Australia took more control of the Sydney Test on Day 2 with key bowling breakthroughs and a strong batting response. Michael Neser was a key player with the ball, taking four wickets during England’s first innings to slow down their scoring.
Joe Root was the best player for England. Earlier in the day, he scored 160 runs and got his 41st Test century. Root was hard to get rid of because he was good at controlling the ball around the stumps and scoring in the channel. Neser finally got him out with a short ball. The delivery caused a caught and bowled out. Neser said it was a planned surprise and that he doesn’t often bowl bouncers to Root. The catch showed off Neser’s fielding, which he works hard on because he doesn’t get many chances.
After Root was out, England was still under pressure. Australia’s bowlers hit at different times to stop long partnerships from forming. Neser’s four wickets were a big part of keeping England’s total low.
Then, Australia started their first innings response. Travis Head was the most aggressive batsman. Head always wanted to score and kept the pace up. He was able to take advantage of deliveries that seemed to beat the bat because his hand-eye coordination was good. The scoreboard moved quickly because of boundaries on the off side.
Neser talked about how Head has grown as a batter. He said that Head was clear-headed when making decisions and was willing to attack every ball. The approach was in line with what had happened earlier in the series, when Head put pressure on the other team by being aggressive instead of playing defense for a long time.
Head had not lost a game by the end of Day 2. Neser stayed at the crease at 1. Australia set themselves up to take the lead in the first innings when play resumes.
The day had both disciplined bowling and aggressive batting. Root’s innings were the best for England, but Australia did a good job of responding. Neser helped with both bat and ball, and Head’s innings kept Australia on track in their reply.
Australia will start Day 3 with the goal of turning the platform into a big lead. England will try to get early wickets to take back control.
Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/neser-hails-root-and-head-brilliance-on-day-2-in-sydney-test
