England 43-2 (Crawley 32, Root 7) Overs: 9
The Starc-Crawley duel is back; Crawley is back driving.
He sends the first one in the air, but comfortably safe, into the covers for a couple.
Starc goes short, too short, next ball and England get four byes as it comfortably clears Carey. That it does so and a wide is not given is testament to the bounce in this pitch.
After that, Starc is back full again, Crawley drives again, this time back past Starc for four. It looks brilliant when it’s not caught and the bowler’s flailing arm was not particularly close to the ball on this occasion.
England 32-2 (Crawley 24, Root 7) Overs: 8
Neser is removed from the attack after three overs and Bolabd has the pink ball in-hand.
Root defends three of the first four balls, ultimately getting off strike via a thick inside edge. Crawley watches one ball, then pushes into the off side for a single.
Whisper it, but these two have weathered the new-ball storm pretty well over the last few overs.
England 30-2 (Crawley 24, Root 6) Overs: 7
Starc gives Crawley width and he cannot help himself. It’s a loose drive, but Crawley gets enough of a thick edge to send the ball flying over the slips and pick up a couple. They end up being the only runs of the over.
England 28-2 (Crawley 22, Root 6) Overs: 6
Crawley clips off his pads for a couple and drives onto the on side for three as Neser continues at the other end. Root dutifully defends the two balls he faces.
Crawley has a run-a-ball 22, while Starc looks decidedly more dangerous than Neser thus far.
Starc at the double as Pope dismissed for duck
Video credit: TNT Sports
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England 23-2 (Crawley 17, Root 6) Overs: 5
Crawley takes a single off the first ball of the next Starc over and gets to the non-striker’s end, the safest place to be.
Root faces the next five without scoring. It’s the most uneventful over the day so far. Touch wood, from an England perspective, that that’s not a jinx.
England 22-2 (Crawley 16, Root 6) Overs: 4
Crawley hits Neser to the boundary twice. Once off his pads, once crashes through the covers as the bowler overpitches.
But England cannot have nice things, it seems. Crawley plays and misses to the first ball after the second of those fours and Australia have a small discussion about a review, but decide not to. It may or may not be a good decision as there’s the smallest of spikes on the snickometer. Vary hard to tell whether that would have been overturned as the on-field decision was not out.
Another nightmare start as Starc strikes in first over again
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Wicket! England 11-2 (Crawley 5, Root 6) Overs: 3
Pope 0, b Starc
Starc strikes again and it’s another horrible start for England! Pope, yet to score a run, looks to run the ball behind square on the off side and instead chops onto his own stumps.
In comes Root, who clips away for a couple off the first ball he faces but is then almost out himself, edging a delivery which squares him up. Smith dives, can’t hold the catch and England get four.
England 5-1 (Crawley 5, Pope 0) Overs: 2
Neser gets the ball and Crawley watchfully sees off his over. Three leaves, two solid defensive shots and then a less convincing play and miss to end the over on a somewhat ominous note.
Wicket! England 5-1 (Crawley 5) Overs: 1
Duckett 0, c Labuschagne b Starc, 0
It’s another terrible start for England!
After Crawley appeared to have seen off the first Starc over, Duckett wafts at a wide delivery and edges to first slip. Disaster.
Time for the first ball
How are your nerves, Zak Crawley? Mitchell Starc has a pink ball in his hands and will bowl the first over. Crawley is on strike…
A moment of silence is held in memory of a Robin Smith
The teams are out on the grass. Before the national anthems, there is a moment of silence in memory of Robin Smith, ‘The Judge’ the former England and Hampshire batter who sadly passed away this week aged 62.
It will be followed by a welcome to country and the two national anthems.
England win toss at Gabba as Stokes opts to bat first
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Australia make two changes, just the one for England
As well as Josh Inglis replacing the injured Usman Khawaja in the Australia side, Michael Neser is in for Nathan Lyon. So no spinner for the hosts.
“Pink ball, we think it’s going to offer quite a bit, particularly later on under lights,” explains Smith. Cummins was “close” to a return but Australia are exercising caution, he adds. Inglis will bat in the middle order, so Travis Head opens.
Here are the teams in full.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett , Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer.
Australia: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett.
England win the toss and will bat first
Good morning, early birds! You are very welcome to live coverage of the second Ashes Test from the Gabba, where Ben Stokes and Steve Smith have just walked out for the toss.
Firstly, that confirms Pat Cummins is not playing for Australia. Secondly, Stokes calls tails correctly and elects to bat.
“I’m not too sure to be honest,” Stokes says when asked about the wicket. “You never really know until you get out there and see a bit of cricket being played on it. So look, we’ve got an opportunity to go out there and put some runs on the board first up.”
He concedes it is the biggest week of his captaincy, while Smith says he too would have batted.
The Ashes resumes
Here we go.
After England’s demoralising two-day defeat in Perth in the opening Test, the NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes series rolls on to Brisbane. You can watch and stream every ball of the 2025/26 Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Watch every ball of the Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+
