On the second day of the second Test in Brisbane, Australia extended their advantage with a strong score of 378/6 at stumps, leading England by 44 runsDespite a strong recovery effort by Joe Root In the England innings, the hosts took advantage of England’s sluggish fielding performance and executed their batting plans with great precision. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Australia found themselves in a strong position on the third day of the match.
Ashes 2025-26: Australia dominates in the first innings on the strength of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Australia’s batsmen dominated England’s attack in the second session of the day. were in good condition thanks to the contribution of the hosts travis head (33), Jake Weatherald (72), marnus labuschagne (65) and steve smith (61), all of whom played solid partnerships. Wetherald and Labuschagne particularly impressed, with the former playing a crucial role in setting the tone for Australia’s innings with an innings of 72 runs from 78 balls. ben stokes And braydon carse were unable to achieve significant success, and despite some difficult overs, the Australian batsmen managed to score runs at a steady rate of 5.17 runs per over.
Ashes 2025-26: England’s poor fielding has put them under pressure
England’s fielding problems were evident throughout the day. Dropped catches and missed run-outs helped Australia maintain pressure and build partnerships. Despite the pink ball, which was expected to assist the bowlers, England struggled to stem the flow of runs. Mitchell Starc And cameron green He made valuable contributions with the bat and took Australia’s score beyond 350 in just 69 overs. This was in stark contrast to England’s performance, which lacked the same intensity and control, particularly in the field.
Also read: Ashes 2025-26: This is the reason behind Steve Smith wearing black tape in Gabba Test vs England
Joe RootA brilliant innings of 138* was the highlight of England’s efforts on the second day. His steady innings kept England afloat, even as wickets were falling around him. Root’s patient innings of 206 balls, which included 15 fours and a six, was the backbone of England’s reply. However, the loss of key wickets, including jack crawley (76) and harry brook (31), this meant that England’s chances of building a solid partnership were limited. With England still trailing by 44 runs, Root and the lower order will have to make a huge effort to stage a comeback and avoid further collapse.
Here’s how fans reacted:
So the big question is why is England not bowling at traditional test match length??? And why did they dismiss their best bowlers during the day?
– Robbie Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) 5 December 2025
The fitness and conditioning of these English pacers is poor. Not sure what the experts are doing, they are also not bowling to enough players #ash
-Chatil Panditsekara (@ChatilPandi) 5 December 2025
What a sad day it was for England
countless drops
poor bowling
An over rate that was almost as bad as Australia’s, with only 29 overs in that final session.Thanks to the Archer/Root partnership we are not completely out of it, but tomorrow needs to be flawless.
– James McCagre (@MccaggreJames) 5 December 2025
I know England lost four times and some fielding tactics went a bit wrong, but at the end of the second day, I still feel this test is still alive and England still have some chances. I’m definitely not in the ‘it’s all over’ camp.
– Mark I. Harrison (@MarkIHarrison) 5 December 2025
Australia, you’ll fall in love with Jake Weatherald #ash
– Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) 5 December 2025
This cricket team of England is brilliant, just need to work on bowling, batting, fielding, outswing, inswing catching, running between the wickets, cover drive, field placement, team selection, scootering, mentality, bowling rotation, fast bowling, spin bowling, wicket keeping…
– π πΎπππ π°π (comms open) (@RiceyVT_) 5 December 2025
Second expensive day for England. The bowlers were bad when fresh and by the end of the day they were badly weakened. As far as fielding goes, you can’t afford to miss five chances (certain dolls!) – especially when you’re bowling so poorly. #ash pic.twitter.com/BZZGlYfHbg
– Matt Watts (@MattWatts96) 5 December 2025
Terrible fielding from England. A lot of catches were missed. Duckett dropped Carey and Carsey dropped Nesser. need to improve and work on it
– Aryan Goel (@Aryan42832Goel) 5 December 2025
England can still make a comeback in this innings. All they need is a little luck. But their response to losing the first Test of this series has been to replace a fast bowler with a part-time off-spinner. A negative step.
– Cricketingview (@cricketingview) 5 December 2025
Day 2, Stumps
Australia’s batsmen looked more composed at the crease today and ended the day with a lead of 44 runs.#Cricket #Ashes2025 #crickettwitter pic.twitter.com/EjMiiS2F94
β CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 5 December 2025
