England in tatters after dismal day in Brisbane

Second Ashes Test, the Gabba, Brisbane (day-night, day three of five)

England 334: Root 138; Starc 6-75 & 134-6 Crawley 44; Neser 2-27, Boland 2-33

Australia 511: Starc 77, Weatherald 72; Carse 4-152, Stokes 3-113

England trail by 43 runs

England’s hopes in the second Test – and the Ashes – are in tatters after a dismal and depressing third day in Brisbane.

On a Saturday that will sit alongside England’s long history of misery at a ground where they have not won since 1986, Australia tortured the visitors with the bat then applied overwhelming pressure with the ball.

To the delight of a baying Gabba crowd and in the intense atmosphere of the Queensland night, England were left in disarray at 134-6 – still 43 behind. Defeat inside three days was only narrowly avoided.

Faced with a first-innings of deficit of 177, England started their second innings in the twilight against the pink ball with promise – the visitors were 45-0 from six overs at the dinner break.

As ever, England are incapable of batting well enough for long enough, and mistakes were inevitable.

Ben Duckett can feel unlucky to be bowled by a scuttler from Scott Boland, yet Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley both played feckless drives to be caught and bowled by Michael Neser.

Even Joe Root was culpable of edging Mitchell Starc, Harry Brook nicked Boland and Jamie Smith became the umpteenth England player to fall trying to drive Starc.

Ben Stokes has engineered unimaginable Ashes escapes in the past. This will not be one of them and his team is crumbling around him. The captain remains unbeaten, with him and Will Jacks both on four.

Australia were earlier led by 77 from Starc – the pace bowler adding runs to his stellar series with the ball – to keep England in the field for almost two sessions and rack up 511.

Only five days into this series, England are at a point of no return. There would surely be no way back from 2-0 down, especially for a team without a win in this country for almost 15 years.

The intense frustration at England’s predicament is it is largely self-inflicted. They have been wasteful with the bat, wayward with the ball and have dropped catches.

This is not a great Australia team and the hosts are missing a number of key players. Still, the hosts are giving England a lesson in how to win Test matches. Their batting was ruthless, their bowling relentless and they have caught everything.

No team has made as many as England’s 334 in the first innings of a day-night Test and lost, yet Australia put England’s effort into context.

The pitch is showing signs of uneven bounce and there are showers forecast for Sunday night. England will not make the Test last long enough to use either to their advantage.

So often England insist their batters can read situations, adapt to conditions and “absorb pressure”. It is a wonder they can make such statements with a straight face.

Was this Bazball? It was just awful cricket. Even when England started well, Australia had the comfort of knowing a chance would arrive. When it did, the hosts pounced, carried by the energy of the expectant Gabba crowd.

Duckett was genuinely unfortunate, bowled off the bottom of his bat for 15. Pope and Crawley were anything but unlucky, gifting return catches to Neser for 26 and 44 respectively.

Both tried to drive balls that were not there for the shot. Neser gleefully clung on in his follow-through. England were on the way to losing five wickets for 38 runs.

The usually dependable Root was sucked into driving Starc. Brook overturned being given caught behind off Boland, then edged the next ball anyway.

Smith looks increasingly rattled and his rabbit-in-the-headlights drive gave Starc his 18th wicket of the series.

In the absence of Pat Cummins – who is set to return for the third Test – Josh Hazlewood and, by choice, Nathan Lyon, Starc is having the series of his life. His bowling has made batting difficult for England and, on Saturday, he found batting simple against England’s bowling.

This was his highest score in a home Test for nine years. Not only did it heap more miles on to weary English bodies, it delayed Australia’s opportunity to bowl until the crucial twilight hours.

After Australia began on 378-6, leading by 44, England needed the final four wickets as swiftly as possible. Though Neser edged Stokes and Carey fell to the second new ball to give Gus Atkinson his first wicket of the series, Starc and Boland showed the flatness of the pitch.

Stokes had a poor day as captain. He bowled only seven overs, Jofra Archer just five. Jacks bowled one over in the first 97. Brydon Carse barely bowled in the batters’ half for his 4-152.

England could not stop Starc farming the strike. Any time England bowled full, he whacked through the covers or straight. The Starc-Boland partnership lasted 27.2 overs, the longest of the series by either side.

Starc eventually miscued Carse to mid-off, but England’s torture continued with seven overs of Boland and Brendan Doggett together. Every Australian reached double figures for only the third time in Tests before Doggett finally edged Jacks to slip.