Here’s some post-match reaction for you, as Michael Neser described Mitchell Starc as “the greatest lefty of all time” after the latter’s heroics with bat and ball against England at the Gabba.Ali Martin has filed his report from the Gabba, so I’ll leave you with that.There are also pieces from Simon Burnton and Geoff Lemon to soak up after the day’s play.Thanks as always for your company and emails.Ta-ra!Even by his standards, Scott Boland’s control of line and length is the final session was extraordinary.

They showed a series of deliveries after play and it really was shoebox stuff – he kept hitting the same spot over and over.Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser also took two wickets but Boland was easily the outstanding bowler.Too soon?‘Three-two’s got a nice ring to to it’If you passed your Ashes GCSE, you’ll know that only one team in Ashes history – Test history for that matter – has come back to win from 2-0 down.“Even miracles wouldn’t want to intervene in such situations for England,” says Abhishek Chopra.“Such a beautifully terrible omnishambles.

”You know England are really screwed when Ben Stokes is at the crease and you still don’t believe a miracle is possible.“Mate, I couldn’t agree more with Jonathan Hungin (11.32am) re: the India series,” says Max Williams.“Everyone was rightly celebrating the incredible drama but from an English perspective, I think it was really damaging.They blew multiple opportunities to win their first five-match series in seven years (!), culminating that collapse at the Oval to fail at something they took for granted – chasing down big scores.

Suddenly there’s doubt when there wasn’t before – even if you aren’t aware of it.When the history books are written, this Ashes will likely be portrayed as the collapse of Bazball but the foundations were critically damaged in the summer.Not saving the match at Lords, not bowling India out at Old Trafford, not finishing the job at the Oval.All led here.”Yes.

Before a series against Australia, England fans talk a lot about Ashes scarring, but non-Ashes scarring is also relevant,Contrast this team with the 2023 side and especially Michael Vaughan’s lot in 2005,Their 2-1 victory in South Africa the previous winter – when they didn’t play particularly well but found a way to win – was so important,It feels relevant to highlight the recent records of those three sides before the relevant Ashes series,2005 P18 W14 D3 L1 (win/loss ratio: 14)2023 P13 W11 D0 L2 (W/L ratio: 5.

5)2025-26 P23 W12 D1 L10 (W/L ratio 1.2)Read all about itYou know it’s a bad day when one of the coaching staff does the post-match interview.We’re fairly philosophical about what we’re trying to do – obviously we’re not quite operating as we need to do and they’ve been better than us today.They dominated the day and put us under a lot of pressure; it’s always challenging when that happens.In certain areas we haven’t been as good as we need to be for long enough.

We’re trying all the time to put that right.It’s obvious what Australia are trying to do – smash away on a good length, especially from the far end.They’ve done it really well and hit consistent areas.It’s always tough when momentum goes against you.We’re good enough to put the pressure back on them but it hasn’t quite happened today.

Fair play to them, they’ve made it hard for us,It’s not just things that we’ve done wrong,We know that we’re behind the game but you have to stay positive and focussed on what you’re trying to do and how you’re gonna try and win the game,[On the decision-making of the batters] We get it right sometimes, and when we do we dominate opposition,And when we don’t get it right, we play bad shots and that gets highlighted.

It is what it is.You’ve gotta have some way of trying to play the game.We look back on every innings and try to work out how we can make it better next time.But we have to stick to our principles of what we’re trying to do.England’s innings: a tale of two halvesFirst 17 overs 90 for 1Next 18 overs 44 for 5“Amidst the slating for England that will come,” writes Gary Naylor, “it shouldn’t be forgotten that Scott Boland was superb.

Glenn McGrath could not have bowled better,”Quite,And he’s a bit quicker than McGrath was at the back end of his career,Great fun, yeah,We thought the ball would come alive in the night session and I think we bowled pretty well there.

England always play their shots.I feel like on this kind of wicket, where it’s a bit up and down, if we put as many balls as possible in the right place we’ll get some chances.[What are the right areas?] Probably… ah, I won’t tell you that![On the lower-order runs] That was our main objective – to get some overs into the England bowlers for the second innings and to try and stretch out our bowling into the night session.Starcy was awesome and it was nice to be out there with him.A summary of the day’s playMitchell Starc top scored with 77 as Australia pottered to 511 all out, a lead of 177 on first innings.

By dragging things out, they ensured England would have to start their innings as the lights were coming on.After a fine start – 45 for 0 from six overs at tea, then 90 for one in the evening session – England fell apart.It was the usual mixture of ill-conceived strokes and forensic seam bowling from Australia.Scott Boland was magnificent.“I get the point about Bazball, and this team, providing joy and life-affirming excitement etc, but in this Test has there really been a passage of play where this has been true?” writes Paul Billington.

“A poor first innings, having now seen the other team bat.Apparently clueless bowling.Now this...

And they’re even getting out to defensive shots.Or is it that Australia, like those fancy cornflakes, are Just Too Good?”Joe Root’s hundred was a good old life-affirmer, I’d say.But I know what you mean.The thing that will haunt England is that they have been nowhere near their best against a brilliant but vulnerable Australia side.In August, while most of us were high on cricket when India won at the Oval, my old Wisden colleague Jonathan Hungin was adamant that England’s failure to win the series would be really costly when the Ashes started.

There are loads of factors but I do think England’s accumulated scarring since the last Ashes in 2023 is starting to hurt.Australia lost the WTC final, sure, but have won every series apart from the one against Shamar Joseph.34th over: England 134-6 (Stokes 4, Jacks 4) A maiden from Starc to Jacks brings to an end day a glorious day for Australia, who have taken a decisive grip on the match and series.34th over: England 134-6 (Stokes 4, Jacks 4) Stokes pushes Boland into the covers for two; the rest of the over is a demonstration of the watertight forward defensive stroke.Stokes will still see a route to victory, because he has found one with England in even greater predicaments, but 99.

94 per cent of us know this game will be done by tomorrow afternoon,“Unless my maths is wrong, since when did two down with three to play mean that the series was over?” writes Simon McMahon,33rd over: England 132-6 (Stokes 2, Jacks 4) Will Jacks times a boundary through extra cover before surviving an Australia review for a catch down the leg side,Alex Carey took it beautifully, of course he did, but the ball missed both glove and bat before hitting Jacks on the hip,“I have been packing for my flight to Australia on Monday to distract myself,” writes Emma John.

“I have now given up because it seems so meaningless.I need to take everything out and start again with all-black outfits.”Look, Emma, I’ve told you before: as an England fan, if you want to enjoy an Ashes trip, you need to go to Lilac Hill.Too good.Too, too good.

Mitchell Starc gets his eighth wicket of the match – he’s on for back-to-back ten-fors – with a gorgeous delivery that moves away to shave the edge as Smith feels defensively.Alex Carey does the rest.Smith reviewed, not sure why, but it was undeniably out and his poor series continues.England have slipped from 90 for 1 to 128 for 6.They said it changes when the sun goes down around here…32nd over: England 127-5 (Stokes 1, Smith 4) Smith belts a drive through mid-off for four to get off the mark.

A rare bad ball from Boland, who adjusts his length and jags one back to beat Smith,Lovely bowling,This is a serious interrogation, the kind usually reserved for Court TV, with Scott Boland in the role of prosecution counsel,Does that make me Vinnie Politan?“How good is Boland when he is on song?” writes Chris Paraskevas,“Legitimately unplayable.

Would love to see him do the business in England and banish those personal demons...”That 2027 Ashes, as well as being the real quiz, could be the final achievement of a great Australian team – especially if they win in India earlier that year.Given recent events, they’ll fancy their chances in both series.

31st over: England 123-5 (Stokes 1, Smith 0) Just over 20 minutes to the close, although Australia could claim the extra extra half hour if they take another couple of wickets in that time,Stokes is dealing exclusively in defensive strokes, most of them very solid,Most but not all: a thick edge drops short of Green in the gully,“Having watched/endured a lot of this since 4,15am, despite not really wanting to,” begins Luke Regan, “I’ve decided all I want for Christmas is Severance, but for away Ashes series.

”30th over: England 123-5 (Stokes 1, Smith 0) Jamie Smith, on a pair, survives a big LBW shout first ball.Too high, but it was a jaffa of a nipbacker.A wicket maiden from Boland, who is making the ball talk.When he does that, he’s unplayable.It’s a minor detail of the series, because Australia have been far better in both games, but I do wonder whether England got it wrong at the toss, here and at Perth.

“Conspiracy theorists have long believed that the 2010-11 Ashes was actually filmed on a secret sound stage in Dallas,” honks Kristine.And so it is.Harry Brook will be livid with himself - he’s been dismissed playing a defensive stroke.He pushed forward to a lovely, full-length delivery from Boland and got a thin edge through to Carey.Australia are rampant and have taken four wickets for 33.

Australia review for caught behind next ball!I’m pretty sure this one is out.Brook is not out!He missed it by a mile.Hmm, how weird.The ball did hit his back leg, which is probably why everyone appealed, but it was nowhere near the edge of the bat.England review! Brook given out caught behindBe still my beating everything