The Ashes LIVE: Legends say followers have been ripped off by controversial resolution as England go into day two on prime

Former England stars Michael Vaughan and Jonathan Agnew have lashed out at the decision to halt play due to bad light on Sunday afternoon, saying the match officials have short-changed fans who have already been angered by two-day Tests and slow over rates in this series.

‘If this was a T20 or a 50-over game, they would have been playing half an hour ago,’ Vaughan told the BBC as spectators and viewers waited in vain for play to be restarted yesterday.

‘From what I’ve seen in terms of the rain, the light, and the conditions in the last hour or so, I think we’ve probably sawn off the kind of public who have paid their money at the ground today by a couple of hours at least.’

‘There’s clearly a determination to make this game last as long as possible after what’s happened with the two-day fixtures,’ Agnew said.

‘People here who’ve paid their money have been denied probably up to an hour and a half of cricket.

‘It’s always the first-day crowd that suffers because … you don’t get your money.’

As you’ll see from our story below, complaints about the Sydney weather short-changing fans are nothing new. In fact, they’re such a regular occurrence that South Australia tried to take the New Year Test away from the Harbour City a few years back…

Australia’s decision to go without a specialist spinner at the SCG stunned fans and experts. It’s the first time it’s happened in 138 years, and looked like a huge mistake as the home team’s quicks and seamers struggled against Root and Brook.

Specialist spin has been largely ignored by both teams in this series and leggie Mitch Swepson (pictured)

, who has played four Tests, is not happy.

‘I won’t be careful – it sucks,’ he said.

‘I’m obviously biased, but I think we’ve seen it coming in Sheffield Shield cricket.

‘We see less and less spin bowlers coming into the game, particularly in certain parts of the country, and that’s what we’re now seeing a little bit with the Test arena.

‘We’re seeing greener wickets and seam being the main source of wickets, and it’s such a shame because there’s definitely a spot for spin bowling in Test cricket.’

England will resume at 3-211 after just 45 overs were bowled yesterday.

Joe Root is on 72 from 103 balls, with Harry Brook (pictured) on 78 from 92 deliveries.

Mitchell Starc took 1-52 from his 12 overs, Michael Neser took 1-36, Scott Boland reached figures of 1-48… and the much maligned Cameron Green was carted for 57 runs from his eight overs.

The cricket world has been holding its breath since news broke that Martyn had been put into an induced coma after falling ill with meningitis on Boxing Day.

Now comments from his former teammate Adam Gilchrist have given fans and greats of the game a remarkable update.

‘He is now able to talk and respond to treatment,’ Gilchrist, who has spoken with Martyn said on Sunday.

‘He has responded extraordinarily well since coming out (of the coma) to the point where his family feels it’s like some sort of miracle.’

Due to the last session being wiped out by bad light and rain yesterday, we’re getting underway at 10am local time, instead of the usual 10.30am.

Sydney was overcast until about 15 minutes ago, but a look out the windows of the Mail’s office – which is in the CBD, about a 15-minute drive from the ground – shows patches of blue sky breaking through.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a 25 per cent chance of rain – which is down from yesterday – with no storms on the horizon.

Check out the Mail’s Ashes Breakfast column for our take on the heartwarming tribute to the Bondi massacre heroes at the SCG yesterday – and the moment Brendon McCullum got busted ‘cheating’ on live TV.

Thanks for joining the Daily Mail for our coverage of Day Two of the fifth Ashes Test from the SCG.

England will resume with the upper hand at 3-211 thanks to Joe Root and Harry Brook dominating the Aussie bowling attack before play came to a controversial end on Sunday.