There’s a long way to go for England if they want to give themselves a lifeline against Australia in the second Ashes Test at the Gabba. The Three Lions were 43 runs behind and 134-6 at the start of play, with Ben Stokes and Will Jacks the men at the crease tasked with sparing their blushes. It was a seriously slow start to the day in terms of runs, with just 59 runs added by the end of the afternoon session. But that’s exactly what England needed, who now lead by 16 runs and went through the session without losing a wicket for the first time in the series.
They knew it would take a miracle reminiscent of Stokes’ heroics at Headingly in the 2019 Ashes test in Leeds, and we’re still some way off that coming to fruition. However, every run and every over that passes without a wicket will frustrate the Australians. England knows that the balance of the game can swing and change in a single session. Here are the moments you might have missed from the opening session on day four.
Headingly 2.0 needed
Ben Stokes has enjoyed several brilliant Test matches for England, but very few eclipse his heroics at Headingly in the 2019 Ashes series back home. The England captain scored 135* not out and put on a 76-run, 10th wicket partnership to get the home side over the line.
If England want to take the urn home, they’ll need an innings reminiscent of that win in Leeds to give them a lifeline in Brisbane, let alone think about winning the Test. It’s fair to say Stokes’ partner at the crease, Will Jacks, is a better batter than Jack Leach, who scored the greatest single run not out in English cricket history.
Jacks is a top-order batter in T20 cricket and has the firepower to help England turn the tide. Stokes and Jacks put in a much more disciplined performance in the opening session of day four at the Gabba and saw off the early dangermen in Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.
Stokes scored just two from 70 deliveries at Leeds in that sensational knock, but had 19 runs from the same number of deliveries at the Gabba.
England’s response to Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan gave a damning assessment of the Three Lions’ performance after day three at the Gabba, saying Brendon McCullum’s side had been humiliated by Australia’s second string and were too predictable. He told BBC Test Match Special after day three: “Let’s just mention this Australian team have got over a thousand wickets not playing. This is their second string.
“England are a side that, for three or four years now, have played one way and I just think teams know how to play against them and that’s a real worry. They were humiliated in that second day in Perth, and today and yesterday. England continue to play this aggressive, flamboyant style which is entertaining – it’s enjoyable at times – but against quality it’s all becoming a bit too predictable.”
Vaughan hit the nail on the head. There was no room for debate after day three, with Australia piling the pressure on England with some ‘old-fashioned’ Test cricket. Today, Stokes and Jacks showed they’re more than capable of playing sensible cricket without the needless, silly, aggressive cricket that has left them on the brink of defeat.
That’s not to say there weren’t a few nervy moments, but in the first hour of play, England scored 28 runs in 13 overs at 2.15 runs per over. That’s the second slowest session in the Bazball era, in the 199 times the Three Lions have batted for more than 13 overs in a session. Slow and steady wins the race, or so they say.
Bazball reminder
Make no mistake, Stokes and Jacks had to battle hard to claw England back into the game, but in truth, there wasn’t much movement or unpredictable bounce on the Gabba wicket. Australia showed just how easy it is to score runs on a wicket that favours the batters.
England’s top order gifted the hosts wickets in the two evening sessions yesterday. All the criticism they got after day three was fully deserved. If Bazball is to survive this Ashes series, the likes of Ollie Pope and Harry Brook need big scores. The entire top order needs to provide a better platform for the rest of the batting line-up to build on.
They can’t keep relying on the individual brilliance of Joe Root or Stokes.
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