Ashes 2025 live score: England facing defeat as Australia look to wrap up victory on day four – UK Times

With both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood yet to play in this series, it really does feel like England have missed two major opportunities. Nathan Lyon was left out of this game, of course, as well, while Usman Khawaja’s back issues have led to uncertainty at the top of the order. Has it mattered? Of course not. Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett stepped up yesterday to help spark Australia’s charge.

There was more pessimistic news for Josh Hazlewood earlier in the Test, though, after another injury set-back for the seamer.

It appears that Mitchell Starc will have one of his running mates back alongside him in Adelaide – Australia captain Pat Cummins is on track to return for the third Test.

How good was Mitchell Starc yesterday? It’s turning into quite the series for the Australian left-armer, chipping in with 77 vital and patient runs to make England toil in the field and then removing Joe Root and Jamie Smith late in the day. He really is some cricketer.

Trescothick told TNT Sports: “We’re fairly philosophical about what we are trying to do and are obviously not quite operating as we need to. They have been better than us today and put us under a lot of pressure. It’s always challenging when that happens.

“There’s a lot more detail [why we are not operating] and not just highlighting one thing. We are trying to score runs when we can, and take wickets when we can. In certain areas we haven’t been as good as we need to be for long enough. We try to do that and put it right all the time.

“Of course we work with them as coaches. Myself and Baz will talk with them about what we are trying to do and the principle of how we are trying to play our style of play. When we get it right we dominate and put pressure on the opposition.

“Other times we don’t always get right and play bad shots, and that gets highlighted. It is what it is. You have to have some way of trying to play the game. Every game and innings with the batters we try to work out how we can make it better for next time. You play bad shots but sometimes you have to stick your principles with what you are trying to do.”

“They’ve been better than us today, and they’ve dominated today,” Trescothick said. “They’ve put us under a lot of pressure, and it’s always challenging when that happens.

“We’re trying to score as many runs as we can. We’re trying to take wickets when we can.

“In certain areas, we probably haven’t been as good as we need to be, for long enough. And we’re trying, obviously, to do that and trying to put that right all the time.”

“Pope’s dismissal was utterly bizarre,” said Hussain. “There is something in your brain that, however positive you want to be, driving on the up on this surface is not easy. We have seen that.

“Pope spoke to me about it on interview the other day – about learning from the first Test that there are certain shots you have to put away. On this Brisbane pitch, the drive on the up is not the shot to be playing.

“Pope nearly got caught and bowled early on, he then hit over the fielder Josh Inglis at cover and then he nicked one over slip off the outside edge. I sat in the press box thinking to myself, ‘what is going through Pope’s head now?’ I would have been thinking ‘that shot started a collapse in Perth so put it away’.

“But what does Pope do? He goes down the other end, drives on the up with a closed bat face and is caught and bowled as 90-1 becomes 90-2 and the collapse comes.

“That’s where I question him. If I, sat up in the press room, can see a wicket coming, how can Pope himself not say, ‘if I carry on batting like this I am going to get out’.

“Put that shot away for a while like the greats do. Steve Smith does it. Joe Root does it. Pope doesn’t do it. He believes if he keeps doing it, he will get away with it.”

“To be honest, after last season when I thought I was bowling superbly…and I did my hammy really badly, I thought that could have been my chance [gone],” Neser said. “I’ve always dreamed about playing for Australia. It’s something that I live and breathe, is cricket. So to be given another chance, I’m very honoured.

“It was a long recovery, think it was 12 weeks out of it, and I may have come back a week or two quicker than I should have. I probably wasn’t 100% [fit] at the back end [of last summer]. I chose not to go to county cricket and focus on getting my body right for the start of the season and really focus on Australian summer. A big pre-season did me wonders. I feel strong again and I feel like my hammy is back to where it was.”

“You are disappointed. Of course you are. We appreciate we are behind the game.

“But you have got to try to remain focused and positive on what you are trying to do. There’s an opportunity here.

“Yes we are behind in the context of the game but we have to come out tomorrow and get to a position where we can have partnerships with the last few wickets we have and get a total we can have dart at.”

Michael Vaughan bemoaned another day of “humiliation” for England after they collapsed to the brink of a second successive hefty Ashes defeat against Australia in Brisbane.

The tourists finished day three on 134 for six, still 43 adrift, at the Gabba and former captain Vaughan insisted they only had themselves to blame for sticking to their attacking philosophy.

Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra: “England were humiliated in that second day in Perth, and today and yesterday.

“Australia have just dominated two days of cricket. From England having a decent day one we all got a bit excited within two days. Australia have gone, ‘OK, we will show you how to bat in Test match cricket and then we will show you how to bowl’.

“This one way of playing and ultra-aggressive driving on the up at all costs when the ball is doing a bit just doesn’t work.

“It’s just not possible to play this style of cricket against quality bowlers. Let’s just mention this Australian team have got over a thousand wickets not playing. This is their second string.”