Head and Warner help Australia take the lead with 196 runs in the Ashes opener
David Warner set up the innings with a 94 chance and Travis Head took a 196-run lead in the stumps with an unbeaten century after a mid-order mini-crash to lead Australia to 343-7 at Stumps on Day 2 Ashes series opener. Warner had a big reprieve at 17 after a no-ball from Ben Stokes. Warner was also thrown into the slip on 48 and was barely avoided as he climbed back to his crease on 60.
But he was out of luck after sharing partnerships of 156 with Marnus Labuschagne (74) for the second wicket and 23 with Steve Smith (12) for the third, finally shortly after the tea break as Ollie Robinson took two wickets with consecutive deliveries.
Robinson had Stokes catch Warner in the covers and then bowled Cameron Green, who didn't play a shot on a ball that hit his stump, during a period when Australia slipped from 189-2 to 195-5. New wicketkeeper Alex Carey successfully blocked the hat-trick ball, his first delivery in Test cricket, but was out at 12 when England pulled back to have the Australians at 236-6.
Head and captain Pat Cummins reunited in a 70-run grandstand that restored Australia's dominance of the first two days at the gabba and sped up the score when England's field was ragged.
The partnership ended when English skipper Joe Root picked up his counterpart's wicket and caught Cummins slipping his leg. Head went on with Mitchell Starc and was on 96 when he tried to punch Root, got hit in the arm and couldn't reach Burns when the ball shot down the side of the leg.
He reached his century of 85 deliveries with a driven limit by Chris Waokes in the first run with the new ball, an innings with 12 fours and two sixes. Head was hit with a full toss by Mark Wood when he was at 105, hitting the glove and helmet before falling to the ground, but recovered and remained undefeated at 112 on stumps.
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Warner's survival and Stokes' delivery progress were the two main topics of conversation on Thursday. Warner received his first reprieve from the TV referee after being beaten by Stokes and thrown his first over in a friendly match since March.
Channel 7 television revealed that Stokes had crossed the line on its previous three deliveries and was not called by the umpires. The Ashes broadcaster later announced that Stokes had crossed the front bend 14 times in the opening session on the second day and had only been called twice for a no-ball.
Cricket Australia said a technology problem with the gabba resulted in the third umpire, Paul Wilson, being unable to check the TV replay of each delivery to see if the bowlers crossed the line and leaving it to the umpires on the field to make the calls.
Robinson returned the best numbers for the English bowlers by winning 3:48 out of 18 overs on an extended second day and also having a chance. Left arm spinner Jack Leach picked up the key wicket from Labuschagne, but was otherwise penalized by the Australian list and returned 1-95 of 11 overs.