The Ashes - Day Two, Fourth Test, Old Trafford - Smith makes 211 as Australia build huge first innings lead

Steve Smith hit a third Ashes double century, putting Australia in the driving seat to take the urn back down under.

Photo from iNews

England - 23-1 / 497-8 dec - Australia
Australia are perfectly poised to take the Ashes back down under after Steve Smith's double century on day two of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
The former skipper was relentless on his way to 211, after being dropped by Jofra Archer off his own bowling and caught by Stokes at slip off a Jack Leach no ball on 118, the tourists declared at 497-8.
It takes his tally for the series to 584 at an average of 194.66, despite missing the second innings at Lord's and the whole of the Headingley Test.
Australia captain Tim Paine too was dropped twice on his way to 58, and England's misery was compounded as Mitchell Starc made 54 not out before the declaration.
England had to negotiate 10 overs at the end of the day and lost Joe Denly to a Matthew Wade reaction catch at short leg to close on 23-1 with nightwatchman Craig Overton on three and Rory Burns on 15.
The pitch should be good for batting for the home side though, as they will look to near Australia's total on Saturday.
England will know, with Australia's mammoth total, that any form of now all-too-common collapse will see the urn going back down under.

Photo from Yahoo Sport Australia

England look bereaved of ideas about how to get Smith out, also racking up 687 runs in the last series down under, and in the same way there a no more superlatives to describe his batting.
He has become the leading run scorer in Test cricket this year in only four innings, with his first five-day match not until 1 August because of his ban after the ball-tampering scandal.
If there was anyone questioning whether Archer's fiery spell and ball that concussed him at Lord's made him less confident with the bat, then he certainly silenced those people today.
It was another peerless display of patience, calculated judgement and ability to place the ball wherever he wants around the ground.
He was fortunate to be reprieved twice, but he capitalised on that to flatten the home side and the Old Trafford crowd - thankfully in better conditions than yesterday.
English crowds have booed him throughout the summer in the World Cup and the first two Tests, coming to the crease, reaching a milestone, and even coming back out to bat after being felled by Archer.
But on his dismissal today, Old Trafford rose to recognise one of the greatest all-time Ashes innings.

Unlike day one, England could not blame the conditions for their below-par display today.
Archer looked lacklustre, with figures of 0-97 from his 27 overs, and gave Smith his first life when he got two hands to a drive back to the bowler off a full toss but it slipped through his grip.
Jason Roy put down Paine at second slip off an edge while on nine, while substitute fielder Sam Curran failed to hold on to a miscued pull shot by the skipper on 49 at mid-on.
Leach continued to bowl well after overstepping when Smith edged to slip, but he added a further 93 runs after the second reprieve.
If it couldn't get any worse for England, Ben Stokes left the field in the middle of an over with a shoulder injury.
After his return to the field he didn't bowl again, and Jonny Bairstow then needed treatment on his right thumb.
Joe Root's attempts to rally his side failed, and the frustration and dejection was palpable until the declaration gave his team the chance to drag themselves from the field.

From 170-3 at the start of the day to 183-4 when Travis Head played around a straight one to give Stuart Broad his third wicket, to 224-5 when Wade skied Leach, Australia were far from in charge of the match.
Paine and Smith changed that though, with a stand of 145 with the former making his first Test half-century for almost a year.
If Smith wasn't leaving the ball with a flamboyant twitch, he was tucking it through the leg-side, through the covers or down the ground.
He looked troubled by Leach at time, and whenever England tested his patience - he passed every time.
Soon before the declaration, he went into white-ball mode, lofting two sixes before reverse-sweeping Joe Root's off-spin to short third man.
Starc hit Broad for four successive fours, then hitting Root and Archer for a six apiece.
Wade dived to hold a rebound off his body to dismiss Denly off Pat Cummins, to epitomise a day that belonged to Australia.

How's stat?

• Despite not playing until August this year, Smith is the highest run-scorer in Tests in 2019 with 589 from four innings
• Smith has scored three Ashes double centuries, second only to Donald Bradman
• Since making his maiden Test century, Smith averages 110.28 in the first innings of Tests
• Since The Oval in 2015, Smith has scored 1,419 runs - including seven hundreds and three fifties - at an average of 141.9
• Smith averages 174.33 since returning from his ball-tampering ban; David Warner averages 11.29
• Smith has been out only twice playing a reverse sweep - Joe Root was the bowler on both occasions
• Smith and Tim Paine's partnership of 145 is the biggest of the series

The Ashes Fixtures and Results

1-5 August
First Test, Edgbaston
Australia won by 251 runs (England 0-1 Australia)

14-18 August
Second Test, Lord's
Match drawn (England 0-1 Australia)

22-26 August
Third Test, Headingley
England won by one wicket (England 1-1 Australia)

4-8 September
Fourth Test, Old Trafford

12-16 September
Fifth Test, The Oval

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