England's Ashes hopes wilt as Australia turn up the heat in Adelaide

"It's all mad. What is going on here?"

It wasn't a question. It was a yelp of extreme exasperation from Travis Head on a terribly hot afternoon, overshadowing Mitchell Starc's more comical stump-mic comment, "Snicko needs to be sacked." Both were directed at the farcical scenes after Jamie Smith was twice adjudged to have gloved a ball behind.

In that moment, "what's going on here?" was a feeling every English fan would have shared, stewing in the unforgiving heat at Adelaide Oval or watching from a chilly UK winter. It was triggered by how England's batting line-up blew an opportunity on one of the hottest days of Test cricket in Adelaide, on a pitch that was flat and slow.

They suffered another batting collapse in conditions tailormade for them to dominate, to show why they were considered the best English team in 15 years to challenge Australia. Instead, they ended up staring at another Test defeat and a miserably failed Ashes campaign.

It started with Smith's dismissal. While technology's role will be debated, the vexation was about the shot. Pat Cummins had telegraphed his delivery, setting a field with three men on the leg-side boundary. A trap was set, and Smith still swung wildly at a wide delivery. His manner of dismissal escaped ultimate censure only because Ollie Pope's was worse—a weak flick to mid-wicket off Nathan Lyon in the spinner's first over back.

But to focus solely on England would be unfair to Australia's professional bowling display, one of the most relentless in challenging conditions.

It started with Cummins, who bowled like he'd never been away, producing a special delivery to dismiss Zak Crawley and another to have Joe Root nicked off after lunch. Cummins' double blow bookended Lyon's dreamy start, which included Ben Duckett's wicket—a delivery that drifted, gripped, and straightened, making Lyon Australia's second most successful bowler in Test history.

Scott Boland wheeled away, suffocating the English batters before taking two late wickets. Mitchell Starc, despite bowling at over 146 kph, wasn't among the wickets, but Cameron Green produced a stunning delivery to remove Harry Brook in a potent spell.

Day 2 in Adelaide was about Australia's world-class bowling attack putting on an exhibition against a batting line-up that wasn't up to it.

Even Ben Stokes held his ground, playing the fourth slowest Test innings in this Bazball era. But unlike Australia's attack, which operated like a four-piece band in sync—with Green as a guitar soloist—Stokes felt like a session musician playing lead in a band whose music he doesn't understand, resulting in off-key play.

Eventually, Stokes and Jofra Archer, who had a falling out earlier, came together to show some fight and barely keep England's innings alive for one more night.

But the music is beginning to fade. So are England's hopes of Ashes glory.