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.

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

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!??

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…

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…

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

53rd over: England 176-6 (Stokes 29, Jacks 16) A break for Doggett, a turn for Green, all two metres of him, looking like Rick Moranis’ toddler with the convertible in his top pocket. Two slips, staggered, with cover and mid off, mid on, midwicket, with deep point plus two out leg side for the hook. Green falls over while delivering one ball, managing to still release the ball that Stokes wobbles his bat at and nearly nicks. Then Stokes has to jam down on one and keep it out. No run from the over, good start for the all-rounder.

52nd over: England 176-6 (Stokes 29, Jacks 16) Not far away! It may be hot, the deck may be gentle, the ball may be flat, but Solo at the Bowlo is always a chance. Boland gets a ball to nibble ever so slightly, beating Jacks into Carey’s gloves, the bowler with one arm raised in an appeal that never quite emerges into full flower from the bud. No run from the over.

51st over: England 176-6 (Stokes 29, Jacks 16) Bouncer plan continues from Doggett, Stokes pulls a run, down on the ball to control it. Jacks manages to knock away another run. Stokes up on his toes now, over the top of the ball again, short-arm jab to deep point. Jacks another run. The scores are almost square…

“Just look how busy the Aussies are fielding, chatting, throwing the ball about, running here and there, chirping,” writes Rich. “Beside Stokes and Root, no one has been doing much like it. There’s not been enough energy about the tourist squad. Observing the goings on from Okinawa where the humidity having finally broken allows a person to do the annual tree management jobs required for the next typhoon season.”

Thank goodness, I was worried about the Japanese arborists. One does.

50th over: England 172-6 (Stokes 27, Jacks 14) Scotty B returns, errs in line, and Stokes picks off a boundary with the leg glance. The game is drifting along. You know what might be handy here? A spin bowler, perhaps. One with 500 Test wickets, if such a thing were possible. Ah well, we are but dreamers and we can but dream. Stokes off strike next ball, Jacks leaves alone the Boland line outside off, then drives gently to cover. England trail by 5.

49th over: England 167-6 (Stokes 22, Jacks 14) Right after drinks, a medical delay as Jacks gets clonked on the lid and needs a medico to wave some fingers at him and a runner to replace his helmet. That’ll be reason enough for the match ref to wave away the 70 overs in a day that both these teams have bowled so far. Gets off strike via the ricochet, and now Stokes is getting the short stuff as well. Deep square leg, regulation square leg, long leg, fine leg, deep third, deep point, so a slip and a mid on are the only normal fielding positions. Hoping for Stokes to hook one and stick it up in the air. Instead Doggett bowls on a length and Stokes nearly nicks it! Tries to yank the bat inside the line and only just manages it, very awkwardly played. Last ball of the over Stokes goes the forehand smash down the ground, gets a piece of it and breaks his bat in the process. Waving it at the bench as he completes the first of three runs, it does look disturbingly like he’s celebrating his milestone of … 2o. “A twentchury!” says Rory Dollard nearby in the press box.

47th over: England 162-6 (Stokes 19, Jacks 13) Doggett to continue… oh, man. We’re going to the bouncer field. Smith has decided that it’s time to play bumper cars. This is really quite tiresome cricket, and Doggett was picked as a pitch-up bowler who uses his wrist to get skid off the pitch and threaten the bat from that length. But since being in the team he’s being used as a carthorse pulling a trebuchet. It nearly works though, to be fair: after a couple of singles, Jacks aims a pull and nearly gloves it. Australia don’t review.

England 15 runs behind.

46th over: England 160-6 (Stokes 18, Jacks 12) Neser in from the Stanley Street end, gets. a short ball fended very close to Travis Head at short leg. The crowd is interested. Jacks plays a similar shot finer and gets a run. Stokes 18, Jacks 12, now for the overture.

On the sweepstake (keep those coming in, I’m already out under the honour system) Kev McMahon offers, “I’m at the Gabba, and it’s $#@&ing hot, so I’m seeking a balance between a match long enough to be worth coming in for and dropping dead of heat exhaustion.”

Can concur, Kev, it is exactly that hot, even on the way to the ground today. England have the chance to hurt the Aussies just by staying where they are now.

45th over: England 159-6 (Stokes 18, Jacks 11) Doggett, tall and lean and looking about 12 years old from the grandstand, with a beaky nose and a boyish haircut, lobs one past the nose of Stokes. He’s getting decent bounce, discomfited Jacks before that with one that jumped and deflected for a single. Works away in the channel to end the over against Stokes, but English discipline holds. In truth, often in the last few years Stokes has been the least Bazball of his troupe.

“Has there ever been a tie in an Ashes test?” No, Chris Bowden. Two ties in history, Australia West Indies at this ground in 1960/61, and Madras, later Chennai, India Australia in 1986. And I refer you to the earlier point that England are still 18 runs behind.

44th over: England 157-6 (Stokes 17, Jacks 10) Neser, a couple of singles under the beating sun.

“No, I’m not getting too far ahead of myself (or alarmingly delusional), but just as a matter of idle curiosity… What would you think might be enough of a lead to make Australia’s batters just a little bit uncomfortable? Given the way Will Jacks spun a few yesterday, I reckon 180 or more could be extremely interesting.”

Christ, Gervase! Even with the caveats, we could still have an innings defeat on our hands here. I think 180 could get Travis Headbutted. They’d need closer to 300. It still looks good for batting out there. Let’s get past the 20-run deficit first.

43rd over: England 155-6 (Stokes 16, Jacks 9) Brendan Doggett to replace Starc, and he has Stokes oohing very quickly, a ball that nips away and beats the off stump by very little. Stokes puts that out of mind though, gets forward to the next ball, and drills the cover drive. Down by 22 runs.

42nd over: England 151-6 (Stokes 12, Jacks 9) Neser is here for his first spell of the day, and immediately gets the ball to yelp. Serious deviation away from Stokes’ bat, misses the edge by a millimetre, and thuds into Carey’s chest. Carey is up to the stumps again, he’s pinging up and back like Pat Rafter to the net.

41st over: England 149-6 (Stokes 11, Jacks 8) Another over from Starc negotiated, just… he jags one ball away from Stokes that isn’t far from the edge. This particular battle is a very interesting one, and will be across the series, Starc with a hold over the other skipper. England get three singles from the over though, that’s a win at this stage. The deficit is down to 28.

40th over: England 146-6 (Stokes 10, Jacks 6) Boland might be more the danger than Starc this morning. He’s getting Stokes tangled up a couple of times, trying to defend with the bat coming across the pad, getting squared up, then getting a rising ball on the gloves trying to play it down. Three slips in for the England captain, deep backward point for a carve, cover, mid off, mid on, square leg, fine leg. Boland goes from around the wicket to over, for the left-hander. Stokes on his toes to defend. Then back around the wicket, Boland errs in line! Down the leg-side and it zips past Carey for four byes. Carey came up to the stumps again for that last ball. Were they looking for a stumping?

39th over: England 142-6 (Stokes 10, Jacks 6) Doing a job so far, is Jacks. Not entirely smooth in defending a few Starc balls, but tucks away a run eventually. Stokes runs another single off the face. See? Not that hard.

38th over: England 140-6 (Stokes 9, Jacks 5) Boland continues, with Carey up to the stumps to stop Jacks going for a walk. Gloving them superbly, it’s not like Boland is slow. After three balls though, Carey goes back and swaps the helmet for the hat. Jacks bats out the over, no run until the final ball, which he nudges fine for one.

37th over: England 139-6 (Stokes 9, Jacks 4) Here comes Mitchell Starc, from the Vulture Street End, and per Mark Seymour, those big black birds are circling in the skies. Not this over though, Starc is a bit stiff and rusty through overuse perhaps, and bowls too short and at times too wide, before getting full enough that Stokes can flick him delightfully through midwicket off the front foot.

36th over: England 135-6 (Stokes 5, Jacks 4) The tourists in the crowd get through Jerusalem without further damage, unlike Adelaide 2017 when Josh Hazlewood got Joe Root and Chris Woakes in the first over of the morning. Stokes awkwardly stabs away a single into the leg side first ball of the day, before Boland sends down a typically accurate five balls at Will Jacks, who defends stoutly from the crease. Miralo, chicos, it can be done.

“As I reach the end of another working week, I am once again reminded of the cruelty of cricketing disappointment. It’s hard enough being an Englishman living in Brisbane at the moment, but no cricket on my weekend seems excessively cruelty...”

There’s cricket on today, Phil Withington. It might not last very long, that’s all.

“Hi from Sweden, Geoff,” writes Julian Menz. I can only assume ”James Wallace (later)” is an example of that cheeky Aussie humour. He’s already down the pub mate!”

In defence of Jim’s professional honour, I can attest that he’s two seats down from me in the press box, by all appearances transcribing an interview with some marginal figure from a long-ago Ashes defeat. Bless him, he’s made the trip out here for his first Aus visit and had to pick two Tests of the five, so he’s had six days of cricket for his trouble.

He’ll be on with blazing fingertips later if Stokes and co. manage to build a redoubt.

Alrighty then. For England to stay in the game today, it will require another Ben Stokes miracle. He has not, the last couple of days, looked like a man with a miracle in him. He’s been outplayed as a captain and nowhere with the bat. Can he dredge up something from the Big Famous Innings depths today?

For the McSweeney freaks out there, AAP have been chatting to him about his brief time (so far) as a national player.

Nathan McSweeney believes he is a better player for having had a brief Test stint, after smashing his highest first-class score in a timely reminder to Australian selectors.

The 26-year-old produced the best knock of his career on Saturday, blasting an unbeaten 226 for Australia A against the England Lions at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

His eighth first-class century dwarfed his previous best of 127 not out.
It was McSweeney’s second century of the summer, bouncing back after being dropped following three Tests against India last year when he averaged only 14.4.

“Playing Test cricket exposes a few opportunities to learn,” McSweeney said.

“I definitely like to think that I’ve learned from those experiences, and I can continue to try and grow my game. I feel like I’m in a good spot at the moment. It’s a game, we’re probably never going to finish the puzzle, but really content with how it’s shaping. Hopefully I can continue to learn and hopefully score some runs.”

McSweeney is a natural No.3 or No.4, but was given the chance to open for Australia with Usman Khawaja. However, the pair were worked over by the world’s best Test bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.

Khawaja is hopeful of being fit for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide on December 17, but it remains to be seen whether the 38-year-old is picked.
Travis Head and Jake Weatherald are averaging 76 after two innings opening together in the absence of Khawaja.

But if selectors believe Head should go back to No.5 when batting in Australian conditions, McSweeney could be up for an opening spot.
McSweeney’s improvement against spin has him ideally placed to be in contention to tour India for a blockbuster series in early 2027.

The South Australia captain obliterated England spinner Shoaib Bashir, who was dropped for the start of the Ashes.

“Over the last 12 months, I’ve really tried to focus on trying to put the spinner under a little bit more pressure,” McSweeney said. “I was able to be sharp on my feet and try to expose their lengths as best I could.”

As for me, the Days Without Having to Write About Mitchell Starc counter has been rewound to zero, because he became the central figure of the day again yesterday, but this time with the bat. Then turned it on with the ball right at the end of the night. Unputdownable.

Meanwhile, Simon’s piece from the ground examines the TV pictures of England’s bowling spearhead arriving yesterday with bedding in hand, and what that might or might not imply. Perhaps it’s just because the nights get so late! Though at six wickets down he was probably about to be woken up to get his pads on.

Here’s Simon Burnton with the quotes, for which England predictably put up one of the assistant coaching ranks rather than a player or Brendon McCullum. Normal Bad News Day protocol.

Let’s start with the recaps. Ali Martin is one of our several reporters at the ground, and he’s responsible for the wrap of the day’s play.