BRISBANE: David Warner rode his luck to put Australia in complete control of the first Ashes Test against England at tea on the second day at the Gabba on Thursday.
The gritty opener was bowled by a no-ball by Ben Stokes before lunch, then dropped by Rory Burns in the first over after the break, before Haseeb Hameed bungled a simple run-out when Warner was on 60.
At tea, Australia were 193-3 in reply to England's 147, with Warner on 94 and Travis Head yet to face a ball.
The only wickets to fall in the session were Marnus Labuschagne (74), who sliced an attempted cut off left-arm spinner Jack Leach to Mark Wood at backward point, and the key scalp of Steve Smith, caught behind off Wood for a scratchy 12 shortly before the break.
Warner's good fortune began in the opening session when Stokes bowled him when he was on 17 and Australia 30, but the all-rounder had overstepped to give the Australian opening batsman a reprieve.
England needed to take all their chances to keep their hopes of salvaging anything from the first Test after their disastrous start on Wednesday, when they were bowled out in just 50.1 overs.
They started well when Ollie Robinson claimed his first Ashes wicket, Marcus Harris, with the score on 10.
After a cagey first two hours of an extended session, which began 30 minutes early to make up for time lost to rain on Wednesday, Australia's batsmen cut loose in the last six overs before the break.
They were particularly harsh on Leach, whose three overs immediately before lunch disappeared for 31 runs, including two sixes in one over from Warner and another in his next from Labuschagne.
England went into the Test match without veteran seamers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, surprising many including Australian captain Pat Cummins.
But the seam attack of Robinson, Chris Woakes and the outright pace of Wood were able to keep the Australian batters pinned down early on with some tight and accurate bowling. Robinson was particularly dangerous and made the breakthrough when he enticed Harris to play forward to a ball that left him slightly, the Australian opener edging to second slip, where Dawid Malan took a good low catch.
With overhead conditions much better than on Wednesday and the ground bathed in sunshine, England captain Joe Root made regular bowling changes.
He took the gamble of introducing Stokes, who hasn't played a Test match since March following mental health issues and finger surgery, into the attack.
It looked to have paid off immediately when Stokes drew a thick edge from Warner with his second ball, then two balls later he bowled the Australian opener off his pads, only for the TV umpire to call a no-ball.
Wood, who bowled with real pace all day, gave England some cheer when he removed the dangerous Smith -- so often England's tormentor -- in the penultimate over of the second session.
In more bad news for England, Stokes appeared to injure himself in the opening session and did not bowl between lunch and tea.
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