Joe Root has defended England’s preparation and effort after a damaging second day at the Gabba saw his side drop five catches and hand Australia control of the second Ashes Test.
Australia closed on 378-6, already 44 runs ahead, leaving England facing a steep battle to keep the match and potentially the series alive. Four of England’s five missed chances came during the evening session under floodlights, a period where the pink ball typically moves more and is believed to offer bowlers greater assistance.
Preparation questioned
England’s build-up to the match has been a point of debate. This is only their eighth pink-ball Test, far fewer than Australia’s 15, and England have played just one day-night Test since touring Australia in 2021–22.
After being thrashed in the opening Test in Perth, England chose not to send any of their starting XI to Canberra to participate in a day-night England Lions match. That decision has drawn criticism after their struggles in Brisbane.
Instead, England held five training sessions in Brisbane, including two under lights, aimed at replicating the night-time conditions as closely as possible.
“We worked as hard as we could,” Root said. “We did loads of catching work and tried to make the most of every session, especially the ones under lights. Sometimes catches just don’t stick—but the important thing is to stay focused and ready for the next opportunity.”
Root acknowledged the unforgiving nature of pink-ball Tests but stressed that the team did what it could to prepare: “We’re used to the heat now, the surfaces, the twilight period, the lights. We’ve caught at all different times of day. But we’re human—we aren’t going to be perfect.”
Vaughan: ‘They looked jaded’
Former England captain Michael Vaughan strongly disagreed with England’s approach, arguing that no training drill can replicate real competitive intensity.
“What I saw today was a team that looked jaded,” Vaughan said. “Drills are fine—you know the ball is coming to you. In a game you don’t. Concentration is the art of taking chances, and you only develop that through long spells in the field.”
Vaughan, who captained England to their famous 2005 Ashes win, said England’s preparation lacked proper match conditioning: “If you’re not out there for hours, training your brain to respond in those moments, you won’t take those chances.”
Root pushed back firmly when this criticism was put to him: “It’s never going to be perfect. All you can do is give yourself the best chance. I think we’ve done that.”
A tough day: The drops that hurt England
The Gabba—where England last won in 1986—proved unforgiving again as the missed chances piled up:
1. 8.2 overs – Australia 30-0 – Smith drops Head
England’s first and arguably most damaging drop. Travis Head edged Jofra Archer and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith failed to cling on to a rising chance to his left. Head was just on 3 at the time and went on to score 33, sparking an onslaught in which Australia smashed 112 runs in only 14 overs.
2. 56.2 overs – Australia 290-4 – Duckett drops Carey
Facing his first ball, Alex Carey gloved a vicious short delivery from Brydon Carse. Ben Duckett moved in sharply from gully and got both hands to it but couldn’t hold on. Carey ended the day unbeaten on 46—his full impact still unknown.
3. 63.2 overs – Australia 327-5 – Duckett drops Inglis
Duckett again the fielder, but this time slow to react as Josh Inglis slashed hard towards gully. Inglis was bowled by Ben Stokes three balls later, limiting the damage.
4. 68.3 overs – Australia 346-6 – Carse drops Neser
Michael Neser drove Archer straight to cover but Brydon Carse shelled a straightforward chance. Neser was on 6 and went to stumps on 15 not out.
5. 69.2 overs – Australia 352-6 – Root and Smith miss Carey
Carey edged Gus Atkinson between Jamie Smith and Joe Root at first slip. Root dived and got fingertips on the ball, but Vaughan said it should have been the keeper’s catch. More concerning was Smith’s lack of movement toward the ball.
“When you see a keeper not going for it, that worries me,” said Vaughan.
One moment of brilliance
Amid the chaos, Will Jacks pulled off a spectacular catch to dismiss Steve Smith. Moving quickly from backward square leg, he dived full length to his right and caught the pull shot one-handed. Vaughan called it “as good a catch as I’ve ever seen”.
The wider problem
England’s struggles were not an isolated incident. Data from Cricviz shows:
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England’s catching efficiency in evening sessions of pink-ball Tests is 58%
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The global average for all other teams is 80%
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Since 2006, England have only had one worse catching display in Australia: six drops in Adelaide during another day-night Test four years ago