England 185 and 4 for 31 (Root 12*, Stokes 2*) trail Australia 267 (Harris 76, Anderson 4-33) by 51 runs
Some vintage James Anderson bowling kept England in the contest on an eventful second day of the third Test at the MCG, only for the tourists' brittle batting to falter in the face of a devastating blitz by Australia's quicks which put the hosts on the verge of sealing the series.
Debutant Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc claimed two wickets each to crush England during a scintillating final hour and undo the effect of Anderson's four-wicket haul, which had fleetingly given the tourists hope.
With their warm-up routine thrown into chaos by four positive Covid tests among team staff and their families which delayed their departure for the ground - and the start by half an hour - England showed the sort of bottle that was sorely missing as Australia romped to a 2-0 series lead to wrest back some control with the ball. Cleared to play after passing lateral flow Tests in the morning, the England players were scheduled to undergo PCR testing at the close of play, with the match allowed to proceed in the meantime.
And it was the 39-year-old Anderson, who made his international debut at the same ground in an ODI in 2002, leading the way with two particularly miserly spells which yielded the important wickets of Steve Smith and Marcus Harris, who top-scored with 76, either side of lunch.
Australia were bowled out for 267, a first-innings lead of 82 runs. But England's top order had no answers as Starc claimed two wickets in as many balls to put them 2 for 7. As if the pressure on England captain Joe Root wasn't cranked up enough, he barely survived Starc's hat-trick ball, an unplayable delivery beating his outside edge.
By the close, England were in disarray after Starc struck in the fifth over of the innings when he found Zak Crawley's outside edge, taken by keeper Alex Carey for 5, and then trapped Dawid Malan lbw for a first-ball duck.
Pat Cummins maintained the pressure in an outstanding spell, while Boland came on for the penultimate over and had Haseeb Hameed caught behind with his third ball, then removed nightwatchman Jack Leach with a gem that clattered into the top of off stump two balls later as the match slipped back into a more familiar rhythm with England staring down a series defeat.
Root was unbeaten on 12 at the end of the day and Ben Stokes on 2 but, as capable as the England duo are of hauling their side out of trouble, the mission looked beyond even those two.
By the time Anderson took the second new ball in the final session, Australia were eight wickets down and led by 51. He then proceeded to fling himself into the air at mid-on to stop a ball struck firmly by Cummins that was surely headed to the boundary. And while his failure to cling on with his outstretched right hand constituted a drop, his effort enhanced an already impressive display of professionalism by England's elder statesman.
Anderson bowled 10 maidens en route to his haul of 4 for 33 from 23 overs. Having dismissed opener David Warner the previous evening, Anderson bowled Smith for just 16 after Ollie Robinson had removed nightwatchman Nathan Lyon in the fourth over of the second day. Smith fell in a superb Anderson spell of 6-5-1-1, the only run coming off the first ball, an inside edge when Smith was on 5 which Jos Buttler got glove tips to but could only parry the chance to fine leg.
Mark Wood, too, bowled well and he struck with his third ball of the day when the dangerous Marnus Labuschagne fell for just 1 as the first of Root's three catches at slip.
Under-pressure Harris went to lunch unbeaten on 48, having overtured an lbw decision to Ben Stokes when he was on 36 with replays showing that there was bat on ball.
Australia helped themselves to six runs off the first over after lunch, bowled by Leach, and 10 off the second, from Wood, during which time Harris raised his third Test fifty. Both bowlers' subsequent overs were tighter but, as if to ram home the fact that England were in danger of letting their good morning's work come undone, Buttler then fluffed a stumping chance off Harris when he was on 63. The opener advanced at Leach, who saw him coming and fired the ball down the leg side, only for Buttler to thrust out his right glove in vain.
Robinson broke through to dismiss Travis Head, caught by Root, and Anderson had Harris out in similar fashion three runs shy of equalling his best Test score during another outstanding four-over spell that yielded just two runs.
Australia hit the front late in the middle session before Leach, back after a torrid time at the hands of Australia's batters in the opening Test at the Gabba, trapped Cameron Green lbw in the second over after tea.
Stokes removed Carey before Starc and Cummins added 34 runs for the ninth wicket, the third-highest partnership of Australia's innings. Anderson struck again in the fourth over with the new ball to dismiss Cummins, caught by Hameed at point, and Wood had debutant Boland taken in the slips to close out the innings, for what it was worth, given what was to come.
