The floodlights are going to dim at the Gabba on December 4, as the Ashes 2025-26 schedule has just given the first surprise. A pink-ball day-night Test, which might turn out to be the defining match of the series, is the situation at the moment.
Australia, who have already taken a 1-0 lead due to a hard-fought heist in Perth, will come to this second Test without Pat Cummins, who has been ruled out because of a shoulder injury that selectors think is too risky to baulk by rushing. Steve Smith will be skipper for the second time and will lead unchanged 14-men squad. England, who are still recovering from the collapse at Perth, are holding onto Ben Stokes’ Bazball principle of unceasing aggression.
A surface has been teased by Gabba curator, Dave Sandurski, that will be a fair one to play with both batters and bowlers getting their share of it. He is expecting high temperature which will dry the wicket very soon. He will keep sufficient moisture on the surface so that it lasts for five days. But what about the match?
The pink-ball peril of England is discussed in this article as Bazball’s feeble side after Perth Test is exposed and thus Mitchell Starc becomes the harbinger of a 2-0 Australian stranglehold.
The pink-ball riddle: Gabba’s wild frontier
The Gabba has always been Australia’s “Fortress Brisbane,” having gone 32 Tests unbeaten from 1988 to 2021. However, pink-ball Tests here become a rarity with this being the fourth, after the 2024 series against the West Indies.
What are the distinguishing features of day-nighters? The pink ball, coated in polyurethane for better visibility under the lights, swings quicker in the humid twilight hours, particularly on dew-drenched nights.
The pink ball, unlike the red ball, does not have the predictable wear but instead, it retains its shine for a longer time, which is a plus for the seamers like Starc whose left-arm skidder is dependent on lateral movement.
Pitch perils: Day 1 flatness to Day 3 demons
The Gabba pitch is always changing. Day 1 usually gives the edge to batters: the scores will be over 250, and players like Khawaja (Gabba avg of 37.3) will be the ones taking the most of the new-ball shine. However, by Day 3, the roots of the grass have loosened, and cracks have formed unpredictably, and the variable bounce has made the seams move even more.
At night, the dew makes the surface even softer, but the additional swing from the pink ball makes the middle overs a lottery. Still, the conditions, if they are sunny, will provide early carry for Starc and Boland, allowing Lyon to start the spin by stumps. England’s bowlers Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Brydon Carse will have to use reverse swing, but the dew might make it less effective.
If England bats first, the chances that the odds will turn in their favor are better with a 150+ first innings lead. However, if the England bowlers are mostly weak against the host batsmen with the pink ball, then Australia may be the one to come out of the situation victorious.
Bazball vs Baggy Green: A Frightening encounter
Bazball is characterized by its vigorous, aggressive stance. This tactic resulted in a strike rate reminiscent of about 4.74 runs per over for England during the 2023 Ashes series and made it one of the fastest-scoring Ashes series ever noted.
This method was the backbone of England’s revival in the 2023 series against Australia. The English, who after the first two Tests of the series found themselves trailing 2-0, eventually equalized the series 2-2, a situation to some extent brought about by rain, which resulted in no play during the last Test.
(D/N Test record stats for Australia and England)
England had always found it hard to survive in night-day Test conditions against Australia. A case in point was the 2021–22 Ashes series when England was bowled out for a mere 68 runs in the second innings of the pink-ball Test match at the Adelaide Oval.
In general, Australia have set their traps and England must do everything to stay clear of them.
Forecast: A 2-0 change in three days?
One possible scenario: The home team bats first, scores 350; England, in response, can only manage 250, with Starc taking 4 wickets for 40 runs during the night. Thus, a declaration is made after Day 3, and a 350 run chase is given which, due to Bazball bravado, gets messed up in 80 overs. The match is done by tea on Day 4, the momentum of the series being secured at 2-0.
How will England’s route be? After the first defeat, Root is obliged to score big at Gabba, and he is joined by Crawley and Duckett who are also allowed to run free. Jofra Archer must be brought early and rotated, and just a prayer for dew to soften Aussie edges. Even if all is favorable for England, the Gabba demons may still come out, and thus, the question remains will the sunset be the change for the Ashes urn or the birth of English fire? The lights will decide.