Aussies claim precious lead after frenetic second day

Another frenetic day of Ashes action felt like a case of bizarro world in Brisbane as Australia's batters Bazballed their way through an extraordinary three sessions, going to stumps at 6-378 with a lead of 44.

Spectators at this point might be wondering whether this NRMA Insurance Ashes series will deliver a normal day of cricket. Certainly that wasn't the case on day two of this second Test at the Gabba, as the home side borrowed from their opponents' playbook, scoring at 5.18 runs per over in blazing their way into a dominant position that they conspired to relinquish late in the day.

A sellout crowd had again packed the Gabba for the mid-afternoon start under bright blue skies, and it wasn't long before they were treated to some high-octane action.

Joe Root (138no) and Jofra Archer (38) extended their 10th-wicket stand to 70 before the latter flicked one from Brendan Doggett to deep backward square, where Marnus Labuschagne took a spectacular diving catch to end the England innings at 334.

In excellent batting conditions it was newcomer Jake Weatherald (72) who capitalised first for Australia, ending a sluggish start by the opening pair with a treble of boundaries from Gus Atkinson in the eighth over.

Minutes later Travis Head, just three from 24 and still very much warming into his innings, poked at a good length ball from Archer, and the subsequent nick was dropped by England 'keeper Jamie Smith. It was a routine chance, but Smith, feet stationary as he reached to his left, could not hang on. Archer, mid pitch, held his head in his hands.

Whether it was the second life he was granted or the influence of his aggressive partner, Head flicked the switch immediately. From the next seven balls he faced, he scored 14 runs, with 13 of those slashed between third man and forward point.

Still though he couldn't keep up with Weatherald, who seemed to crouch lower and mutter to himself more loudly with each ball he faced. The 31-year-old naturally looked more comfortable with a Test under his belt, using the energy of the raucous Gabba crowd as opposed to being awestruck by it.

It was terrific viewing for the locals. Two left-handers arrowing all manner of cuts and drives, and the pink ball racing to or over the rope a dozen times through their spectacular 77-run stand, which in effect came from just 10 overs following three consecutive maidens.

England's quicks had been compliant in the carnage, bowling too full and too short, too wide and too straight. In one commentary box, Stuart Broad called it "erratic". Ricky Ponting went with "rubbish".

And then the breakthrough came. Head, he who lives by the sword, looked to flick one from Brydon Carse leg side but the ball caught his bat perhaps a touch quicker than he had expected, and the result was a skied catch to Atkinson at mid-on.

Fresh from an unbeaten half-century in Perth and with a pink-ball record the envy of most, Labuschagne's welcome was nonetheless rude from Stokes, who struck him on the underside of the right elbow.

A few balls later Stokes, from around the wicket, beat Weatherald's outside edge. The breakneck pace of the session slowed momentarily, though Labuschagne found his touch quickly, on-driving for four from Stokes and then punching a drive from a full toss for a couple more off the England captain.

In the next over, Weatherald played a second delightful upper-cut for a one-bounce four that took him to 49, and soon after he had registered a maiden Test half-century – from just 45 balls, with nine fours and a six.

Shifting the limelight briefly his way, Labuschagne dispatched the next two balls for four and by the tea break Australia were 1-130, having scored 112 runs in a remarkable 14-over stretch.

The interval was a welcome one for England; a chance to catch breaths, calm nerves and regroup. Afterward, they also regained some control – albeit briefly – which was in no small part down to the removal of Weatherald.

The left-hander had continued showing off his array of cut shots, angling a couple more fours both square and fine, but when Archer crashed a well-directed yorker into his right big toe, a thoroughly entertaining 78-ball knock came to a sudden, painful end.

Archer greeted Steve Smith with a 146kph bouncer that the Australia skipper – sporting those much-discussed 'eye blacks' – got under comfortably enough. By that point, Labuschagne was purring, and the recently reinstalled number three kept the scoreboard ticking over to allow Smith to do the same.

The pair had added 50 at better than four an over when Stokes asked the umpires to inspect the softening pink ball. They obliged, pulled out the nail scissors to trim some of the black seam, and threw it back to the England skipper.

From the next delivery, Labuschagne, who was 65 from 77 and playing what seemed like a shot every second ball, edged an attempted cut from close to his body through to wicketkeeper Smith, who this time held the chance coming forward.

As he trudged off his home patch, the Queenslander was filthier than an overlooked off-spinner. Stokes was jubilant; here was a third Australian back in the pavilion without having converted a solid foundation into a match-defining score.

In came the new number five, all two metres of him. Cameron Green has batted in every position from 3-7 in Test cricket and was earlier this year labelled Australia's long-term number three by Pat Cummins. But batting orders are overrated anyway and soon enough the 26-year-old was into his work, driving his eighth ball for four through cover off Stokes, who then placed two men in the region, roughly 15 metres from the bat.

As the lights took hold, Smith copped a lifter from Carse that caught him on the underside of his right forearm. It was reminiscent of the Labuschagne blow, and also of the first of three knocks Smith copped from Archer during their legendary Lord's showdown in 2019.

This time though, on his home turf and on his terms, Smith was able to shake it off and resume, and after going to dinner with Australia 3-228, he and Green resumed in the evening session with the same intent that had pervaded the hosts' entire innings.

First it was Green who launched a swivel pull for four off Atkinson, and then Smith got in on the act from Archer, whose first delivery of a new spell was 128kph. The next ball, at 132kph, was top-edged over the slips for four, and then Smith upper-cut a shorter ball through the same region, this time very deliberately and all the way for six.

Green became the third Australian to cop a painful knock – again from Atkinson, this one on the right thumb – but he and Smith carried on like two men in a hurry, and the score sailed past 250 at better than five per over.

The pair took it in turns to guide Archer for four through a vacant third, and in the following over, Smith repeated the shot off Atkinson before flicking him through wide mid on for four more. A quick run single later and Smith was raising his bat, having raced from 36 to 50 in just eight balls.

It was around that point that the contest swung again.

Carse, edging towards conceding a century at almost eight runs per over, was employed to deliver a short-ball plan, as Stokes spread the field. Australia might've opted to tuck the singles on offer through backward square, but Green instead launched into a series of startling strokes – several of them baseball style – that yielded him some quick runs.

Smith top-edged another six almost directly over the other Smith's head, and as the short-ball tactics – and Australia's aggressive response to it – continued, matters reached a bizarre climax in Carse's 13th over.

After Green backed away from the first ball, evidently freeing himself up to thump another short ball somewhere through the off side, Carse followed him and delivered a particularly wide wide.

From the next ball however, Carse outthought Green, delivering full and straight. Green had backed away once more, leaving his stumps virtually unguarded, and seconds later he was walking off the field, having been cleaned up.

To say Australia's tactics were puzzling would be understatement. Green was on 45, he and Smith had put on 95, and they appeared to have worked themselves into a position where they had the opportunity to bury England under a pile of runs.

Smith (61) fell three balls later, his paddle behind square intercepted in remarkable fashion by Will Jacks, who dove, flung out an arm, and caught the ball cleanly in his right hand.

It felt as significant a moment as Josh Inglis's run-out of Ben Stokes 24 hours earlier, as Australia's position of control seemed to have suddenly been let go.

The remainer of the extended final session continued hurtle along. Having survived a dropped catch at gully by Ben Duckett from his first ball, Alex Carey (46no) and Josh Inglis (23) added 37 in 43 balls to bring the Australians to within five of England's 334.

Inglis mixed some streak stroke-play with some classic shots, maintaining the rage for Australia until he appeared to misjudge the length of one of Stokes' fuller deliveries that seamed in and knocked him over.

It was one of only about five per cent of England deliveries that would have hit the stumps across the day – though those balls produced three of the six wickets to fall.

Picked for this match partly as a means of shortening the Australian tail, Queenslander Michael Neser (15no) joined forces with Carey in what could shape as a crucial partnership.

Both batters benefited from late dropped chances: Neser was on six when Carse spilled a sitter off Archer at cover; and Carey was 25 when Root dropped him at first slip off Atkinson.

The pair added an unbroken 49 late in the piece, putting their team's nose in front as part two of this absorbing contest came to a close.

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3pm AEDT

Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 10:30am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT

Australia squad (second Test only): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood