The Ashes live scores: Follow the action from Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and England

Smith took the single off the first ball of the Stokes over, and shows PLENTY of faith in Richardson, who duly survives the next five.

164 the lead, one wicket in hand. Can the Aussies push it to 175? 180? Or dare to dream of 200?

Oh boy. England have got their tails up, and we’re pretty much locked into a two-day Test now!

Starc edges one to Root, Carse suddenly has 4-25, and Jhye Richardson is the last man in.

End of the over so Smith takes strike... will he go aggressive as he runs out of partners?

9-121, lead just 163.

Australia are now eight down. Gulp.

Neser can’t replicate his deeds from the first innings, and falls victim to a caught-and-bowled after executing a string of those types of dismissal in Brisbane.

Sharp catch from Carse in his follow through, one-handed at full strength. Combined with his run-out of Green in the first innings, it’s another great effort off his own bowling.

8-121 now, Starc at the crease.

Cam Green can’t get it done!

The West Aussie falls victim to Stokes, with an unconvincing push succeeding only in providing a straight-forward catch for Brook at second slip. Played away from his body, departs for 19.

Michael Neser comes to the wicket at 7-119, a lead of 161. After Neser top-scored in Australia’s first dig, can he stand tall with the bat again and provide support for Smith?

The acting captain is riding his luck!

An edge off Carse’s bowling falls agonisingly short of Brook at second slip, and he lives to fight another day.

He nudges a single to move to 18, and it’s 6-116 (lead 158).

England go upstairs for a review after an LBW shout is turned down. The ball is shown to be sneaking down leg.

So far, so good for Australia in two overs after lunch. 6-114, with the lead 156.

It’s streaky, but the Aussies will take them any way they can get them at the moment!

Green gets a thick edge through the cordon for four, and then glances one more convincingly down to the fine-leg boundary the very next ball.

He’s suddenly 16 off 11, and it’s 6-110 - a lead of 152.

We’re back for the second session - and all eyes are on Steve Smith and Cam Green and whether they can steer the ship out of troubled waters here!

The lead is 140.

Here’s the lunch wrap from our man on the ground, Jackson Barrett, as we witness another Test in fast-forward!

Join us in half an hour as we resume to see what the Aussies can do in the middle session.

Australia reach lunch at 6-98, with Green edging one through the cordon and down to the boundary.

It was a nightmare close to the session after it had started in fairly promising fashion. They lost 3-6 in the space of two overs as Head, Khawaja and Carey all departed, with so much now resting on the shoulders of Smith, who’s there on 16.

Tongue and Carse have two wickets apiece and have helped ease concerns around the absence of Atkinson, who still hasn’t been sighted following his hamstring issue earlier in the morning.

We’re hurtling towards another two-day Test match in the wake of Perth, it seems - unless Smith and Green can do some serious banding together after the break.