Test Match Special - The Ashes: Wasteful England hand Australia the initiative at the Gabba

Episode Date: December 5, 2025

Reaction to a second day in Brisbane that saw England miss out on putting heat on the hostsMichael Vaughan, Glenn McGrath and Jonathan Agnew join Simon Mann to discuss a frustrating day for England in Brisbane. Plus, we hear from Joe Root after this first Ashes century in Australia.

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That might have been half a chance as well. Off the bat of Kerry, root away to his right hand side. It flashed away. Is that another one? Was that catchable? I don't think got any fingers on it. It was a difficult one to his right-hand side.

Oh, yeah, he did get a hand on it. He was diving to his right route. He did touch it. It went between the week. He's a bit wide, it's a bit wide, isn't he? Well, after two days of this test match, Australia are in control. After another eye-catching day,

Australia, 378 for six at the close. They lead by 44 runs with those four wickets left. England dropped five catches. Australia, relentless at times, and then seemed to give England a way back into the game when Cam Green was bowled by cast making room. He exposed his stumps and was bowled for 45.

They got rid of Inglis after that for 23, after Steve Smith was superbly caught by Will Jax at backward square leg off cast for 61. Weatherald was 72 and Head with 33, got Australia off to a flyer. And they were 130 for one of 21 overs at lunch. And they built on that base throughout the day. And they are controlling this test match.

But head was dropped. There were four other drop catches as well. And Kerry is 46 not out at the close. And he is in his third innings. Michael Vaughn is with me. Jonathan Agnew is with me. Jack Leach is listening in Solford as well. Let's start with you, Michael.

Some up that day. And tell us where we are in this test match. well the bas-ballers have been bas-balled against i mean i've never seen australia bat like that it was an incredible kind of intensity and mentality but they were gifted at a start you know you're looking at tone setters yesterday when england batted you lose two early wickets you know that's not setting the tone at the top of the order today it was so important that they set the tone with the ball in hand particularly to someone like travis said there was that catch that went down that kind of set the tone for for england and they bowl so wide so short to jake weather old and he plays them not

nice shots and then they went a bit fuller but it was too wide um it's if you go back to that first test in perth you know we all praised england in the first things with the boy in hand it was probably as good as i've seen in australia from an england attack today it was as bad as i've seen for a period and then there was periods when they kind of got it right and the short war theory came and you look at some of the dismissals um you know cameron green in particular the control in the game was very similar to what england may do in a position of strength make a big error and then Steve Smith gets out in the same over to what has to be said is one of the great, great catches, and England are backing it, and the one thing that England have not been able to do

all day is have control. Even when they got a wicket, you felt, come on, get some control, but there was always boundaries flying. The amount of runs that have come behind square, and that's always an indication you've either ball too wide or too short or too straight. They've just not got enough balls. I think there was a stat that came up on the television that 5% of the balls that England had bowled when they'd bowled 380 we're going to go and hit the stumps just 5% and i know it's quite

hard here because they're bouncing you have to bowl a real full length and that full length sometimes can be floating you get driven but to think that england didn't bowl straight enough early enough to just challenge the forward press and that's why australia have got off to a flyer yeah and i think andy said a third of the runs approximately a third gone through third band which is the point you're making that's that's width and length isn't it and uh and i have to be honest i think ben stokes should have had a third man um you know the number of runs that go down there he doesn't he doesn't like to take it backward step he sees it as a bit of a weakness and sometimes putting a third man in can be seen as a bit of a weakness and you're following the ball but not not with this

not the way they were bowling and the way that the weather all was batting and smith too played beautiful shots you know controlled runs they were you know sometimes you get lots of runs through third man because the ball's swinging around and finds the edge but not to talking about that these are controlled shots ramps and runs and that sort of a thing so I thought yeah I'm with Michael I mean England's bowling in the first session was poor

I sat there having lunch with Stuart Broad and he was he was really kind of frothing you know the way that England are bowled drop catches I mean Monashem is a very nice man so he's being very kind there and saying look it's very difficult you know he's easy to drop catches under lights that was very kind of him and he also

was very kindly said that Jacks was better than his which it was was but he's that sort of a fellow you know he's he is being i think charitable there's not a lot of excuse you can give the bride and cast his miss except that he's had a long day and his mind might have been a little bit elsewhere but you know you've got to be on it every ball which comes down to match fitness and i have to be honest um you know you look at the way that england have come off the field there they look absolutely knackard it is it is hot here it's not as roasting hot as it's not as roasting hot as it might be in adelaide or melbourne or or or sydney It's humid. It's 29 degrees. Now, yeah, that's warm. But if you're match fit, if you're used to the pressure of a match situation, you can soak that up. You have days in the field in the bank, then you are much better prepared to cope with days like today than when you've had none, which is effectively what England has had. They haven't had a day in the field since they've been here. And here we are in the second test match. And Ben Stokes has got cramp. Joffar Archer there was just bowling with his arm. He wasn't bowling with his body.

at all. Bridencast, as always, gave it absolutely everything. He'd run a brick through a brick wall for you. But he'd drop that catch. He suggests again that he's tired and Atkinson was coming in there at the end but they came off. They were exhausted when they came off. So we're talking about the P word again? Preparation? Is that what we're saying? You know, we've got to this stage. But it doesn't help. Well, the problem is we sound like broken records. Yes, we do. You know, this is what England have decided to do. They've decided to go with no preparation. They've decided to play a game at Lila Kill.

I don't want to go over that. I would have done things completely differently. And what I saw today was a team that looked jaded. And I'm not the best person to start talking about drop catches. I dropped Aguiba here in 2002. But I actually know that the only way that you can get good at taking those chances is it's concentration. And if you have a fielding drill under lights, you're getting a catch every other ball. You know, you see it in the morning, the cord.

And the ball's coming to you all the time. Or someone like, Just got it's hitting you a few high. You know the ball's coming. The art of taking a chance is concentration. And if you're not out there, you know, on a regular basis, two hours, three hours, four hours, five, and that chance comes, you know, and you've got to be really concentrated to take that opportunity.

The only way you get good at that and you train the brain to do that is by doing it. You know, these fielding drills, and they're very athletic are seeing them do them all the time. They're fantastic. But you know the ball's coming to you. In a game situation where there's a concert, you've got no clue when that ball's coming to you.

and that's why it's completely different. And it's the same with what I saw from the bowlers today. You know, you can have five days bowling in the nets and you can ball beautifully. But what I'll say in the nets is that you're never sure how you've bowed because there's no consequence, there's no figures. You know, the coach doesn't come up to you and so on Mark

you've just bowled six overs, one for 22. You've no idea what your numbers are in the nets. Whereas in a game, you have a consequence because at the end of that spell, at the end of that day, it says in the book, it says you've bowled 22 over, and you got one wicket and you went for 105, you better improve upon that, or your tactics were wrong. In the next, you don't even deliver tactics.

So that's why we'll keep going on about it, because this England side have got so much talent, they've got pretty much everything that you require. I just don't think they're giving themselves the best chance, and I still don't think they've given them the best chance this last week or so. But from what I saw today, that was bowling that was so erratic

and so misplaced for a team that, bowled so well the week before in the first innings and that's a concern for me inside three innings we've had one that was special the second innings at Perth they went all over the place and now here today they've gone all over the place just throw Jamie Smith in there as well he's not just about the bowling he dropped the catch

obviously early on and the crowd had been giving him all day all day long he should have gone for that catch to his left you wonder if he's just tentative What the Cary one that was... Joe Rueke died of his right. Is he tentative?

He's had the crowd on his back all day. You only get that when you're playing a game. You don't get crowds on your back in the nets. This is the first big ball game James Smith's played. Yesterday he was out second ball. He's dropped two chances today. How is his confidence? He's had that all day.

And that chance comes. Oh, and it's gone. Too late. Gone. And it's things like that that you only get through playing matches. Jack Leach is listening in Solford. Joe, I mean, first up, just give us an insight in what it's like to go back into the dressing room after a day like today

where you know england okay they picked up six wickets they dropped five catches australia are ahead what sort of conversations do you have in the in the dressing room after a day like that is everyone sort of left alone or does the coach say something does the captain say something um yeah i think um after a tough day like that it's usually well someone will go and do the media um and then that gives you a sort of 45 minutes of sort of chatting in smaller groups and Baz will get around everyone. And then after when everyone's back in the room,

I think there will be an honest conversation about the day. And that will include the positives and the negatives. And I'm mainly looking forward to tomorrow. Obviously, seven overs until the new ball, those seven overs are going to be really important to get right. if you can pick up a wicket that's huge but if not how can you keep the run rate down

and then look to do the damage with the new balls so I think the focus very quickly goes on to the next day can't change what's happened today and it was looking more bleak than it is now so at one point so yeah I think they've got a focus on that and that's what they'll be doing

but I mean as a player in that dressing room are you thinking yeah we we have had a bit of a stinker at times there today um yeah definitely i've definitely walked in after some days and thought there's no way they can be positive about that day like and i thought that was terrible and then somehow they they managed to find it for you and um you feel a little bit better leaving the dressing room um but yeah i mean i i of my experience of uh the gaver was not a positive one and i certainly didn't leave the dressing room feeling positive

but yeah it's Ash's cricket in Australia isn't it it's brutal at times and yeah you've got to bounce back quickly

and does Brendan McCollum you talk about the negatives and the positives you can see you know you just talked about the positives there

what does he say in terms of the negatives about you know or saying you know we need to do this better or you need to do this better does he say that to the players

he would I think he does it in subtle ways like he's always trying to bring the best out of of guys and he's not stupid he knows when he's not seen the best from the guys so um but i guess as a player you don't need to be told that wasn't good enough you drop catches that's not good enough like the guys know that um so he is very clever in how he gets his message across he's usually praising guys who were really good in the field, the effort they put in. So, yeah, I'd say he goes about it more in that way than sort of calling people out

unless it's about their attitude that wasn't on. I think that's when he would look to call someone out as for their attitude if it wasn't quite right. But I would like to think that that doesn't need to happen too often. And one final thing, Jack, I mean, are the players kind of aware of the noise? outside the dressing room, I don't know, the media chatter, the supporters chatter as well after you've had a day like that, where five catches have gone down, Australia has scored very quickly, you know, they've got into the lead and they're in a strong position

in the game, or is that something you, you know, you just try to shut out completely? I think different players go about it differently. I think if Baz had his own way, he would like no one to sort of look at that outside noise because he sees that as a distraction sort of going taking you away from some from what we're trying to do but um yeah i think it's hard not to for guys um so yeah but some are better at it at it than others and um yeah it's it's i i guess it's sort of horses for courses who who likes to and who doesn't but um for me personally i would i would try to avoid it whilst i'm I'm playing unless I've taken 10 wickets.

And then I read it all. Thanks very much. Jack, great to have you with us. Cheers, Jack. Cheers, Jack. What did you make of that, Michael? When Leachie said, I've had a bad day at the gab, but I thought, yeah, I've had a couple of those as well. And this place of all the venues,

and we've just witnessed what James Smith had to go through. So he dropped that catch early, and every time the ball went into James Smith this crowd were up and he's going to get that probably going to the next game that's why it's so hard playing cricket here in Australia if you start to make mistakes how often have an England team

come to Australia and we've dropped catches I said months ago England have got a great chance but the one thing that we don't focus on in the UK and they focus so much on it here in Australia is catching and fielding and we've come down here again and today five catches have gone down two or three of them were absolute goobers

you know have to be taken and you know that's concentration is it the drills that we do back home I'm not too sure but it's a consistent trend now that when an England team comes to Australia you drop a catch or two and then the crowd get on you and you can only imagine what Jamie Smith is

going through going into tomorrow he's got a second ball duck he's dropped Travis head on three got away with it really because he didn't get too many and then he's not gone for a catch and it's the not going for the catch which concerns me more than the drop the drop catch that can happen

but when you've got a keeper that's not gone for it you go oh that is an issue maybe he didn't pick it up maybe it's the pink ball not too sure but when you see a keeper not going for it I get slightly concerned by that and I'll go back to Jamie Smith against Indra at the back end of the series we saw a Jamie Smith

at the front end of that end he was magnificent and he's a quality player but already we're seeing a James Smith that looks a bit jaded and we're only the second test match and it doesn't get any easier here in Australia and that's a real concern for me with the team talking about jaded just watching the bowlers today and they were tired and johnson was mentioning it when they came off the field to archibald 20 aces and 18 cast 17 stokes 17 will jacks the fifth bowler bowled one over okay took a fantastic catch england played five seamers at perth and it worked in that first day so they were they were as a collective so there was a stage when they bowled four and you kind of just looking around for someone else and they had ben stokes that to come on

What about the team selection? Going away from five seamers to having a part-time spinner who can bat and the four seamers who haven't had a huge amount of cricket. So Josh Chung waiting in the wings. You know, he has played Test Creek. He has had some success in Test Creek. He bowled at Canberra at the weekend. Have England got their team right?

You look at that, especially as you think, you know, there's going to be a lot of seam bowling in these conditions. Yeah, I mean, you look at World Jackson, that catches Steve Smith. that's invaluable. But Josh Tong might have taken three wickets. Yeah, he might do. Look, I don't think they've got selection wrong. I just look at the bowlers in the way the ball. That's not give them an

excuse for why they've bowed so badly. Four Seamers is enough. If you bowl well, you don't need five. You know, Will Jax was never going to bowl that many overs this week. I think he can have gone pink ball, it'll do a bit and we'll utilise it for him. And if Will Jax bowls throughout the week, 15

overs and he goes at 60, we'll take that. That's pretty much why he's picked for his batting at number eight to strengthen the batting on them so i'm not going to question the i'm not going to question selection i think they've got selection right in the first game i thought they were spot on in perth and i think they've got selection right here it's just the performance levels and over the course of the two test matches you go back to perth how many of that one to eleven really arrived and put in a performance which was part of their level not many not many by the end of the test match seamers in the first things not in the second uh only harry brook in the first

needs with a bat, not many in the second here. How many of the 11 inside two days have played to par? Zach Crawley has played beyond. Joe Root has played beyond, not many others. And you don't beat Australia with just two players above their par, you need six or seven players. You go back to 10 and 11 when England was successful here. They had a group of players that were so consistent

and they were beyond par in pretty much every game, seven or eight of them. That's why they were so competitive. You can't compete against an Australian. This is a weak Australian side. There's no Cummings, there's no Hazel, there's no lying. And they're getting at the minute, from yesterday, the problem I'm looking at this England side is go,

oh, 335 thing right in the test match, this is good. And within two hours, I'm going, oh, no, you go back to Perth on that second day, 100 for one at lunch, within three or four, they've lost. So they're getting blown away quickly. So from whatever position we're seeing them getting, you know, this Australian side can take it away with them quickly, and move forward with a great deal of pace

and that is a real concern for the England scene. I mean, we've actually focused on England's deficiencies, if you like. We're looking at from an Anglo-centric view.

What about from Australia? I mean, Weatherall, second test match, comes up with 72. Labashane, you know, struggling to get back

into the sidelines, done so, 65. Steve Smith, look pretty assured. 41. Alex Carey coming in at number six.

Okay, he's 46, not eight. You could say he's in his third innings. Do we give, I mean, we need to give Australia some credit here as well for the way they play. I mean, they've scored 378 in 73 overs. Yeah. I mean, Weatherall is a season campaigner.

I mean, and he's an attacking batsman. So he's taking the ramps and so on. I don't think they bowled very well at him. You know, he looks a completely different player for the fellow who got all tangled up and fell over and ended up on his bottom in his first inning, didn't he? I think he played really well. But I just think it do look vulnerable. You know, it's interesting that, you know, Weatherall head. going so well in that first session.

But then, yeah, it did slow down. But then actually what was happening was at Labershain and Smith. They were just kind of shoring things up. They were getting themselves. They knew what they had to do. They had to just simply bat England out of the game. And Labrashane played a bit of a twitchy shot and got out.

But then Green came in and actually until, again, he lost the plot with the short stuff. And I want to talk about that because it's a dangerous tactic that. And if you are giving the bowler no option but to run up, and bowl short. I just think you are going to get clobbered, which has happened, which actually partly explains

the fast scoring rate. You have to give the bowler the option of pitching the ball up. And the first time that Carl did it, literally the first time he did it, bang, hit the stumps. I mean, Green was miles away, wasn't he? But I just don't like that tactic.

You can strangle somebody. I mean, okay, they can say yes, we got Steve Smith out. But yeah, but it threw a brilliant catch. You know, I think, Michael, no more. mushroom world at me. If I got out to that tactic, I'll be really crossed. I'll be steaming if I were a test match. Yeah, I think in

this area, they're playing it differently. You know, they're trying to look to score. It's just a different vibe that these batters are going for. I'm just kind of thinking back to Perth, the second innings, where Australia chased down just over 200 and 27 overs. They've batted for 73 overs today, scored 378.

So if my maths are correct, around the last hundred overs that England have bowled to Australia, they've got nearly 590 runs for eight. So 100 overs, 590 for eight. Australia found a method of putting this England attack under a huge amount of pressure by being aggressive.

And England haven't been consistent enough to stay into that length. There was a graphic that came up quite quickly after 20 overs and only 20% of the balls were on a good length. 65% were short and that's pretty much where England got it wrong. today. They didn't hit enough balls into the good length area when they were bowling with the new pink ball. I'm conscious that we're talking as if this game is lost as far

as England concerned. Is it? No, it's not lost. No, this England side can back well tomorrow. The pitch has played very well, but we've been here long enough, and we've been here often enough, to realise that England are 44 runs behind already. They've got four wickets in the tank. They've got Kerry and Nisa, Stark to come. If Australia

get to over 100 in front, if they get beyond that, and they back the first, session and he'll have to face the new pink ball in that second session it's not going to be easy we've seen this story in this movie before i'm afraid simon yeah thank you michael uh glen is here as well glen mcgaret a whole heap of wickets for australia how would you bowed out there today glen with this pink ball on this surface yeah just listening to to michael and uh and agas there very very much on the money you've got to have control you've got to bowl that ball in the right area, you know, build pressure that way.

It's like, I'm not sure if it's execution or whether they don't have the patience. You know, something's got to be happening all the time. I bowl a couple of good balls, nothing happened. Okay, I'm going for a wicket. It's something you build up over after over. The Australian team that we played in was always if you bowl three maiden overs in a row, the chance of getting a wicket goes up. So it's, you know, over a longer period of time rather than a few.

balls or even just an over so yeah they they bowled the two lengths too short too full and not not enough through that channel you've got to get batsman playing shots to good balls more often and that's what brings up brings up wickets you know i think the wickets i talk i reckon 97 98 was just getting that ball consistently through that area there and the batsmen making mistakes so yeah so it's i don't know if they don't have the patience or they don't have the control to be able to execute the bowling plans so today did australia bat really well did england bowl really poorly i mean where would you put the emphasis um yeah england england didn't bowl well um you know dropping five catches never helps either and the first

catch had dropped in um Travis head i think that was a that was a big moment moment. You know, they'd bowled well up into that stage. Jofra Archer had bowled well, beat head a couple of times from around the wicket, head was just looking defensive, he wasn't looking to go hard, catch dropped and it was like a switch flicked in Travis's head to mine. He says, I'm not going to get out just fending, I'm going to start taking him on. And I think that that was a turning point where head and weather all really up the their tempo. But The thing with me, Archer was bowling so well around the wicket. As soon as that drop catch, he went over the wicket, changed his plan and completely different.

So you've got to ask their thinking sometimes, but that drop catch, I think, was a moment where the Australians said, okay, we have to sort of bat more positively here and off they went. And what do you think Australia will be saying in that dressinger about a potential target for first innings leave from here? Yeah, I think they'll be saying, you know, as many runs as we can get, as many overs, we can bat for as well. You know, the longer they bat into tomorrow, the more tired this England attack's going to get. They're tired now.

If they've got to come out and bowl another, you know, five, ten overs each, that's going to add more and more on top of it. And the moreovers you bat for out there for Australia, the closer they get to bowling under the lights with a harder ball. And that can be massive. So, yeah, there's still, you know, England's not out of it.

this game but they need to clean up Australia fairly quickly in the morning if they let that drag out to over a hundred and then every run after a hundred is going to hurt well let's find out what that feeling is in the england addressing room joe wrote who made that hundred yesterday and came out and finished on unbeaten 138 today has been speaking with henry moran well joe how would you sum up that day well i think the game's very much in the balance still i mean it's I think it would be wrong to say that we were at our best throughout the whole day. Clearly put some good work together, especially late on yesterday and keen to build on that partnership with Joff and took a moment of brilliance really to end it. And we didn't quite get it right to start with, but I think more, I think the most important thing for us to look at is the way that we responded after that last break and that cluster of wickets that we produced and managed to wrestle things when clearly the momentum with Australia, the way that we've responded after that last break and that cluster of wickets that we produced and managed to wrestle things when clearly the momentum with Australia, the way that we've.

We managed to rest that back in our favour towards the back end of the day is an important thing for the rest of this game. So, you know, I don't think that's a massive gap at the minute. And if we get things right in the morning, then clearly we've got a huge amount of talent and ability in that dressing room to get a good score, which could be a very tricky wicket to bat last on with the way it looks like it could crack up and be a little bit dicey towards the back end of the game. What didn't England get right today? I mean, the catches would be the obvious. of plans and execution? I don't think we want to dwell on that too much, to be honest.

I think more importantly, it's looking at how we can affect the game moving forward. So I think that's going to be the most important thing is how we look at tomorrow and how we respond and making sure that we turn up with a good attitude and understanding that our best cricket and when we deliver, you know, we're always going to put ourselves in a position where we can go and win games. So I think more than, you know, getting too down on things that we didn't quite get right today. We look at tomorrow on how we can turn the tide in away and restrict them to as few runs as possible and then go and apply some pressure with the bat. You've been out there pretty

much the entire game. How is that surface? Yeah, look, I think there's the opportunity to score runs on it and I think as the game progresses there'll be a little bit more on offer for the bowlers. I think yesterday there was a little bit of tennis ball bounce. It almost felt like every now and again it would just stay in that wicket a little bit longer and get and rise on you a little bit so it seems to have quickened up today slightly and probably come on a little bit better and more consistently so buying may have been slightly easier and that's it'll be interesting to see how that unfolds throughout the rest of the game and as you can see from any of

the overhead shots there is quite a few plates on that surface so that the more heat and sun that gets on that wicket the more those cracks will start to separate and we might see some very bounce or lateral movement from that. So, hopefully we can explore that in the right way. We can utilise the surface getting better to bat on at certain points. And, you know, when we get the chance to bowl, can we find those cracks and make things happen?

Do you have in your mind what you need to limit Australia to in terms of a lead? No, I think most importantly, like I said, we turn up and we think clearly how we're going to get the best out of ourselves individually. How can bowling those partnerships was going to create wickets? and I think it's very easy sometimes to over complicate the game you know I think we keep it nice and simple and if we do that then I think you know we're gonna ask good questions and we'll create chances now the last 24 hours for you have been a celebration of a milestone you've been waiting a long time to achieve how do you feel

in light of it 24 hours on yeah I mean I think as with anything you're gonna reflect at the end of the game and you know there's a huge amount of work still to be done done within this test match and I think more than anything it was just great to build a couple of really strong partnerships and get his in position from being five for two and that that partnership with Zach I think he played incredibly well to be honest and you know saw him pretty much at his best and what we know he can do and why I think he's going to be so successful out here in these conditions really I think his game set up nicely for it and he exploited that yesterday I also think, you know, there are another couple of really exciting cameos and contributions that will hold us, you know, will give the guy's confidence for later on in this game and throughout the series.

And then obviously, Joffer at the end, I thought he was magnificent. For him to come out and play that way was exceptional. And, you know, just trying to, all you're trying to do all the time out there is make sure that you're in sync with the guy at the other end. You're working together and you're making it difficult for the opposition. to break you down as a pair. And just finally, there was a lot of talk about getting the 100 in Australia. As that Crawley told me last night, it wasn't something you were really talking about or seemed to be thinking about too much as a burden.

Is that fair? Yeah, I mean, my job isn't, it's not about me. I think I've said it quite a few times coming into this tour. This tour is not about me scoring hundreds in Australia. It's about us trying to win the ashes. My job is to score runs and to contribute as much as I can. and obviously in the field and with bat in hand. And if I'm doing that, then consistently it's given us a far better chance

as someone in that middle order. So I'll go out with the same approach, the same attitude tomorrow when it is, I get that opportunity. And now hopefully I can back it with another big contribution that sets us up and gives us a really good chance of winning a test match out here in Australia. Well, many congratulations, Joe. Thanks for your time.

Thank you. Thank you. That's Joe Roach speaking to Henry Moran. And as Jack Leach suggested, focusing on the future and on the positives. So that's the England camp. What about the Australia camp? Jake Weatherald has been speaking to Corbyn, Middlemass and the ABC team. Yeah, it's a good day, obviously. We obviously got a bit of lead now, but obviously disappointing enough to make a few hundreds there.

Obviously, there was a good chance for myself, and most of the topboard I'll do that. But everyone's sort of chipped in, which is good. So if we can get a nice sort of lead, he'll be great. What's the wicket playing like, mate? You obviously started with the pink ball goes soft after, what, 10 or 15 overs? It looked like it played pretty well. Yeah, it played well. The wicket had not many tricks in it.

It was just a good day too batting wicket, I think. The ball, yeah, it did got a little bit soft. It made a little bit hard with the short ball to sort of evade it. It felt like it was just sort of stopping the wicket a little bit. So, yeah. And how much fun are you having out there? I mean, you look like you enjoyed it today, lots of cut shots. They gave you a bit of width.

You capitalised, you played your natural game. A couple ramps over the keeper's head. That was good. Yeah, it's the first time I've ever done that, to be fair. But, yeah. No, it was good. A few cut shots, which is good. just sort of my natural habitat there.

Be able to cut the ball. Obviously, too weak to hit it down the ground myself and too short. So, yeah, just cutting the ball is quite nice. Jake, what's the most challenging length on that surface to bat, particularly as an opening batter? I think it's, yeah, no different to most, like, good cricket there. You're going to make sure that you're using the scene there early and getting up on full.

Obviously, the reward for a batter is you get a few scoring options, but at the same time, I think you've got to take the risk. And I think Starkey showed that in the first inning's involved really well. Do you feel like you belong at the level? I mean, 72 today, and you've been. batted beautifully in the second innings in Perth, but obviously got a little unlucky with the edge onto your body and it ballooned up on the offside. Did you have moments today where you thought, you know what, I got this? I don't think you ever fully feel you belong anywhere really,

but I feel comfortable in my game. I'm just comfortable going there and trying to do what I can do with the bat and if it comes off, it comes off. But yeah, I feel like in a good space with what I'm doing technically and emotionally. So as long as that lasts, hopefully it can continue with runs. We talked about it on air during the broadcast and the fact that you don't face What is affectionately known as the wanger, a whole lot in the nets, basically the dog stick, which a lot of the modern players use. Why is that and what advantage do you think it gives you by not necessarily doing what a lot of the modern players do and face balls in that fashion?

I think it's just experiences I've obviously been around quite a long time, haven't experienced different conditions and what I could provide is through different systems, obviously with the soccer and Tazi. And I thought that the best thing for me emotionally was to figure out ways of combat against bowlers and stay in that present mindset and all that sort of stuff. So I've had to learn how to do that, and I think facing bowlers and throws

sort of gets me in that right mindset. Just one more. When you got out today, you obviously hopping around. First of all, how's the foot? Yeah, it is pretty sore, but yeah, no, I'll, yeah, I'll strong to look as tough as I could walking off. And then, yeah, screened blanked in.

Because you turned and walked off straight away, and Marnas was running out after you, essentially. He says him, though, you know, it's just he wants to review everything. So I just sort of left it. I'm not losing some more reviewing this. No, good decision. What's the light for our listeners facing someone like Archer bowling? He comes on quite quick, doesn't he?

Yeah, it's a challenge because he can vary his pace quite a lot. That full ball is just a lot quicker than he's some of the other balls, which is obviously what caught me in both of the game so far. At the same time, yeah, it's just the amount of airspeed he can get just out of nowhere, really. It's quite amazing. And how is it different, obviously, it was not playing, but batting with Travis Head, who you grew up with and played with, how's that?

It's awesome. He's so cool to be around, obviously. He takes so much pressure off you. He's a funny guy to be around. He obviously tries to score for every ball, take so much pressure off you. And everyone's just sort of focused on him, which just sort of helps me out a lot.

Just one bonus question before you go. I know you've got to run. We had your dad, Robbie, with us in Perth, and he spoke to us in the box, and we talked about the fact you were the first born and raised Territorian to represent Australia and test cricket. There would be, I'm sure, lots of boys and girls tuned in on the ABC

listening up in the Northern Territory. Does that mean something to you to have that little slice of history? Yeah, it does, obviously. Coming from the territory growing up, I've watched this guy walk out the bat in the territory before and it's pretty cool to be around there and obviously dizzy as well you know those those those memories for me were the reason why i got into cricket so to to be here with these guys as well and obviously talking to them was pretty cool and it's a full

full circle moment for me and yeah it's pretty emotional for me to come back you well don't mate enjoy rachel enjoy and good luck tomorrow keep going to be great thanks man well he had a good day today jake weather old 72 in his third test match innings right the final word or words or stats from andy zaltzman and what caught your eye today, Zoltz? Well, the speed of scoring, which we've seen a lot in England test matches since Stokes and McCollum took over, but largely when England have been batting.

Jake Weatherall's half century took 45 balls, Australia's fourth fastest by an opener in Ash's history. They reached 238 overs, which is their third fastest ever against England. Perth, just two weeks ago, being the fastest they'd reached 200. And the third fastest, England, a joint third fastest, England had conceded 200 behind that per thinnings and level with the Sri Lanka Oval Test, fourth innings chase in 2024.

Then 300 in 58.3 over is Australia's fastest versus England, seventh fastest of all time, in the second fastest 300 England have ever conceded in tests. So it was an all-action day over 50 boundaries, 464s, 5-6s. And the scoring areas were interesting, something we were tracking through much of the day, one point Australia has scored 65% of their runs off the bat behind square. That did change a little bit in the final hour or so of play. 36% of runs behind square on the offside in the Crickvis data. That's the second highest they have recorded for an innings by Australia.

And that goes back about 20 years, over 350 innings in that sample. So it was, yeah, I guess that suggested England bowl, a lot of balls that Australia was scoring off that were short, as well as a few slightly streaky edges. And the big difference between the two sides has been the lack of failures in Australia's top order. England had four ducks, three of them in the top seven. Australia's top six of all reached 30, top seven of all reached 20. Michael Nees is on 15. If he gets to, if he adds another five runs tomorrow, it'll be only the fourth time in Ash's history.

That the top, sorry, fifth time that the top eight have all reached 20 and the first since November, 1962. So that's really been the key difference. Australia, in many ways, both sides let each other off the hook today. Australia had, well, everyone made a start. Weather or 72 is the highest so far. Their top four partnerships all reached 50, only the seventh time that's happened in the ashes and the second in the last 50 years, but no 100 stands yet, but they've ended up in a dominant position.

Yeah, well, they could do that on the third day, couldn't they? They could put that right. Indeed, that could change. Thanks very much, Zoltz. Next on Five Sports Secretary, you can hear highlight. with a full real-time replay on SportsXter 3 from 1pm. You can watch the best of day's action on the BBC Sport website and app now with our full highlight show on BBC iPlayer from 5pm this afternoon.

The Ashes debrief with Alex Hartley will be available later, also on EyePlayer and the BBC Sport YouTube channel. BBC Sounds is the place for all our podcast, just search Ashes. And we're back on air from 345 tomorrow for the third day. England need wickets, and they need them quickly. Goodbye for now. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. This month in football, everything is up for grabs.

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