Key events
James Wallace
Righto, that is all from us today. The lights are dimmed here at Brisbane’s Gabba and the pitch is being watered by the ground staff. Australia are one win away from being home and hosed themselves.
We’ll be back to OBO the third game of the series in Adelaide starting on 16th December.
All Ben Stokes wants for Christmas… is a Test match win in Australia.
Thanks for your company and comments, goodbye and toodle-oo.
Geoff Lemon has dipped his quill on ‘triumph of modesty’ and five wicket hauler – Michael Neser:
“Neser is a triumph of modesty. Where Nathan Lyon was spitting chips on live television over being left out for one Test match, Neser has been left out for years. This was his third match in four Australian summers, all of them day-night fixtures, while sitting on the bench through untold numbers of squads and camps and second XIs. He has always been good enough to play, but never enough to push past the four bigger, taller, flashier quicks. Through this frustration, at least publicly, he has never said a word.
So Neser knows about waiting for things to break his way, and set about doing exactly that on his first outing at his home ground. His singular quality is consistency, honed from a first-class debut in 2010 to his most high-profile moment today. His pitch map was more laser pointer than scatterplot. He hit the same length, gave no drives, no leg-side width to glance, and decked the ball subtly enough to draw mistakes.”
Simon Burnton is here at the Gabba and has written about the thorny issue of match preparation. This one will rumble and rumble.
“The England & Wales Cricket Board is ready to offer Australia their pick of warm-up facilities before the next Ashes series in 2027, in an attempt to secure similar treatment when England return in 2029-30 and avoid being forced into the kind of buildup that preceded the current series and has become the focus of intense criticism.
England’s preparations are under the microscope given their dismal start to this series, with the first Test lost inside two days and the second lost in four, with Australia’s winning margins eight wickets both times. “If I was an England supporter and had paid the money to come here, I’d be asking the ECB for a refund,” Ian Botham said on Sunday. “Because this team, for me, is not prepared.”
Brendon McCullum has been doing the media rounds, fair to say he has an interesting take.
Speaking to the BBC’s Test Match Special about whether he and his side plan to do anything differently he responded:
Not from a preparation point of view… If anything we trained too much. We had five to 10 training session leading into this game. Something as a coach you have to be aware of. Sometimes there is a tendency to overdo things to make up for it.
“As we all know in this game it is played in the top two inches. We all have to find a way that we ensure that we feel prepared physically, technically and we are ready for the battle, but also to make sure we are fresh and make sure we can make those decisions in the heat of the games.”
“Morning James” writes Henry L.
“I agree with everything that Simon McMahon has just written but looking forward – if England could just show the togetherness, grit, talent and bloody-mindedness to win one of remaining test matches, that would breathe life into English cricket. It’s so important that they do everything to compete from here on in.”
He’s not wrong.
Mitchell Starc is player of the match. Quelle Suprise.
This 2025/6 series is very much shaping up to be Starc’s Ashes.
Two wins. I can’t ask for much more. A hard-fought win and glad to be on the right side of it. How’s the body holding up? It takes a bit longer in the mornings at this age, but I’m doing okay. Hanging in there! I still try to bowl as quick as I can and hit the stumps every time so I keep running in.
We’ve seen on this ground before the wicket is hard and that pink ball goes soft pretty early so I think as a bowling unit we bowled well in both innings. Obviously batting in the first innings it was key we got a lead there. Michael Neser, on his home ground in front of his family, was phenomenal today.”
A taste of the OBO mailbag:
“Even 90 more runs and England could have made a fight out of this…”
“Great to see that England’s preparation worked as efficiently here as it did in Perth. So fantastic that they didn’t play any cricket in the 11 days between the first and second Tests. We know it’s working for them, because Stokes said so.”
“Wait, how much better will Australia be when Cummins and Hazlewood and Lyon return?”
Steve Smith speaks:
It just felt right to play a few shots. He (Jofra) was obviously bowling quick and I thought I’d hit a few up and try to get hold of a couple. I tried to finish it quick. There’s a bit of a storm coming round so wanted to get it done by playing a few shots. High percentage with the short boundary behind me so wanted to take it on.
I thought the boys played exceptionally well. Our first innings batting the tail were unbelievable. The bottom four batted for 53 overs or something like that which allowed us to get into the dark last night and to take six wickets got us front of the game. Will Jacks and Ben Stokes had a good partnership today and you never know what would happen if Stokesy is still at the crease.”
On the spicy exchange with Jofra Archer…
That stays on the field. It was good banter. He’s a good competitor and comes hard at you so it was good fun.”
More from Ben Stokes: “We need to think a bit harder and deeper about those moments and show a little more fight when it is needed.”
It’s very disappointing. I think a lot of it to me comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game, this format, when the game is on the line.
In small passages we have been able to bring the game back into some kind of control and then let it slip away. It is very disappointing, in particular because of the ability of the players we have in that dressing room. We need to think a bit harder and deeper about those moments and show a little more fight when it is needed.
If I could have put my finger on it I would be able to tell you. It is not a skill thing.
It is not down to skill. You have got to dig a bit deeper and find out what the thing is that we seem to keep doing in the big moments of the game. We will be having some conversations that I will be keeping in the dressing room.”
England captain Ben Stokes speaks: “We are not weak. We need to sort it”
It is up to us as players to go out with a plan. It seems to be a constant theme at the moment that when game is a pressure moment Australia keep out doing us. They say Australia isn’t a place for weak men. We are definitely not weak but we need to find something. We need to sort it.
“I absolutely believe in that dressing room. I have full belief in the players in there and the coaching staff. We have to win these next three games. We have been 2-0 down before and know what we have to do. We ain’t going to shy away from the battle but we do need to look at where things have gone and sort them out pretty quick.”
As I type up some reaction from Ben Stokes and Steve Smith, have a read of this why don’t you:
They are setting up for the presentation here at the Gabba, I’ll bring some live reaction as it comes.
“Like so much in life, Jim, it’s a case of what might have been for England. I don’t think there’s actually all that much between the teams, but Australia have just been, well, better, especially in the key moments. You can talk about Bazball and England’s approach and preparation all you like but in the end it’s irrelevant. Australia have just been better. Still, better to have loved and lost tried and failed than never to have tried at all, right?”
Impressively philosophical from Simon McMahon in the minutes after defeat.
Australia win by 8 wickets and lead the Ashes 2-0
Steve Smith swats Gus Atkinson for SIX to seal the win! What a shot and what a win for Australia, they have pummelled England in this match and now hold all the cards in this Ashes series. England showed some fight with the bat through Stokes and Jacks but they lost this match on days 1-3 where they were out-bowled, out-batted, out-fielded and out-thought by Australia.
What a dominant, calm and clinical performance this has been from Australia, do you know what, I reckon they are favourites to win the series from here.
9th over: Australia 57-2 (Weatherald 12, Smith 16) Drama at the Gabba! Archer is bowling some serious heat, every ball over 90MPH. Smith doesn’t care, he spanks a four through midwicket and then cuffs a pull shot for four over the keeper. Archer follows up with words and Ben Stokes swoops in to back up his bowler, slapping his hand and tapping his bottom. SIX! Smith hooks the next ball, a 91 MPH bouncer over the rope at fine leg. What a riposte from Smith. Have some of that. The shot also brings up his 1000th run at the Gabba in Test cricket. What theatre. England have four men acting as backstops behind the keeper as Archer cranks it up. Smith cuts to the deep third for a single and Weatherald blocks out the final delivery.
Searing stuff at the Gabba. Australia need 8 runs to win.
8th over: Australia 42-2 (Weatherald 12, Smith 1) Atkinson is worked for a single by Smith to huge home cheers. The beleaguered bowler then beats Weatherald with a nipper outside off stump. Too little, too…
“Hi Jim, is Black Friday over? I may need a new TV if anyone from the England camp says that they trust in their system…”
Head towards the danger… of a broken Grundig, Peter Salmon
WICKET! Marnus Labuschagne c Smith b Atkinson 3 (Australia 41-2)
Atkinson gets Marnus with a snorter! Spits off a length and takes the edge. Labuschagne is abject, dragging himself from the field. The Barmy Army come to life momentarily and then a bit more as Steve Smith walks out to the middle.
7th over: Australia 41-1 (Weatherald 12, Labuschagne 3) Archer scuds a fast ball onto Weatherald’s lower pad and he thinks he has him man in similar fashion to Perth. The ump says no and England sends it upstairs, it’s missing leg – NOT OUT. Here endeth the potential wobble.
Guy Hornsby likely speaks for plenty of England fans:
“Morning James. I know many of us have seen this movie a few dozen times, but this feels one of the more galling episodes. It felt like we had a good team and a decent chance, and as Perth showed, we had chances. But what’s seemingly emblematic of this team, we have failed to take any opportunities we’ve been given or won. At almost every point – bar Root’s ton and the partnership this morning – our batters have shown little application.
It’s deeply worrying both because it should be obvious, and because there seems no introspection from the leadership. If, as could well happen, this whole group unravels, does the recent awarding of extended contracts to the coach and captain feel overly confident? And what on earth does Rob Key think here? (Probably that we can still win 3-2). What a mess.
6th over: Australia 38-1 (Weatherald 11, Labuschagne 1) Marnus is the new man, he’d quite enjoy hitting the winning runs you’d imagine. He gets off the mark first ball with a bit of a cuff into the leg side. Australia need 26 more for 2-0.
“In this crazy world where everything seems so uncertain, it’s kind of England to provide a balm of normality by losing in exactly the way you’d aspect them to.”
Stokes and Jacks batted sensibly though eh Niall Mullen? Niall? Niall!??
WICKET! Travis Head b Atkinson 22 (Australia 37-1)
Bowled him! Travis Head chops a length ball from Atkinson onto his stumps. The wobble starts now for Australia. Ahem.
Gus Atkinson is going to start with the ball after tea…
5th over: Australia 33-0 (Head 19, Weatherald 10) Archer sends down a searing ball at 94.1 MPH. Its a rapid over all told but Weatherald is up to it, clipping for a single into the leg side. Archer clocks up 94.3MPH with his final ball but can’t find a conciliatory breakthrough. That’s tea! Australia just need 32 more runs to win this test and go 2-0 up in the Ashes. I think they’ll enjoy their snacks.
4th over: Australia 29-0 (Head 17, Weatherald 8) Gus Atkinson has had a horrific half hour, the worst of his Test career to date. Head flicks a half volley for SIX and then clatters a drive through the covers for four! The Aussie crowd are cheering, jeering and giving him plenty. He might be bowling himself out of the next game at Adelaide here. A cunning ruse.
3rd over: Australia 19-0 (Head 8, Weatherald 7) Archer gets the speed gun clocking 92.9MPH. Weatherald is beaten for pace but gets a cue end to evade the slips and away for four.
2nd over: Australia 15-0 (Head 7, Weatherald 4) Gus Atkinson has a shocker with the ball in his first over, real deflated body language and wheels off stuff from the Surrey man – that tame dismissal with the bat is likely playing on his mind. Weatherald clips him for three into deep midwicket first ball and then Head collects two with a drive to off. Shot! Atkinson gives width and Head slams a back foot punch through point for four. That is nicht gut Gus.
1st over: Australia 6-0 (Head 1, Weatherald 1) Archer spears a ball down the leg side for four byes off his second ball and his third is down there too – sending Jamie Smith tumbling to his right to prevent the same. Archer could do with getting his radar right and bagging a few wickets to take to Adelaide, he’s had a poor match and the pillow stuff hasn’t exactly helped either.
His speeds are right up there, the fastest ball of the match is whizzed down by Archer at 92.5 MPH. Head drives for a single into the covers and the Aussie openers scamper a single. Weatherald does the same and Australia are up and running towards their easy target.
Jofra Archer is going to open from the Stanley St end. Travis Head is on strike – let’s play!
England’s bowlers are going through their motions on the outfield. We’ll have a short session of around 19 minutes before the dinner break, unless Australia can polish off this chase in double quick time – don’t bet against it. It’s Happy Hour here in Brisbane.
Here come Jake Weatherald and Travis Head! England are in a huddle, that’s going to have to be some speech from Ben Stokes…
England all out for 241 – Australia need 65 runs to win!
That’s yer lot! Smith pockets an edge from Brydon Carse at first slip to give Michael Neser a five wicket haul and he immediately turns to run off the field. Australia want to get this miniscule target knocked off pronto. They’ll be 2-0 up in the Ashes when they do.
England need a miracle under lights, where’s Stuart Broad when you need him*…
*At the back of the press box with a flight home booked this evening. Gah.
75th over: England 241-9 (Carse 7, Archer 5) Jofra Archer pulls Doggett for four runs into the leg side but unlike Atkinson he committed to the stroke, middling it and timing it all along the floor to the boundary. England’s lead is up to 64 runs.
74th over: England 234-9 (Carse 6, Archer 0) Carse has a swipe at Neser and picks up three runs into the leg side, the ball soaring high and plopping onto the turf in the deep. Atkinson’s dismissal really was abject when put into context, Stokes and Jacks had resisted the short stuff all day with the Australia plan to sucker them into a daft shot plain for all to see. Atkinson can bat and is an intelligent cricketer, he should have shown more nous and more ticker for the cause.
73rd over: England 231-9 (Carse 2, Archer 0) England have lost three wickets in ten minutes and the writing is becoming ever clearer on the wall for England. Jofra Archer joins Brydon Carse in the middle. The lights are starting to take effect here at the Gabba, a lead of 150 could have made things interesting…
WICKET! Gus Atkinson c Smith b Doggett 3 (England 231-9)
Hear them fall! Atkinson plays a really poor shot off a short ball from Doggett and plinks an easy catch to a gleeful Steve Smith at midwicket. Such a soft dismissal with the plan clearly telegraphed and on the back of the resistance that had gone before. Atkinson has a Test match century to his name but that was poor, poor batting.
72nd over: England 229-8 (Atkinson 2, Carse 2) Australia are buzzing now, I don’t think they were particularly worried before but with Stokes at the crease you just never know. Carse joins Atkinson in the middle and nudges for two off his first ball. England lead by 52 runs and have two wickets left.
HUGE WICKET! Ben Stokes c Carey b Neser 50 England 227-8)
The Stokes vigil ends! He turns on his heals and punches himself in the helmet on the way off, totally gutted but he’s given the England fans something to cheer today and shown that this side can do it when they really, really need to. Neser found the nick with Carey stood up to the stumps and the Aussie keeper takes a fantastic catch stood up. He’s been superlative with the gloves this game, not that that will be any comfort to Stokes or England.
James Wallace
71st over: England 226-7 (Stokes 50, Atkinson 1) Thanks Geoff. I really thought I’d be somewhere up the Sunshine Coast by now, topping up the pre flight home tan so I could look like one of those jet set-y people back home in the depths of winter but here we are, the Gabba press box with England scrapping is much more preferable option.
Doggett continues with some short stuff, Stokes cuts for a single and that takes him to 50. A battling knock, he’s showing some fight with the bat, the partnership with Will Jacks lasted longer than either of England’s entire innings in Perth in the first Test. So that’s something. Atkinson angles a single off Doggett to take the lead to 49 runs.
Geoff Lemon
70th over: England 224-7 (Stokes 49, Atkinson 0) The partnership was 96 when it ended between Stokes and Jacks. The third highest of the series by runs, and the longest by overs. Atkinson on strike, Neser goes upstairs for an lbw review but it was outside the line. Jacks was disconsolate walking off, he really believed he was going to be part of something special here. Well, he’s at least given the next three some chance.
That’s enough for me today. I really wasn’t expecting to be doing this at the appointed time, but I’m handing over to Jim Wallace.
Nobody has won the sweepstake yet, because everyone went over already except for Martin, who said “19:38… on Monday. With people’s belief in Bazball restored forevermore.”
If it’s done before then, Martin, you’re the winner. If it isn’t, Cricket Australia finances are the winner.
Later!
WICKET! Jacks c Smith b Neser 41, England 224-7
The resistance ends! It’s been a long, hot slog for Australia, and a similar one for Will Jacks, but it ends with an absolute blinder of a catch. Steve Smith is cock-a-hoop. He takes off running in a sprint, delighted with a one-handed snare going to his left, scooping it off the turf like a cherry from a cake. Goodness me. Neser is the bowler, and gets the edge by probing away at that dangerous line, so determined, so consistent. Jacks does nothing wrong really, just pushes forward in defence, tries to cover the line of this ball but can’t quite. Carey is up to the stumps, otherwise it might have been his catch. Too thick an edge for the keeper there. But Smith, standing back alone as the slip in this configuration, knows that he has space to leap and no concerns about spoiling anyone else’s attempt. Almost all of his screamers like this have been held in his right hand, his preferred side. This is in the left, so low down by the time he gets there, but he hangs on. Catch number 209 in his career, one behind Rahul Dravid, who for so long held the record before Joe Root recently squeezed by.
69th over: England 224-6 (Stokes 49, Jacks 41) Doggett, short, Jacks, swat. Single with sweepers at deep mid. You take the risk and only get one run. Stokes gets two more, driving a fuller length.
“Just woke up,” writes Tom Banks. “Switched on the cricket with my son and we are both amazed to see England still batting. Is it cowardly to pray for apocalyptic thunderstorms?”
There’s nothing major on the BOM radar, for what it’s worth. One chunky boi out past Toowoomba, but who knows if it stays on our path, and it would pass quickly if it did.
68th over: England 221-6 (Stokes 47, Jacks 40) Stokes has, in time-honoured fashion, been hit in the dick. Inside edge from Neser right into the box. Is there any more dick-struck cricketer in the world? Stokes does La Cucuracha on his back for a while, knees tucked up, for so long in fact that the runners bring drinks out for everyone. My round? Your round?
67th over: England 220-6 (Stokes 47, Jacks 39) You’d take a Test cap if one’s on offer, but it’s a rough gig to get one in exchange for pumping out bouncers. Doggett keeps going, and they’re scoring alright from him through the off side in this over, rather than falling into the trap of pulling to leg. Six runs in total, via twos and ones.
66th over: England 214-6 (Stokes 44, Jacks 36) It’s funny, it feels like the game is drifting and Australia are struggling, but England are still only 37 runs ahead. So much work yet to do, surely an impossible amount, but they add three from the Neser over.
65th over: England 211-6 (Stokes 42, Jacks 35) Oh, a drop! Tough chance at short leg. Doggett is back to doing the short-ball stuff, gets Jacks to flick one straight at short leg, but Head wears the ball on his thigh and it bounces away. Flat and fast there, no time to see it.
“Would’ve gone to the ground today but instead decided it was a fine day to do the IKEA in my new apartment. The rising humidity told me to instinctively check the BOM; the first storms are beginning to drift in on the radar periphery. What chances the rain throws another twist in the tale here? A certain amount of rain predicted for tomorrow morning too; far from the foregone result many were hollering about last week, this one could yet go all the way.”
Possibly, Russell Yong, there is a storm on the radar. On the other hand, as soon as a wicket falls, the whole thing could be over within an hour. Storms pass quickly in this part of the world, and the Gabba cleans up fast. But we might make day five, as slim as that possibility looked this morning.
64th over: England 209-6 (Stokes 42, Jacks 34) Maybe thrashing Mitchell Starc through cover hasn’t proved to be a good idea in this series? Jacks tries it anyway. Perhaps thinking that they need to cash in with daylight and the old ball before the job gets harder again under lights with a new one. He does better harvesting singles with Stokes, who then last ball of the over nearly pops back a ball to Starc off the pad. Was there an inside edge on that?
“England just can’t help helping Australia can they?” gripes Peter Salmon. “Given the Lions game too, I reckon there was literally only one unhappy Australian player in the world this morning, and now they’ve even let Nathan Lyon have a healthy dose of schadenfreude. Enough!”
63rd over: England 206-6 (Stokes 41, Jacks 32) Stokes is finally confident enough to launch into a drive against Green. Only gets two runs with the sweeper at point getting around, but still. Green bowls a wide to Stokes
“The bars in the Gabba are running out of crisps and chocolate bars,” writes Jon Hall. “They didn’t cater for a full day and nor did I with my family picnic bag.”
62nd over: England 203-6 (Stokes 39, Jacks 32) Starc is still a handful, getting the ball to lift sharply at Jacks a couple of times in the over, hard to time. But he gets a single from one of those balls, and Stokes drives another of those. The lead is up to 26.
61st over: England 201-6 (Stokes 38, Jacks 31) There’s a nice start to the session from Jacks! He gets a full ball from Green and clips it sweetly through midwicket, the long roll to the rope out there. He’s worked bloody hard so far, he’s into the 30s, and England pass 200.
60th over: England 195-6 (Stokes 37, Jacks 26) We’re back after lunch, with Mitchell Starc to have a burst at Stokes with this older ball. Still a bit of shape, just a touch, as he aims at the toes. Stokes keeps it out. A couple of singles from the over.
That said, it rather illustrates that such a feat is not common.
Timothy Sanders and Andrew Goudie both answered my call to find a Test where a side came in six down and batted all day. It’s one of my faves actually, I should have remembered this one: 1955, when the beautifully named partnership of Denis Atkinson and Clairmonte Depeiaza both made big slow tons for West Indies against Australia to draw the undrawable in Bridgetown. I believe they still hold the record for the seventh wicket.
Tea – England 193 for 6, lead by 16 runs
Where is your spinner, Australia? Where is he? I’ll tell you, he’s in a vest running drinks.
England stay alive. The only wicketless session in the series so far, and Stokes and Jacks are five balls away from the longest partnership in the series, which is currently still the one of Starc and Boland yesterday.
Only 59 runs added in the session, and who cares? Because they’ve done the main task, getting through the first spells from the fast bowlers, and now can look to build some sort of lead in the second session. It’s probably futile, it’s probably doomed, but there is real value in these two showing their teammates that it can be done.
Imagine if a couple of the other top-six types had been able to survive last night and be here today.
We’ll be back after the snags and the sangas.
59th over: England 193-6 (Stokes 36, Jacks 25) Labuschagne from the Vulture Street End, and where Crawley or Duckett or Pope would surely be thinking that they have to lay into this joker, Jacks flicks a couple of runs square, carefully defends a length ball, then runs a single to point. Stokes defends with straight bat, on the crabwalk. And again, and again, and England survive wicketless to the break!
58th over: England 190-6 (Stokes 36, Jacks 22) Sadly, nothing very funny happened in Head’s over. Jacks took a single. But all is redeemed, because now Marnus Labuschagne is going to bowl seam up.
57th over: England 189-6 (Stokes 36, Jacks 21) A single for Jacks, angling Green down to deep third, then Stokes is again twitchy against the tall bowler, carefully defending a blockhole ball. Gets a single to cover late in the over, then Green’s bounder is ruled a wide, allowing Jacks to flick a run behind square. So, Jacks the more comfortable against Green at the moment. One over, maybe just two, before the break, but Australia are dawdling with the helmet coming on for Carey… oh right, because Head is going to bowl, so we should get two overs.
56th over: England 185-6 (Stokes 35, Jacks 19) Oh, edged over gully! If it clears Green it’s clearing anyone, and Stokes gets lucky as Boland gets a ball to leap in the way that he can, the edge flashing over the cordon for four. Stokes wasn’t even going at that ball, just desperately trying to keep it out. England’s captain has suddenly looked squeaky in the last few overs, has to find a way through these last 12 minutes to the break. Gets off strike with a cover push, but Jacks hands it back with a leg-side dink. Stokes survives the final ball.
England lead by 8.
55th over: England 179-6 (Stokes 30, Jacks 18) The fifty stand, and England are ahead by one run, as Jacks pulls in dicey fashion to midwicket for one. Stokes flashes and misses! Don’t be doing that now. Green tempted him. He blocks and leaves the next couple, then deflects a run behind point.