Need to know
England are taking on Australia in the second Test of the Ashes and they trail 1-0 in the series with Day Three just completed at The Gabba in Brisbane.
19:32, 06 Dec 2025
Joe Root scored a century during the first innings, but England are now up against it. (Image: Philip Brown/Getty Images)
The latest news on the second Test of The Ashes series between Australia and England - at The Gabba in Brisbane - as Mirror Sport take a look at what has happened in the match so far...
- England's first innings was a rescue effort, ending at 334 all out. After collapsing early, Joe Root's sublime 138 not out, his first Test century in Australia, was the backbone of a competitive total; Mitchell Starc's 6/75 was the stand-out bowling performance, limiting England's eventual total.
- Australia built up a massive 177-run lead from their first innings, posting 511. Their effort was one of collective dominance, as all 11 batters reached double figures -a rare feat in Test cricket history.
- Day Three began with Starc frustrating the English bowlers - with the bat! Resuming at 378/6, Starc scored a crucial 77 at number nine, grinding down the tourists and consuming valuable time to take the total past 500.
- England's second innings started well, but in turn crumbled under the floodlights. They reached 45/0 at the dinner break, but the challenging night session with the pink ball led to a rapid - and devastating - collapse.
- Australia's bowlers shared the around wickets to dismantle England's top order. Michael Neser took two key wickets, including Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, while Scott Boland also claimed two, taking advantage of the movement under lights.
- The crucial wicket of Root (15) was taken by Starc. Root was dismissed by the day's star performer, leaving England's hopes hanging by a thread and underlining Australia's complete control.
- At stumps, England were 134/6, still trailing Australia by 43 runs. Ben Stokes (4no) and Will Jacks (4no) must survive the early stages of Day Four to avoid being asked to follow-on and suffer a heavy defeat.
- This result strongly suggests a 2-0 series score-line is imminent for Australia. Going 2-0 down would be a brutal blow to England's hopes, as well, as only one team in Ashes history has ever recovered from such a deficit to win the series.