Live updates: The Ashes, second Test, day two, England vs ...

This partnership is worth 50 off 79 balls now.

Stokes works one around the corner and walks a single. The knee seems to be giving a bit of pain still.

Brook punches wide of mid-off and Cummins fumbles as they get through for a tight single.

Nudging for more singles.

A bit of width and Stokes carves into the deep, but again there's plenty of protection.

Brook tries to drop and run to the off side. There's almost a mix-up, but no such luck.

And more regulation deliveries.

Four! Guided past the lone slip and gully by Brook. Very wide and not much venom off the pitch.

Stokes is still getting under the less dangerous bouncers. Seems much smarter than the way some of his teammates are playing.

Too full to start to Brook, who slaps through the off side.

Head's not giving much to a defensive Stokes.

Stokes is struggling a bit with stuff on his hip. Sort of between a good length and an actual bouncer. Looked like he didn't even pick it up.

This will be his first look at Harry Brook, who drives down the ground, but there's a long-off in place so it's just a single.

Stokes gets some width and slaps hard wide of mid-off. Warner stacks it in trying to get across, so that's one more.

Just picking off single with ease to the deep fielders.

He fires in a full one and Brook drives towards mid-off, but Cummins does well to stop it on the dive. Not a lot of fielders in front of the bat, so that was an important stop.

BANG! Brook watches a short ball all the way onto the bat and rockets it through square leg for four runs.

Cummins comes around the wicket and tries a full slower ball, but Brook just calmly tucks it around the corner.

A tight leave from Stokes as Cummins continues around the wicket.

It's time for spin, I guess? The short stuff was kind of working, so we'll see how this goes.

Half a shout for LBW as the ball goes straight on with the arm, but a lot of bat involved.

And then a better shout, but this one's not turning back down the line enough.

DROPPED! Brook creams a pull shot directly to Marnus Labuschagne and he's slow to get his hands up to it. That ball was going quickly, but not so quickly that he should be dropping it.

Short and waaaaay down leg for four byes. That's rank. This may be Cummins's last over in this spell because he looks tired.

He fires one down leg and Brook follows it. Lucky not to get a feather on it.

Short and Brook backs away, somehow getting the ball through mid-off. There aren't any fielders there, so Green wheels around to give chase. England get three as Labuschagne gets around from deep cover.

He's still banging in bouncers and Brook's on the hook. For one.

Already Stokes looks more in control and sensible than his teammates against this short stuff. Perhaps the bowlers are tiring a bit too.

Four! Beautifully played off the legs by Stokes, but too far down leg from Cummins. He looks tired.

Ouch. Stokes wears a short ball. He's happy to not nick off, but not thrilled with the way he played that.

And he starts with a no ball, overstepping by miles.

FOUR! Short and clubbed by Harry Brook over mid-on.

My god. Brook's backed away to square leg and Green fires it in at the stumps, but just misses leg. Brook would've been pretty embarrassed to get out like that.

Brook belts a short ball out to deep square leg and Smith does a dance before reeling it in out there. Looked awkward, but I think he was just having some fun with the fans, who are kind of up for it all of a sudden.

Stokes rides a short ball and edges it to short leg. I don't think he had any idea where that ball went. He is, however, doing a better job of ducking bouncers than many of his teammates.

Short and across Stokes, who edges away to third man for a single to get off the mark.

Harry Brook backs away and flays a short ball over mid-on for a couple.

This is some hideous stuff. Real ugly batting, but they don't have much choice to be honest.

After a few overs of hitting it straight down into the ground, Root's got under one and scooped it around the corner towards Smith, who charges forward and takes a sharp chance diving forward.

He fumbled it into his chest and Root hung around to force a replay review, but it's confirmed. He's out. He has to go.

Brook backs away and he awkwardly gets it fine for one.

Any more news about Gary’s calf?

- Boland Fan

I was asleep. Anything happen in the past hour?

Hazlewood is persisting with short stuff and Root is helping it around the corner, straight to fielders.

Unlike some of his teammates, Root is going along the ground, so it's safer.

What was that from Harry Brook? He backed away and clipped the ball just short of the man at deep third man. Another England player close to giving his wicket away.

Root hooks the ball fine to fine leg.

Brook back on strike.

Bit of extra bounce on to the gloves from Starc, surprising Harry Brook.

Brook defends the last into the off side.

That will be drinks.

What a bizzare hour of cricket.

Jon Healy will try and make sense of the rest of the day's play, and good luck to him with that.