Joe Root insists the wheels have not turned off for England’s Ashes campaign after his dropped catch against the Gabba gave Australia five extra lives and an first-innings lead.
Root’s unbeaten 138 – his much-awaited first hundred Down Under – took the tourists to a competitive 334 all out, but a disappointing second day’s performance on the field meant Australia took the lead in this illuminating second Test.
The hosts resumed their innings with a 44-run lead after a close 378-6, helped by some scatter bowling and a few missed catch opportunities along the way.
The pink kingfisher proved elusive and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was the first to be found guilty, but Ben Duckett made two errors at gully and Brydon Kearse missed an easy chance under the lights at cover.
There was a fresh rift between Root and Smith in the closing stages, but things will need to get even more tense if England are to regain ground.
Will Jacks gave reason for optimism with an incredible one-handed leap to deny key man Steve Smith. Root, who captained Australia to 4-0 records in 2017-18 and 2021-22, doesn’t think the road has run cold.
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Nasser Hussain spoke about Jamie Smith’s struggles on the second day of the second Ashes Test, when he defeated Brydon Kurse for three, and praised Alex Carey’s “masterclass” in wicketkeeping.
“We’re not perfect. We’re all human and we make mistakes sometimes. But that’s how we respond,” he said.
“It’s about having the right mindset, the right attitude and understanding that the great game of cricket is good enough to do something special here.
“The wheels could have come off, and they might have come off at other times, maybe on the tour I was captaining. But we know our best cricket and if we play well, we’re a very difficult team to play against.”
“I don’t think we’re moving far away from that at all.”
Root was also a staunch defender of England’s preparations. He suggested their inability to hold out on the field had nothing to do with a lack of hard work in the build-up or the decision to skip the day-night warm-up game in Canberra.
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Nasser Hussain spoke about Jamie Smith’s struggles on the second day of the second Ashes Test, when he defeated Brydon Kurse for three, and praised Alex Carey’s “masterclass” in wicketkeeping.
“You can’t recreate the surface, the bounce, the way it scratches, etc. It’s never going to be exactly the same, it’s never going to be perfect,” he said.
“We’re used to the conditions, we’re used to the heat, we’re used to the roads. We’ve fished under the lights, we’ve fished in the daylight, we’ve tried to fish at dusk. Sometimes we don’t catch them, and we’re always looking for answers.”
Root will be relieved not to have to answer questions about not having made centuries for Australia, but he is not ready to fully accept his accomplishments with Tests coming up.
But traveling fans in Brisbane and many back home have already done that for him.
“That’s great. I’m very grateful for the support,” Root said.
“But as I’ve said several times, this tour isn’t about me, it’s about us trying to win the Ashes. My job is to score as many runs as possible and as the senior batsman on the team, I expect that of myself.”
“Of course, winning means more than that. I think at the end of the game we’ll be ready to reflect on that more.”
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
always UK and Ireland
1st Test (Perth): Australia beat England by 8 wickets 2nd Test (day/night): Thursday 4th December – Monday 8th December (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane 3rd Test: Wednesday 17th December Days of the week – Sunday 21 December (11:30pm) – Adelaide Oval 4th Test: Thursday 25 December – Monday 29 December (11:30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground 5th Test: Sunday 4 January – Thursday 8 January (11:30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
