England captain Ben Stokes says his side are taking “lessons” from their two-day defeat in Perth into the second day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane.
The pink-ball Test begins in Queensland from Thursday at the Gabba, as Stokes looks to equalize the five-match series after a heavy defeat in Perth.
However, they come up against the pink ball, a format in which their opposition thrives. England have lost five of their seven day-night Tests, including all three in Australia, while the home side have 13 wins from 14 in the format, with their only defeat coming against the West Indies in Brisbane in January 2024.
Not only that, but England have only won two Ashes Tests in Brisbane in their last 20 attempts, their last outing at The Gabba being a nine-wicket hammering in 2021 at the start of a series they lost 4-0.
While much is at stake against England, Stokes says he knows if his players come out with the right mindset to “impact” the game, they can take a step closer to winning the Ashes.
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Ben Stokes has shared a tense exchange after being asked about England players being spotted riding e-scooters in Brisbane without helmets.
“I think mindset is everything when it comes to sports in general,” Stokes said.
“When you’re put in all kinds of situations, as long as your mind is clear on what you’re going to try to do, that’s the most important thing.”
“I have full confidence in the players we’ve selected to go out there with the mentality that they can impact the game in the right way for us.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way.”
“We addressed ourselves last week, evaluated certain moments in that game and certainly learned some lessons from last week.
“It’s a chance for us this week to do what we want, which is to win the Ashes.”
England will only know the KSI they face when the draw is made on Thursday, and Australia will leave it as late as possible to announce their side as their captain Pat Cummins remains in contention for the game as he continues his comeback from the latest problem.
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Australia captain Steve Smith has refused to rule out a surprise return for Pat Cummins in the second Ashes Test against England.
When asked if the opposition’s decision was a mind game, Stokes put it down to Australia not really knowing who their side would be.
“I see it as they don’t know what they’re going to pick until the draw,” he said.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what they go for.”
“Pete (Cummins) has been great for a very, very long time.
“He has done great things, not only as a player, but he has been brilliant since he was given the responsibility of captaining Australia.”
“Whatever 11 they go with, if Pat’s there, if Pat’s not, we’re still going to try to win this week.”
Jax ‘is shaping up to be a cricketer, I knew he could be’
While Australia have yet to announce their side, England have, with all-rounder Will Jacks replacing Mark Wood in the only change from the team that lost the series opener in Perth.
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Michael Atherton says England must bounce back in the second Ashes Test at The Gabba or the series is “basically over”.
Wood was expected to miss after that skipped England’s first training session in Brisbane with a left knee problembut the selection of Jax could be seen as a surprising move.
The uncapped player, who will bat at No. 8 in the order, has played just two Test matches, both coming on the 2022 tour of Pakistan in which he took a five-for debut.
As for Stokes, since that debut, Jacks has gone from “strength to strength” and is confident he is in good form as he claims his place in the side.
“Since he came into the team in Pakistan and started very, very well, he has turned into the cricketer I always thought he could be,” Stokes said.
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Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton dissect England’s XI for the second Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane, with all-rounder Will Jacks replacing fast bowler Mark Wood in the day-night match.
“He is incredibly talented and has gone from strength to strength.”
“He’s been playing really well here in training, in the nets, so it’s great for us to have someone who looks pretty good coming in for us in a big Test match.”
“You try to give yourself as much time as possible to come up with different angles for the 11.”
“We tried to look at how we thought the spin would be used, so there’s a tactical element to it, and then Jax’s ability to get the bat down the order is useful.”
Nasser: England ‘covered both bases’ with the Jacks
For Ski Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain’s decision to go with Jax as a spin option over spinner Shoaib Bashir is the right one given the conditions England will face in Brisbane.
“I think it’s obviously the right thing to do when Mark Wood is injured,” Hussain said.
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Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss the key differences that will be with the pink ball during the second day-night Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane.
“Five players always seems to be a lot anyway, but they had to in the last game in Perth because of the conditions.”
“Here, without Wood and other seamers who have some overs under their belts, you can go with a spinner, but then it’s a question of which spinner you’re going to go with.
“Do you go with Shoaib Bashir’s front-runner or someone like Will Jacks who spins the bowlers but also bats down the order.
“I think they did the right thing. They covered both bases. We don’t know how much this pitch is going to spin, and you might need that spinner who is batting.”
“Jacks is a bit of a spin batsman. He’s a very good cricketer and I think England are on the right track.”
Pope: We are finding the right balance
At the start of this second Test, there was a ruckus about the fact that England had decided not to go to Canberra to play a two-day match against premiers KSI as a warm-up despite their batting problems.
While No.3 Ollie Pope understands the outside noise, he insists everyone in England has made preparations that will put them in the best place to face Mitchell Starc under the lights.
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Olly Pope talks to Nasser Hussain about the disappointing result in Perth, preparations for the second Ashes Test and dealing with the pink ball.
“You can look at it both ways and I can understand why there’s been a lot of hype about the two-dayer, but at the same time, we’re now trying to prepare for Mitchell Starc who’s going to be here trying to swing the ball on the delivery pitches,” Pope said. Ski Sports.
“I know there is a view from the outside that we train and then prepare for the game, but everyone is very much in tune with what works for them on the pitch.
“We are ready as always for this game, but also for the other games, which is really important.
“I’ve learned over my time what gets me in the right mood, which is the balance between turning off the cricket but also being 100 per cent here when you’re on the ground.”
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
All times Great Britain and Ireland
- First Test (Perth – November 21-25): Australia beat England by eight wickets
- Second test (day/night): Thursday 4 December – Monday 8 December (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
- Third test: Wednesday 17 December – Sunday 21 December (11.30pm) – Oval Adelaide
- Fourth test: Thursday 25 December – Monday 29 December (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Fifth test: Sunday 4 January – Thursday 8 January (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground