England captain Ben Stokes said his team had learned “lessons” from the two-day defeat in Perth ahead of the second day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane.
The pink-ball Test begins on Thursday at the Gabba in Queensland, with Stokes’ side looking to level the five-game series after a disastrous defeat in Perth.
But they counter it with the pink ball, a format in which the opposition thrives. England have lost five of their seven day-night Tests, including all three in Australia, but the home side have won 13 of 14 in this format, with their only defeat coming against West Indies in Brisbane in January 2024.
Not only that, England have only won two Ashes Tests in Brisbane in their last 20 attempts, and their most recent match at The Gabba in 2021 saw them start the series with a heavy nine-wicket defeat, losing 4-0.
While a lot of things seemed to be going well against England, Stokes says he knows his players can move one step closer to winning the Ashes if they go in with the right mindset to “influence” the game.
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Asked about the England player being seen riding an electric scooter without a helmet on in Brisbane, Ben Stokes described the tense exchange.
“I think it’s all about mindset when it comes to sports in general,” Stokes said.
“When you’re put in any kind of situation, as long as you’re clear about what you’re going to do, that’s the most important thing.
“I have full confidence in the players we have selected to come out with the mentality that they can influence the game in the right way for us.
“Sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way.
“We worked on it last week and evaluated certain moments of that game and definitely learned some lessons from last week.
“This week is a chance for us to do what we want to do and that is win the Ashes.”
England won’t know their opponent’s eleven until Thursday’s toss, but Australia will remain in contention as captain Pat Cummins continues his recovery from injury, meaning England will be forced to announce their squad as late as possible before England withdraw.
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Australia captain Steve Smith has not ruled out the possibility of Pat Cummins making a surprise return for the second Ashes Test against England.
Asked if his opponent’s decision was a psychological game, Stokes summed it up by saying Australia still don’t really know which team they will be on.
“I see they don’t know which XI they’re going to pick until they give the toss,” he said.
“We have to wait and see what kind of XI they are aiming for.
“Pat (Cummins) is really great and has been for a really long time.
“He has done great things not only as a player but also since he was given the responsibility of captaining the Australian national team.
“Whether they have 11 guys, whether Pat’s there or not, we’re still going to come out and win this week.”
Jax: ‘I thought I could be a cricketer’
Australia are yet to announce their squad, but England have announced all-rounder Will Jacks will replace Mark Wood in the only change from the team that lost the series opener in Perth.
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Michael Atherton says the series is “essentially over” if England don’t bounce back in the second Ashes Test at the Gabba.
Wood was expected to miss England’s first training session in Brisbane due to a problem with his left knee, but Jacks’ appointment is a surprise move.
The off-spinner, who will bat at No. 8 in the batting order, has played only two Test matches, both during the 2022 tour of Pakistan, where he hit five fours on debut.
For Stokes, Jacks has grown from “strength to strength” since that debut and is confident he is in good form as he asserts himself in the side.
“Since joining the Pakistan team and getting off to a very good start, he has transformed into the cricketer I always knew he could be,” Stokes said.
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Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton analyze England’s squad for the second Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane, with off-spinning all-rounder Will Jacks replacing fast bowler Mark Wood in the day-night match.
“He is incredibly talented and is getting stronger and stronger.
“He’s been playing great in training here and in the nets and it’s great for us to have a player who is in such good condition coming for us in a big Test match.
“I try to spend as much time as possible thinking about 11 from different angles.
“We tried to think about how the spin would be used, so there was a tactical element there and Jax’s ability to get the bat down was also beneficial for us.”
Nasser: England ‘covered both bases’ with Jacks
For Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain, the decision to select Jax over front-line spinner Shoaib Bashir as a spin option was the right one given the conditions England will face in Brisbane.
“I think it’s obviously the right thing to do that Mark Wood is injured,” Hussain said.
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Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss what the key differences are with the pink ball during the second day-night Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane.
“There always seems to be a lot of five-seamers anyway, but in the last game in Perth we had to do that because of the conditions.
“Here, if Wood and the other seamstresses aren’t going overboard, you can use a spinner, but it’s a matter of which spinner you use.
“Do you go with a front-line spinner like Shoaib Bashir, or do you go with a player like Will Jacks, who spins at the bowl but also orders the ball?
“I think they did the right thing. They covered both bases. I don’t know how much this pitch will spin, but they might just need a spinner to bat.”
“Jacks is a batsman with a bit of spin. He’s a very good cricketer and I think England have gone down the right path.”
Pope: We are finding the right balance.
In the lead up to this second Test, there was some commotion over the fact that England, despite their batting slump, opted not to travel to Canberra to play a two-day match against the Prime Minister’s XI in preparation.
Number three Ollie Pope understands the noise outside, but insists the whole England squad has been preparing to get in the perfect spot to face the likes of 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 how to face the pink ball.
“I can look at it both ways and I understand why there was a lot of noise around the two-day competition, but at the same time we are now trying to prepare for Mitchell Starc who is going to be swinging the ball on a more bouncy pitch here,” Pope told Sky Sports.
“I know there is a perception from outside that we train and then focus on the games, but on the pitch everyone is very well aligned with what works for them.
“We are as prepared as ever for this game and for any other game, which is really important.
“I’ve learned over time that what gets me into the right state of mind is the balance of switching off from cricket and being here at 100 per cent when I’m on the field.
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
always UK and Ireland
1st test (Perth – 21st to 25th November): Australia defeats England by 8 wickets 2nd Test (day/night): Thursday 4th December to Monday 8th December (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane 3rd Test : Wednesday 17 December – Sunday 21 December (11:30pm) – Adelaide Oval Fourth Test: Thursday 25 December – Monday 29 December (11:30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground 5th Test: Sunday 4 January to Thursday 8 January (11:30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
