Stokes himself was culpable too, not only for England’s needlessly negative fields to Starc but for his obstinate refusal to change the pace of the game
Matt Roller06-Dec-20255:03
‘Neser has justified his selection ahead of Lyon’
Frankie’s Smokehouse on Stanley Street offers a pre-match barbecue before day-night Tests in Brisbane, and for three-and-a-half hours on Saturday, England’s bowlers were left to slow-cook on the Gabba grill. In 30-degree Celsius heat and 70% humidity, they were gradually charred and smoked in the second Test by Australia’s lower order and tail until ready to be served with a side of coleslaw.It was the ultimate demonstration of the hard-nosed pragmatism that has served Australia so well. Across 44.3 painstaking overs, their lower order and tail ground England down with a series of blocks, ducks and leaves that left their bowlers and fielders utterly deflated, and highlighted the stark contrast between the approaches of these two teams.Australia did not “run towards the danger”, as Brendon McCullum might have implored, but approached this third day in the knowledge that every over they spent at the crease increased the impending jeopardy that would arrive at nightfall. It was a familiar feeling for England in this country, their decision-making falling victim to long hours spent melting in the afternoon sun.Related
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The telling moment came towards the end of a ninth-wicket stand between Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland that spanned 27.2 overs, the longest partnership of the series. Pat Cummins joined Fox’s commentary with a smile so broad that it could be heard without being seen: “Really intelligent batting,” he purred, as Starc staunchly blocked his 117th ball.Cummins – who also confirmed that he “should be right” for the third Test in Adelaide after injury – revealed that Australia’s lower-order batters have often discussed in meetings with management the target of facing 30 balls as a KPI [Key Performance Indicator]. “If our four bowlers can face 30 balls [each],” Cummins said, “we thought that was a big tick.”This was a huge one: their Nos. 8 to 11 managed to soak up 275 balls between them, with Starc (141) accounting for more than half of them. It was hardly edge-of-the-seat viewing, with Australia adding 133 for 4 to their overnight score at a shade under three runs per over, but Cummins, Steven Smith and Andrew McDonald could not have cared less as they watched England toil.It begged the question of how England’s lower order would have approached the same situation. In this series, they have swung from the hip with some success: their Nos. 8-11 have cumulatively scored at a strike rate of 95.03, with Gus Atkinson (37 off 32 in Perth) and Jofra Archer (38 off 36 in Brisbane) both contributing useful cameos.But only three lower-order batters have lasted 30 balls – Australia’s target – and none have reached 40, let alone Starc’s 141. England’s management hates team meetings, which Harry Brook memorably described as “the most over-rated things ever,” earlier this year; most of their players probably think KPI is the man who used to bat in their middle order.Mitchell Starc left Ben Stokes exasperated•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesEngland struck twice in the first hour on Saturday, Neser edging the old ball behind and Alex Carey the new one. But Starc’s partnership with Boland exposed their tactics as predictable: Ben Stokes abandoned any hope of getting Starc out, spreading the field and letting him leave on length, then watched Boland get in line and defend resolutely for at most two balls per over.Starc’s 77 was his third-highest Test score, and was a classic lower-order innings. He identified two main scoring areas – down the ground and through cover – and stuck to them resolutely, passing Stuart Broad to become the most prolific No. 9 in Test history in the process. It was measured, mature, and mightily effective: this is quickly becoming Starc’s Ashes.”The message was obviously to try to keep them out as long as possible because we knew the later we went into the night session with that harder ball was going to benefit us,” Neser said. “It actually went perfectly: the way Starcy went about it, scored runs and batted time, put us in a great position to bowl under the lights with that new pink ball.”It also meant more back-breaking work for England’s fast bowlers whose inexperience has been laid bare: among their four seamers, who shared 96 of the first 97 overs between them, Stokes is the only one to have played more than 20 Tests or even 60 first-class games.”Being a Gabba local, I know how hard it is bowling under the heat,” Neser said. “It seems just to radiate through the Gabba.” As England are quickly learning, charging in to bowl 87mph/140kph in the heat one day is one thing, but doing so two days in a row is another entirely.After arriving at the Gabba clutching a pillow, Jofra Archer spent the first session looking half-asleep, to his team-mates’ obvious frustration. Archer’s failure to turn Starc’s top-edge into a catching chance at mid-off was met by double-teapots all round, and Stokes berated him for a flat-footed effort at cover which allowed Boland to take a single off the first ball of an over.But Stokes himself was culpable too, not only for England’s needlessly negative fields to Starc but for his obstinate refusal to change the pace of the game by introducing his spinner. Will Jacks’ first ball after tea turned and bounced sharply, and he regularly threatened Boland and Brendan Doggett’s outside edge during an encouraging spell: why not try him sooner?Australia had the game-awareness to realise that time, not runs, had become the most important currency – though their eventual first-innings lead of 177 meant they had plenty of both. Batting time ensured that they would have a hard, new ball to use under lights, when most of the damage has been done: 14 of the 26 wickets in this Test have fallen in the final session.It was an obvious, simple gameplan, which Australia executed to perfection, totally at odds with England’s bullheaded conviction in their singular method. England arrived with the weight of history stacked against them in this series, and it is turning into the same old story.