A 50 from Zak Crawley has led an England rebuild after the visitors fell to 5-2 early on in the second Ashes Test at the Gabba.
Mitchell Starc took the early wickets of both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope as Australia targeted a similarly brutal bowling display as that which saw the visitors succumb to the hosts inside two days of pulsating cricket in the first Test.
But Crawley and Joe Root found a quick tempo across the rest of the first session to end at 98-2 at tea, though the pink ball and the remainder of the day-night second Test are set to examine their skill yet further.
Ben Stokes has explained the painful decision to leave out Shoaib Bashir, instead preferring fellow spinner Will Jacks as a replacement for Mark Wood in the only change to the side.
And the hosts faced a tough decision of their own, with skipper Pat Cummins left out again after missing the opener and Nathan Lyon also on the sidelines, with pink ball specialist Michael Neser preferred and Josh Inglis replacing Usman Khawaja.
Follow all the latest updates, scores and analysis on day one at The Gabba below:
Read MoreAustralia captain Pat Cummins leaves door ajar for dramatic comeback in Brisbane
Ben Stokes sends message to Shoaib Bashir after Ashes snub
Ben Stokes admits Robin Smith’s death just days after England Ashes squad visit ‘hits harder’
Ashes 2025/26: Australia v England - second Test, day one
- The second Test of the Ashes series begins at the Gabba in Brisbane at 4am GMT | Live on TNT Sports
- Australia leave out captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon
- England pick all-rounder Will Jacks over spinner Shoaib Bashir to replace fast bowler Mark Wood
- England trail hosts 1-0 after disastrous first Test loss inside two days
- Wicket! Crawley falls for 76 after England rebuild (ENG 122-3)
- Wicket! Starc bowls Pope for duck (ENG 5-2)
- Wicket! Starc takes Duckett in first over (ENG 5-1)
England 143-3
07:20 , Chris WilsonSome early criticism of Brook creeping in now already, with the shot selection and aggressiveness already under question. He’s certainly opted against the restraint shown by Root up to now!
He takes a single off the first to put Root on strike, and he follows with a single of his own.
Two more singles follow, with all four going to fine leg as England move to 143. The final ball was left there, and maybe Brook has learned an early lesson!
England 139-3
07:15 , Chris WilsonNo messing around from Brook then. We’ll see how that pans out.
He shuffles out of his crease before swatting another four through the covers.
But has he fallen already!? He tries to clip one over Carey and the ‘keeper catches before stumping him, but replays show he was in his crease. Not out!
A single to end it, and the away fans breathe a sigh of relief!
England 133-3
07:10 , Chris WilsonEspecially disappointing for England there as Neser had looked fairly unthreatening. “A nothing wicket” is the opinion on comms.
Attention must now turn to Brook though, while Root could still have a say as he hunts a 50 of his own. Can this duo build a partnership to take the fight to the hosts?
Brook starts well enough, swatting away a full delivery for four before flicking away the ball at his feet for a double.
And he’s up to 11 already after stepping back and cutting it towards point for anther boundary.
WICKET! Crawley c Carey b Neser 76
07:04 , Chris WilsonEngland 122-3
WICKET! Crawley is gone!
He plays across the line, trying to flick it onto the leg side, it’s an under-edge and it’s straight into Carey’s gloves.
Harry Brook comes out to try and pick up where Crawley left off.
England 121-2
06:58 , Chris WilsonThree singles to begin the 27th over, before a wayward high delivery sees Root edge a four over his shoulder, more by accident than anything else. Carey was diving for it!
Two more similar deliveries end the over and Root has moved to 40.
England 113-2
06:52 , Chris WilsonRelief for England (for now anyway) as the hosts choose to go with Neser to bowl next.
Crawley moves past 70 with another one of those fours that’s driven straight back past the bowler, before adding a single with a similar shot.
England 107-2
06:48 , Chris WilsonA nice single on the spin to start with from Root. Crawley’s first shot is a little less settled, clipped behind himself and lucky it didn’t drag onto the stumps. He duly opts to leave the next one!
And he moves England into the 100s with a clever four through leg-side.
And he also brings about the 100 partnership, punching through covers for another four to end the over! Not a bad start from the tourists.
England 98-2 at tea
06:43 , Chris WilsonThe hosts are back onto the pitch and Crawley and Root are following them back out.
Here we go again, with Doggett to get the second session started.
England 98-2 at tea
06:40 , Chris WilsonThe break was said to be around 40 minutes for lunch/tea, so we should be back underway in the next five minutes or so.
Can England continue their stand, and could Crawley secure a rare England century at the Gabba?
Friends and players pay tribute to Robin Smith
06:31 , Chris WilsonTNT is airing tributes to ex-England cricketer Robin Smith, who died this week aged 62.
Below, you can read a tribute from The Independent’s Richard Jolly:
Fine a bowler as Angus Fraser was, he probably wasn’t quick enough to get Robin Smith’s juices flowing. But the former England cricketer, and Independent cricket correspondent, may have summed up his old teammate better than most. “There have been many players who have suggested they would rather face 90mph throat balls than gentle leg-breaks but Smith is the only one I truly believe,” said England’s most skilful bowler of the early 1990s.
Nor was there any false bravado from Smith when he said, in many an interview, that he felt no fear against the quickest of the quicks, especially as he would often caveat it by admitting he was afraid of Shane Warne, whose leg-breaks were not gentle, but were rather less likely to inflict physical damage. Smith’s demons could be mental, but there were few braver batters in cricketing history. Few finer, too, when the speed gun showed deliveries timed at something approaching 100mph. From Donald Bradman to Brian Lara, there have been suspicions that some of the greatest ever had a slight susceptibility to raw pace. Smith was that rarity: he was better against it.
Robin Smith was one of the very best – and bravest – in the face of raw pace
Match stats
06:26 , Chris WilsonThat 98-2 is the highest amount of runs in the first session of a day-night Test in Australia in the 14 games that we have full records for.
That half-century was Crawley’s 25th Test fifty. It's his fifth against Australia in ten Tests and his second fifty in Australia.
Mitchell Starc is now tied with Wasim Akram as the leading wicket-taker amongst left-arm pacers in Test history. He has 414 Test wickets now.
'Great start'
06:17 , Chris WilsonOn BBC, former Australia bowler Glenn McGrath has this to say about the first session:
“[A] great start to the match from England. They lost two quickly and you thought, here we go again. It was their session at the end, they'll be happy with that in the dressing room.
“To get to the first break only two down, almost at a hundred, it will bring this England team a lot of confidence.”
England 98-2 at tea
06:13 , Chris Wilson61 off 80 deliveries for Crawley, 32 off 60 for Root.
It’s been a great morning for the tourists all things considered, with that duo leading a great rebuild after two early wickets from Starc threatened to derail England’s challenge almost as soon as it had begun.
The ground isn't playing as many thought it would and it’s allowed England’s batsmen to settle this morning.
England 98-2
06:08 , Chris Wilson England 98-2
06:03 , Chris WilsonAnother shout from Carey but Smith lets the DRS run. Replays show it clips the thigh pad, not Root’s bat.
Three more deliveries from Starc before the final over before tea – three dot balls.
Green takes the final over before the break then. England not exactly in a rush to score, as you’d expect!
That doesn’t stop Crawley driving straight back down the wicket for four – that’s been a favourite of this duo this morning.
The final ball is hit to mid-off and the first session of the day ends with England at 98-2 from 24 overs.
England 93-2
05:55 , Chris WilsonA 20th Test 50 for Zak Crawley. The key for England now is whether he can make it a century.
He risks a single next up, with some great fielding almost putting Root in a spot of bother, before the latter takes another.
And four more for Crawley! He clips it away off his feet and it flies away along the ground.
A single to end it and there are six runs of Green’s latest over.
England 86-2
05:49 , Chris WilsonA single from Root takes this partnership to 80.
Crawley, still hunting that 50, is playing it patiently as he leaves the next Starc delivery.
And now he finds it! Clips it through on-side and waves the bat to the crowd.
England 86-2 off 21 overs.
England 84-2
05:44 , Chris WilsonCameron Green is getting his first over of the day, with Crawley finding a single off the first delivery.
Root does the same off a full delivery on the second, before the third flies over Crawley’s head.
The fourth sees England re-discover the boundary as Crawley finds four to take himself within a run of the 50, before muted appeals on the fifth and another leave on the final ball.
England 78-2
05:39 , Chris WilsonMitchell Starc is returning for the 19th over then. 2-21 as he begins again.
Well defended from Root to begin with, before he punches a single through the covers.
Crawley to face the final balls of the over, and he leaves the first before sweeping a final single off the last ball.
England 76-2
05:34 , Chris WilsonDoggett giving up very little again before Root hooks around the corner for a single.
The 18th over is similarly economical, with Root finding another single off the third before Crawley drives back past Boland for a boundary.
England 70-2
05:24 , Chris WilsonBetter from Root! He drives a four back down past Boland to move to 25.
He sneaks a single to put Crawley on strike, though he can’t find anything else for the over.
England 65-2
05:19 , Chris WilsonDoggett finds the pads of Root first up but the umpire isn’t interested, and neither is Smith on the review.
Not a lot of movement on this 15th over either, with five dot balls to Root before the England man picks up a single down leg side.
England 64-2
05:15 , Chris WilsonThree dot balls in the next over though Root does well to punch a three through the off-side covers, before the pair add two more singles.
Boland returns next, starting with four dot balls before a wide and two more dot balls to finish.
Crawley took a swing at the final one, to cheers from the home crowd!
05:05 , Chris Wilson England 58-2
05:02 , Chris WilsonA one and a two and a couple of dot balls before Root drives back down past Boland to bring the partnership past 50.
We’re into the first drinks break of the day.
England 51-2
04:58 , Chris WilsonDoggett gets his first over of the day next, with Crawley swatting the second ball for three before a similar shot on the fourth yields another triple.
Another single comes to end the 11th over and – dare we say it – the visitors are beginning to tick along nicely here.
England 45-2
04:53 , Chris WilsonPlenty of length on the deliveries from Boland but neither Crawley or Root are biting so far.
The ball is moving significantly less than expected, it seems, with Crawley already leaving a couple...
But the next delivery comes with an appeal, hitting the pad before Carey takes it. So, will the hosts review?
They decide not to, and replays show it was clearly the pad.
England 43-2
04:46 , Chris WilsonThe first four off Starc comes from a wild high ball, bouncing well over Carey and Crawley and finding the boundary behind.
Moments later through, Crawley does indeed find a boundary, driving the delivery straight back past the bowler for a four.
England 2-30
04:41 , Chris WilsonAnother two-run over from Starc, but England survive again.
Boland to deliver the seventh over, which is his first of the day.
The first three deliveries come without incident or runs, before Root hits a single off the fourth ball.
Crawley leaves the fifth and takes a single off the final ball to leave England at 32-2.
England 2-28
04:31 , Chris WilsonThe only score of the fourth over is a single from Crawley – now up to 17 – and Starc does without a wicket this time round.
Neser’s next over is a little more fruitful for the visitors, though not by much as they tot up another five to take them to 28-2 through the first six overs.
England 2-22
04:22 , Chris WilsonRight, can the visitors steady the ship here? A bit of worry as an edge from Root almost sees a brilliant catch from Smith at slip, but Crawley and Root recover to find the first boundaries of the day.
Another wide from Neser is punched away by Crawley for four, before the hosts avoid making an appeal on the penultimate ball and the over finishes with a single.
England 22-2 after those early slip-ups.
WICKET! Pope b Starc 0
04:17 , Chris WilsonEngland 5-2
WICKET! Oh no, is it going to be one of those days?
Ollie Pope is next to go for a duck as a big inside edge sees Starc celebrating once more!
WICKET! Duckett c Labuschagne b Starc 0
04:13 , Chris WilsonEngland 5-1
WICKET! England have another departure in a first over!
Ben Duckett is gone for a duck this time edging it to first slip where Marnus Labuschagne is waiting!
Mitchell Starc is obviously delighted and that is the ideal start for the hosts!
Underway in Brisbane
04:11 , Chris WilsonThe first over of the day goes to Mitchell Starc who tormented England in Perth. Can the hosts get the perfect start this time round?
Crawley and Duckett begin the day facing for England.
The first delivery is full length around shoulder height, with ‘keeper Alex Carey taking it well.
Underway in Brisbane
04:08 , Chris WilsonWe’re underway at the Gabba! England out in the middle as captain Ben Stokes elects to bat to begin the second Test.
Australia team news
04:25 , Chris WilsonA reminder of the two big changes to the Australia XI then.
Captain Pat Cummins is once again left out, while Nathan Lyon also comes out of the side.
The Australia XI in full:
Weatherald, Head, Labuschagne, Smith, Green, Inglis, Carey, Neser, Starc, Doggett, Boland.
Ben Stokes needs an Ashes miracle – at the most hostile ground in world cricket
03:25 , Luke BakerTower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Agra Fort... The Gabba. A sporting fortress for Australian cricket to lean on, with England already playing catch-up in the Ashes.
“It’s the most uncomfortable I’ve been on a cricket field,” former England cricketer Mark Butcher said in 2017 of playing at the Gabbatoir. “It hurt your eyeballs. You couldn’t even blink properly.”
The venue is synonymous with Australian cricketing dominance, as the iconic series resumes following the stunning two-day blitz of Ben Stokes’s men in Perth. The shell-shocked tourists, who had the first Test in control at lunch on day two, only to capitulate and succumb to a violent, inspiring innings from Travis Head, face a daunting reintroduction to Ashes cricket. The multi-coloured seats to give an illusion of a full-house, heat hazes caused by the intense Queensland sun and 11 green baggys swarming and hollering as another wilting tourist plays an ill-judged shot. England have not won here since 1986. For 32 years, between 1989 and 2021, no one else won here at all. Just… those guys.
Read Cameron Ponsonby’s full preview of the second Test:
Ben Stokes needs an Ashes miracle – at the most hostile ground in world cricket
Monty Panesar on beef with Steve Smith over sandpaper incident
02:56 , Luke BakerMonty Panesar has been hitting back at Steve Smith in their bizarre war of words, centred around Panesar’s poor performance on quiz show Mastermind and Smith’s role in the Sandpaper-gate incident of a few years ago...
“I was a little bit surprised knowing that he knew my answers to the questions the day before the Test match and the funny thing was that I’m able to rattle Australians by sitting on the sofa,” Panesar told Boyle Sports.
“That gave me a bit of pleasure but it would have been nice if England had won that Test match, that would have been even better.
“The British media didn’t really make anything out of it when I was talking about the sandpaper incident. Maybe Ben Stokes can use it as a psychological edge.
“Steve Smith had obviously read about it and he was thinking in the press conference that the British media were going to bring it up but I didn’t think the British media was going to bring it up at all. But then he’d memorised everything and I thought, well I’m going to reply back, why not? I’m guilty on a quiz show, he’s guilty… and the rest is history.”
Ben Stokes insists England do not fear the ‘Gabbatoir’ despite dismal Ashes record
02:13 , Luke BakerEngland skipper Ben Stokes isn’t worried about the ‘Gabbatoir’ and its reputation.
“Lots of our guys are on their first Ashes tour so this is going to be a new experience for them. No, it doesn’t hold too much fear,” he stated.
Acknowledging the Gabba’s significance for Australia, much like certain English grounds, he added: “For Australia, I guess the Gabba is a little bit like Edgbaston or Headingley are for us, where you take a lot of confidence at home if you’ve got good records at those grounds.”
He concluded, “Many teams have gone to the Gabba and lost to Australia but this is a brand new outfit.”
Australia captain Pat Cummins leaves door ajar for dramatic comeback in Brisbane
01:31 , Luke BakerAustralia captain Pat Cummins kept everyone guessing on the eve of the second Ashes Test, leaving the door ajar for a dramatic comeback in Brisbane.
“A whole heap of things are on the table. We’ll wait and see what the wicket looks like later and from there we’ll determine a playing XI,” said stand-in skipper Steve Smith.
“(Cummins) looks pretty good to me, he’s bowled in the nets. Obviously, games are different intensity, for sure, but he’s tracking nicely and he knows his body well. We’ll wait and see.”
Steve Smith told by West Indies legend he was wearing black strips upside down
00:41 , Luke BakerSteve Smith is never a man to leave anything to chance and he’s planning to employ black strips under his eyes to combat the glare of the lights in the day-night Test.
He’s been experimenting with the strips in practice but it took a legend of West Indies cricket to let him know he was making a critical error...
“I actually messaged Shivnarine Chanderpaul and asked him what his thoughts were, whether he wore the chalk or the strips,” explained Smith.
“He said the strips, and he thinks it blocks out 65 per cent of the glare. He also said ‘I’ve seen photos and you're wearing them the wrong way.’
“So yesterday I put them on the right way and... I agree. It certainly stops the glare and yeah, I'll be wearing them!”
James Anderson explains how England will attack Mitchell Starc
Wednesday 3 December 2025 23:59 , Luke BakerOne legendary paceman discussing another. Jimmy Anderson, writing in his Daily Mail column has discussed what he expects from England against Mitchell Starc.
“England will be finding ways to score, to put him under pressure, to knock him off his length,” wrote Anderson.
“Brisbane is not quite as extreme as Perth in terms of bounce, but it’s still bouncier than pitches you get in England,.
“Driving can be quite tricky, especially early on in your innings, unless it’s really full. It’s about assessing the conditions and recognising your potential scoring areas.
“Ddriving the ball on the up in Perth wasn't the right way to go about things. He bowls fast, swings it, he’s got a great yorker on him and tends to come up with jaffas to order at the start of an innings.
“It means that regardless of what time of day you bat, whether it be daylight or under the floodlights, for the first 10-20 deliveries you are vulnerable.”
Second Test timings
Wednesday 3 December 2025 23:08 , Luke BakerIt will be an early start tomorrow morning UK time to watch this second Test but the Ashes is always worth it!
Alarms set? ⏰
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 3, 2025
The key timings for the 2nd Men's Ashes Test at the Gabba 👇 pic.twitter.com/njnOamOFLk
Michael Vaughan reveals ‘worry’ for England ahead of second Ashes Test
Wednesday 3 December 2025 22:36 , Luke Baker"England had the best team they could’ve picked for the conditions in Perth, whereas it wasn’t Australia’s best team. My worry for England is that Australia will get better," Vaughan stated on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show.
He painted a daunting picture of a full-strength Australian XI: "Say Travis Head is the opening batter and Josh Inglis comes at five, (Cameron) Green at six, Alex Carey at seven… They may not play the spinner with the pink ball, so they may end up with (Beau) Webster at eight, (Pat) Cummins at nine if he comes back, (Mitchell) Starc at 10 and (Scott) Boland 11, (so) you are looking at Australia thinking, ‘How the f*** do you beat that?'"
Ben Stokes admits Robin Smith’s death just days after England Ashes squad visit ‘hits harder’
Wednesday 3 December 2025 21:46 , Luke BakerEngland captain Ben Stokes has admitted the death of former batter Robin Smith "hits harder" after the cricketing legend connected with the touring squad in Perth just days before his passing.
"Just last week he was there chatting with the Lions who were out here," Stokes stated.
"He was at the game last week and talking to people and sharing, going into quite a lot of detail about his life and opening up quite a lot. It hits you a bit harder I think, when you realise that it was only a week ago where it was doing those kinds of things."
Stokes, who confessed he "didn’t know him overly well," shared the consistent tribute from those who did: "The same thing kept on coming up pretty much, which was just that he was an absolute belter of a bloke."
Australia v England: Prediction, betting tips and odds
Wednesday 3 December 2025 21:03 , Luke BakerAfter a week and more to lick their wounds, England go back into action looking to level the Ashes series in the second Test in Brisbane.
And there are betting opportunities aplenty for the second Test
Ashes 2025 Second Test Australia v England: Prediction, betting tips and odds
Australia train at The Gabba before second Ashes Test
Wednesday 3 December 2025 20:30 , Jack Rathborn Ben Stokes sends message to Shoaib Bashir after Ashes snub
Wednesday 3 December 2025 20:01 , Luke BakerEngland captain Ben Stokes has moved to reassure spinner Shoaib Bashir that he remains the team’s premier spin bowler, despite the decision to omit him from the squad for the second Ashes Test, with all-rounder Will Jacks preferred.
“He knows if it was down to picking our best spinner, he’d have played,” Stokes stated.
“Baz (McCullum) does the telling of good news and bad news and I’m there for follow-ups, so it was pretty much like that. We thought this was the best XI for the conditions and circumstances of the game.
“We tried to look at how we thought spin was going to be used and there was a bit of a tactical element to it – obviously with Jacksy’s ability with the bat, having that down the order for us is useful as well.”
Ben Stokes sends message to Shoaib Bashir after Ashes snub
England train at The Gabba before second Ashes Test
Wednesday 3 December 2025 19:30 , Jack Rathborn Why Mitchell Starc can be so deadly with pink ball for Australia in second Ashes Test
Wednesday 3 December 2025 19:10 , Jack Rathborn“Starc does not swing the pink ball more than the red. In fact, he swings a new red ball more than a new pink one,” Steven Finn said in his BBC Sport column.
“However, Starc keeps the pink ball swinging for longer. He gets more movement in the air in his second, third and fourth spells with a pink ball than he does with a red. His bowling average with a pink ball actually comes down after his first spell.
Starc's natural full length is also a big weapon with the pink ball. In Australia, deliveries pitching between 3-6m from the batter average 37.55 runs per wicket with a red ball. That drops to 19.53 with a pink one. High pace, full length and swing for longer is the perfect combination of attributes for Starc to be so successful in day-night conditions.”
Monty Panesar on beef with Steve Smith over sandpaper incident
Wednesday 3 December 2025 18:50 , Jack Rathborn“He [Smith] only got 17 and when he first came out to bat, you could sense his nerves,” Panesar told Boyle Sports.
“The Barmy Army were singing [to the tune of the Cranberries’ Zombie] ‘he’s in your head, Monty, Monty, Monty!’ and I thought, he’s not himself and he wasn’t batting like we know Steve Smith can. He’s obviously a great player, one of the greatest of all time and he will be remembered as one of the greatest Australian batsmen. We all know how great of a captain he is - he’s strategically very good and the thinking from him to bring Travis Head to the top of the order was great.
“It’ll be up to the England team whether they really use that as an ammunition, a psychological edge or does Ben Stoke think, I don’t want to go down that route.
“And for me personally, my general knowledge is so bad - I’m still trying to find Auckland in Australia. I still can’t figure out where it is!”
Ben Stokes needs an Ashes miracle – at the most hostile ground in world cricket
Wednesday 3 December 2025 18:30 , Jack RathbornTower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Agra Fort... The Gabba. A sporting fortress for Australian cricket to lean on, with England already playing catch-up in the Ashes.
“It’s the most uncomfortable I’ve been on a cricket field,” former England cricketer Mark Butcher said in 2017 of playing at the Gabbatoir. “It hurt your eyeballs. You couldn’t even blink properly.”
The venue is synonymous with Australian cricketing dominance, as the iconic series resumes following the stunning two-day blitz of Ben Stokes’s men in Perth. The shell-shocked tourists, who had the first Test in control at lunch on day two, only to capitulate and succumb to a violent, inspiring innings from Travis Head, face a daunting reintroduction to Ashes cricket. The multi-coloured seats to give an illusion of a full-house, heat hazes caused by the intense Queensland sun and 11 green baggys swarming and hollering as another wilting tourist plays an ill-judged shot. England have not won here since 1986. For 32 years, between 1989 and 2021, no one else won here at all. Just… those guys.
Ben Stokes needs an Ashes miracle – at the most hostile ground in world cricket
Scott Boland lauds Mitchell Starc’s longevity for Australia
Wednesday 3 December 2025 18:00 , Jack Rathborn“For a fast bowler to play as many games as he has and have as many wickets and to bowl [at] the speed he does, there’s not many players at 35 who can bowl at over 140 consistently,” Boland told TNT Sports.
"He’s someone who works so hard on his body and he’s so resilient. If he ever has a niggle he never whinges, he’s just someone who gets on with the job. We’re very lucky to have him on our team. He’s played a hundred-and-something Tests and I think we’re going to be lucky to have him for as long as we’re going to get him."
Ollie Pope on preparing for pink ball cricket in The Ashes
Wednesday 3 December 2025 17:40 , Jack Rathborn“A lot of us have played on this pitch and we know the challenges it poses and how the pink ball will play; there will be times the bowlers are on top and times the batters are on top, so it’s making sure when we get in those positions we are more ruthless than we were in Perth,” Pope told TNT Sports.
"We know bowling under lights can be easier, but at the same time it’s getting dark here in the middle of the second session. Often, when you play pink-ball Tests, I think it gets dark for the last hour of play, so it’s a longer period of time.
"Both teams will have to bat under lights, potentially with a newer ball, so whoever manages those moments better will probably be the team who comes out on top. I wouldn’t say a lottery with it getting dark so early, it’s just dealing with the big moments better. If the ball is moving around a little bit more, there are ways you can adjust your game plan and adjust where you are standing on the crease, whether it’s putting them under more pressure or trying to get through a tricky spell. I try and think on my feet when it is in the bowler’s favour, get through those periods and then also try and put them under pressure when I can."
"For us to train under lights, just seeing how the pink ball reacts at dusk, in the evening and in the day, that has been really good for us. This is probably the longest we have practised in the middle of a series, so it’s been really good and the boys are ready. Everyone is feeling good in their own game, so hopefully we can turn that into a good performance this week.”
Monty Panesar on beef with Steve Smith over sandpaper incident
Wednesday 3 December 2025 17:15 , Jack Rathborn“I was a little bit surprised knowing that he knew my answers to the questions the day before the Test match and the funny thing was that I’m able to rattle Australians by sitting on the sofa,” Panesar told Boyle Sports. “That gave me a bit of pleasure but it would have been nice if England had won that Test match, that would have been even better.
“The British media didn’t really make anything out of it when I was talking about the sandpaper incident. Maybe Ben Stokes can use it as a psychological edge.
“Steve Smith had obviously read about it and he was thinking in the press conference that the British media were going to bring it up but I didn’t think the British media was going to bring it up at all. But then he’d memorised everything and I thought, well I’m going to reply back, why not? I’m guilty on a quiz show, he’s guilty… and the rest is history.
Ben Stokes insists England do not fear the ‘Gabbatoir’ despite dismal Ashes record
Wednesday 3 December 2025 17:00 , Jack Rathborn"Lots of our guys are on their first Ashes tour so this is going to be a new experience for them. No, it doesn’t hold too much fear," he stated.
Acknowledging the Gabba's significance for Australia, much like Edgbaston or Headingley for England, he added: "For Australia, I guess the Gabba is a little bit like Edgbaston or Headingley are for us, where you take a lot of confidence at home if you’ve got good records at those grounds."
He concluded, "Many teams have gone to the Gabba and lost to Australia but this is a brand new outfit."
Michael Vaughan reveals ‘worry’ for England ahead of second Ashes Test
Wednesday 3 December 2025 16:45 , Jack Rathborn"England had the best team they could’ve picked for the conditions in Perth, whereas it wasn’t Australia’s best team. My worry for England is that Australia will get better," Vaughan stated on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show.
He painted a daunting picture of a full-strength Australian XI: "Say Travis Head is the opening batter and Josh Inglis comes at five, (Cameron) Green at six, Alex Carey at seven… They may not play the spinner with the pink ball, so they may end up with (Beau) Webster at eight, (Pat) Cummins at nine if he comes back, (Mitchell) Starc at 10 and (Scott) Boland 11, (so) you are looking at Australia thinking, ‘How the f*** do you beat that?'"
Robin Smith was a Hampshire and England great and one of the very best – and bravest – in the face of raw pace
Wednesday 3 December 2025 16:30 , Jack Rathbornine a bowler as Angus Fraser was, he probably wasn’t quick enough to get Robin Smith’s juices flowing. But the former England cricketer, and Independent cricket correspondent, may have summed up his old teammate better than most. “There have been many players who have suggested they would rather face 90mph throat balls than gentle leg-breaks but Smith is the only one I truly believe,” said England’s most skilful bowler of the early 1990s.
Nor was there any false bravado from Smith when he said, in many an interview, that he felt no fear against the quickest of the quicks, especially as he would often caveat it by admitting he was afraid of Shane Warne, whose leg-breaks were not gentle, but were rather less likely to inflict physical damage. Smith’s demons could be mental, but there were few braver batters in cricketing history. Few finer, too, when the speed gun showed deliveries timed at something approaching 100mph. From Donald Bradman to Brian Lara, there have been suspicions that some of the greatest ever had a slight susceptibility to raw pace. Smith was that rarity: he was better against it.
Robin Smith was one of the very best – and bravest – in the face of raw pace
Ben Stokes admits Robin Smith’s death just days after England Ashes squad visit ‘hits harder’
Wednesday 3 December 2025 16:15 , Jack RathbornEngland captain Ben Stokes has admitted the death of former batter Robin Smith "hits harder" after the cricketing legend connected with the touring squad in Perth just days before his passing.
"Just last week he was there chatting with the Lions who were out here," Stokes stated.
"He was at the game last week and talking to people and sharing, going into quite a lot of detail about his life and opening up quite a lot. It hits you a bit harder I think, when you realise that it was only a week ago where it was doing those kinds of things."
Stokes, who confessed he "didn’t know him overly well," shared the consistent tribute from those who did: "The same thing kept on coming up pretty much, which was just that he was an absolute belter of a bloke."
Australia captain Pat Cummins leaves door ajar for dramatic comeback in Brisbane
Wednesday 3 December 2025 16:00 , Jack RathbornAustralia captain Pat Cummins kept everyone guessing on the eve of the second Ashes Test, leaving the door ajar for a dramatic comeback in Brisbane.
“A whole heap of things are on the table. We’ll wait and see what the wicket looks like later and from there we’ll determine a playing XI,” said stand-in skipper Steve Smith.
“(Cummins) looks pretty good to me, he’s bowled in the nets. Obviously, games are different intensity, for sure, but he’s tracking nicely and he knows his body well. We’ll wait and see.”
Ben Stokes sends message to Shoaib Bashir after Ashes snub
Wednesday 3 December 2025 15:32 , Jack RathbornEngland captain Ben Stokes has moved to reassure spinner Shoaib Bashir that he remains the team’s premier spin bowler, despite the decision to omit him from the squad for the second Ashes Test.
"He knows if it was down to picking our best spinner, he’d have played," Stokes stated.
"Baz (McCullum) does the telling of good news and bad news and I’m there for follow-ups, so it was pretty much like that. We thought this was the best XI for the conditions and circumstances of the game.
“We tried to look at how we thought spin was going to be used and there was a bit of a tactical element to it – obviously with Jacksy’s ability with the bat, having that down the order for us is useful as well."