• Fifth Test, day one:
England 271-8 v Australia• Buttler finishes first day unbeaten on 64
Two contrasting half-centuries kept England afloat - just about - on an another engaging day of Test cricket. Joe Root dutifully grafted away without inspiration in the first half of the day, while Jos Buttler for the first time in the series unfurled some of his one-day magic in the final session. The upshot was that England finished the day on 271 for eight; Australia will not be too disappointed by that; England might be relieved given that they had sunk to 226 for eight before Buttler and Jack Leach combined under the floodlights.
England’s chief tormentor would not have been predicted at the start. Mitch Marsh, in his first outing of the summer in the Tests, which may explain the onset of cramp, produced his best figures in Test cricket, ending the day with four for 35. The surface, which has a green tinge, offered him some assistance. However it remains sluggish and it is hard to predict what constitutes a good total. The likelihood is that England have not reached that number yet.