Aussies dig in under lights on spirited first day in Adelaide
Related Story: Australia, England go toe to toe in second Test, as it happened
Australia has fought through a fluctuating first day of the day-night Ashes Test in Adelaide to reach 4-209 at stumps.
Honours can be considered even after the opening day of the second Test, as England restricted Australia's dangerous partnerships from flourishing while Australia's batsman dug in to avoid any trademark collapses.
At the close of play, the middle-order duo of Peter Handscomb (36*) and Shaun Marsh (20*) remain unbeaten, having seen off some quality English bowling under the Adelaide Oval lights.
It was a day that ebbed and flowed, and one that was too frequently interrupted by uncooperative weather.
England captain Joe Root's decision to bowl first having won the toss raised eyebrows, even more so as the new Australian opening pair of David Warner and Cameron Bancroft looked disturbingly comfortable against the new ball.
But the great anticipation that met the first session of the Test was quickly extinguished by persistent rain that took players off the field twice, and eventually brought about an early tea.
That break did England wonders though, as the game was brought to life by the run out of Bancroft almost immediately after the second session begun.
Geoff Lemon's analysis
It was hard to get a read or a sense of rhythm from the first day at Adelaide Oval.
The crowd was there hours before play, but play didn't last very long before rain. The tea break never really happened, bleeding into the varied delays. England elected to bowl, but declined to bowl in ways that might get wickets. The catch from Khawaja was put down, then he donated his wicket with exactly the shot he knew he shouldn't play.
That and the run-out of Bancroft got England on top when they weren't playing well. Then when they did bowl more dangerously in the final session, they couldn't get a wicket. Handscomb or Marsh survived the scares and may prosper tomorrow.
In terms of upside-down backwardness, England got through a whole Test match in Brisbane without being able to get Steve Smith out, then a 70-mile-per-hour seamer on debut knocked him over in a few deliveries.
Craig Overton is the least heralded member of England's attack, but knocked over the world's in-form Test batsman with a cutter than moved back off the seam. The unexpected reigned, amongst the unexpected rain. On the next day, normality may resume.
Warner had as much of a role in the dismissal as fielder Chris Woakes, as Bancroft was told to come and then retreat by his team-mate, only to see his stumps thrown down by the unerringly accurate Woakes.
Joined by Usman Khawaja, Warner resettled and took the attack back to England. His promising innings of 47 was cut short by a rising Woakes delivery that caught the edge through to Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps.
Buoyed by the breakthrough, Steve Smith's arrival sparked something in England. Fed up with the Aussie skipper dictating terms, Stuart Broad and co launched a verbal battle that visibly rattled Smith and made for the most intriguing one-on-one contest of the series to date.
The pair survived to the dinner break, adding some more expansive strokes to the arsenal as the session progressed and with Khawaja reaching a composed, if slightly fortunate — Mark Stoneman really ought to have taken a simple outfield catch to dismiss the number three earlier — half-century.
But the break soon proved Khawaja's undoing, or rather a loose drive to a wide Jimmy Anderson delivery did. He was caught by James Vince in the gully and the feeling was the momentum of the match was shifting once again.
Handscomb looked scratchy for most of the evening, characteristically stuck on the crease and nibbling away at anything shorter than a half volley, but was well supported by Smith.
For a while, Smith was more concerned with his running verbal battle with Anderson, who was positioned pitch side and shoulder to shoulder with the non-striking batsman. The encounter threatened to get a little too heated, but umpire Aleem Dar ensured the Aussie skipper focussed on the job at hand.
And it certainly looked like he was — until Overton, on his Test debut, somehow managed to find the slightest gap between Smith's bat and pad, taking a little of each en route to the middle stump. As first Test wickets go, the imperious Australian captain for 40 is up there with the best Overton could have hoped for.
That left a tricky 90 minutes or so for Australia to negotiate, but an unfamiliar backbone was soon on display as Handscomb and Shaun Marsh dug in to reach stumps without any more damage.
It sets up an intriguing second day, when Australia can hope to bat through the best of the conditions and hope to hit England hard under lights later on Sunday.
