England’s Ashes hopes are all but over after an eight-wicket defeat by Australia in the second Test at the Gabba left their dreams of glory Down Under in tatters.
England finally demonstrated some resilience with the bat on the fourth day of the pink-ball match in Brisbane, but still suffered their second devastating defeat of the tour following a two-day loss in the first Test in Perth.
Captain Ben Stokes, perhaps aiming to lead by example after his team’s woeful performance on Saturday, patiently scored 50 off 152 balls. Stokes and Will Jacks, who contributed 41 from 92, put together 96 for the seventh wicket in 36.4 overs – England’s longest partnership of the series.
(Image: Santanu Banik/MB Media/Getty Images)
Their partnership lasted until an hour into the middle session, when Jacks was spectacularly caught by Australia captain Steve Smith at first slip. This marked the start of England losing their final four wickets for just 17 runs, resulting in them being bowled out for 241.
Stokes was caught off Neser, Gus Atkinson was dismissed by Brendan Doggett’s bouncer, and Brydon Carse edged to slip, giving Neser his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Australia were set a modest target of 65. Despite Atkinson causing Travis Head to chop on and producing a lifter to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne, the Aussies secured victory in just 10 overs.
This leaves Stokes’ squad 2-0 down and needing to win all three remaining Tests to reclaim the Ashes. England have never managed to come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a series against Australia.
In what was supposed to be the most anticipated Ashes tour in years and a golden chance to reclaim the urn for the first time since 2015, Stokes’ team are on track to deliver one of the worst performances by an England side in Australia in recent history.
Questions about England’s commitment will likely resurface as the squad plans to unwind with a holiday on the Sunshine Coast following this defeat.
Regardless of how they choose to spend their time before the third Test on 17 December (23:30 16 December GMT), England must make significant improvements ahead of the match in Adelaide.
As the current holders of the Ashes, Australia only need a draw to retain the urn at the earliest opportunity, even before thousands of England fans make the journey over Christmas for the Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.
The hosts will be buoyed by the return of captain Pat Cummins from injury and the potential recall of off-spinner Nathan Lyon.