia reply to England’s 294 all out at The Oval

Steve Smith stayed an immovable thing after Jofra Archer dented Australia’s reply to England’s first-innings 294.
SCORECARD | COMMENTARY / IN-PLAY CLIPS
Smith (59no) led into the match with 671 runs in the series and also long that to 730 by tea from south London after notching his sixth fifty-plus score as many innings this summer and 10th in a row against England.
Australia were 147-4 in the rest – Smith by beating Jack Leach over wide-long for a 20, completing his half-century.
Archer has struck three times, eliminating the desperately out of form David Warner (5) and then Marcus Harris (3) from the opening session, even prior to ousting Marnus Labuschagne (48) at the second – Sam Curran also cleanses together with the scalp of Matthew Wade (19).
After Warner was out caught behind on review, Labuschagne and smith placed on 69 for the third wicket plus a squared-up Harris edged to slide to leave 14-2 to the tourists.
Until Curran ousted Wade leg before but with Labuschagne closing in on a fifth fifty at six Ashes innings , he was trapped lbw in an Archer in-swinger since he missed his attempted leg-side shot.
Warner had previously avoided the ignominy of four straight ducks but still fell cheaply, along with his dismissal ensuring there have now been record-extending 18 opening stands under fifty inside this show, beating the 16 seen from the four-Test, West Indies vs England show in 1934-35.
Even the left-hander is averaging only 9.33 from the series, and it has created double figures only once in nine innings, at the first knock in the third Test at Headingley when he battled to 61.
Smith has no such troubles – although he’s been troubled by the left-arm swing of Curran occasionally on Friday, using the Surrey star having a couple of vocal lbw appeals turned down following curling straight back deliveries .
England were bowled out 31 balls to the morning session after progressing in their instantly 271-8 – Jos Buttler (70) and Leach (21) extending their ninth-wicket stand to 68.
Buttler was bowled off in edge and pad as Pat Cummins (3-84) proceeded onto 27 wickets for the string, while Leach hauled on hitting to hands Mitchell Marsh (5-46) his inaugural Test five-for.
Watch continued policy of the fifth Ashes Test live on Sky Sports The Ashes (station 404). You could also follow over-by-over comment and in-play clips on our rolling blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.

Read more here: http://jikoobelt.com/adv03/?p=13914