England suffered more top-order woe in the third Ashes Test as Jason Roy, Joe Root and Rory Burns were removed inside the opening hour of Friday's play.

After Australia were dismissed for 179 under gloomy skies at Headingley on Thursday, England started their innings on Friday in far more favourable batting conditions, but Roy (9) failed to take advantage as he loosely drove at a delivery outside off from Josh Hazlewood and gave David Warner a low catch at first slip.

That brought Root to the crease at his home ground but the England captain, moved up to three prior to this series in a bid to remedy his team's batting frailties, lasted only two balls and fell for a second successive duck for the first time in his Test career.

Once again it was Hazlewood who struck with a delivery that squared up Root and found his edge, Warner's brilliant take at slip leaving England 10-2 after 5.1 overs.

Australia thought they had their hosts three down inside the opening 30 minutes when, after a long period of deliberation, umpire Joel Wilson raised his finger to give Joe Denly out lbw to Hazlewood four balls after Root's dismissal.

Denly - yet to get off the mark at that point - rightly reviewed as the ball was going over his stumps, but the third wicket soon came as Burns (9) looked to hook a shorter delivery from Pat Cummins and gloved it through to Tim Paine behind the stumps, leaving England in all sorts of trouble at 20-3.