The Ashes: England 2-0 down to Australia after Gabba hammering

England's Ashes hopes are dwindling after an eight-wicket defeat by Australia in the second Test at the Gabba, putting them 2-0 down in the five-match series. The tourists finally showed some application with the bat on the fourth day of the pink-ball match, but still succumbed to their second crushing defeat of the tour.

Captain Ben Stokes dug in for a watchful 50 off 152 balls and was supported by Will Jacks, who made 41 from 92. Their partnership added 96 for the seventh wicket in 36.4 overs – England's longest partnership of the series. However, they were unable to recover from the loss of their last three wickets, which fell to Australian bowlers Nathan Neser and Gus Atkinson.

England have never come back from 2-0 down to win a series against Australia. The hosts will do so with the boost of captain Pat Cummins set to return from injury and off-spinner Nathan Lyon primed for a recall. Meanwhile, England's options for Adelaide are limited unless they dip into an England Lions team currently being hammered by Australia A.

The defeat has raised questions about England's attitude towards the series. If they had produced this kind of Test batting earlier, they might still be in the series. England finally showed some application with the bat on the fourth day, but it was too little, too late. The tourists are now facing a long and difficult road to recovery if they hope to retain the Ashes.

Stokes responded with a 148-ball half-century – his slowest in Tests since his career-defining knock to win the Headingley Ashes Test of 2019. His partnership with Jacks had the second-slowest run-rate of any England stand in excess of 50 since Stokes took over as captain.

The Australian bowlers were excellent, with Neser taking his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket and Atkinson producing a spell of 3-10 in just 5.2 overs. The game was all but up for the tourists once Jacks was sensationally caught by Steve Smith at first slip.

England's recent history in Australia is a concern, with their team not having won since 1986. They have now lost 17 matches without a win in the country and an eighth loss in 15 overall, dating back to September 2024. The tourists will do well to avoid becoming the worst-performing England team in Australia in modern times.

The hosts will face significant pressure in the remaining Tests, with Ashes holders Australia looking to retain the urn at the earliest opportunity. With captain Pat Cummins set to return from injury and off-spinner Nathan Lyon primed for a recall, Australia have all the ingredients to make it difficult for England to mount a comeback.

Awwww poor England ️‍! They're really struggling here . I mean, 2-0 down in the series and they just can't seem to get back on track . Ben Stokes did his best with that half-century tho ! But those Aussie bowlers were on fire ! Nathan Neser's first five-wicket haul is insane ! And Steve Smith catching Will Jacks was a big turning point in the game . I'm worried about England's chances now ... but we'll see how they bounce back in Adelaide

Oh my goodness, Australia is on fire!!! They're really making the most of their team's strengths and England just can't seem to get back in the game . I'm so worried about Ben Stokes, he tried his best but it just wasn't meant to be . Pat Cummins' return is definitely going to give Australia a boost though! They're gonna put some serious pressure on England and it's gonna be tough for them to come back . Fingers crossed for a good comeback from England, but for now, it's looking pretty bleak

England's struggles in this series are really concerning . I mean, 2-0 down and still not showing much improvement? They need to figure out how to deal with these Aussie bowlers ASAP . Nathan Neser and Gus Atkinson are looking like a deadly duo . And let's be real, Stokes' slowest half-century since 2019 is just another reminder of how far they've slipped behind in terms of Test batting skills . The fact that they're now relying on the England Lions team to get them out of this hole is not exactly reassuring either . Australia's got all the momentum, and it's going to be tough for England to mount a comeback

"Fall seven times, stand up eight." The Ashes hopes are indeed dwindling for England. Their batting performance in this series has been quite lackluster so far. Ben Stokes' 50 was a silver lining, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Aussies' strong bowling attack. The question now is how will England recover from this 2-0 deficit? Will they be able to mount a comeback, or are they in for another tough Ashes defeat?

The problem here isn't that England is losing, it's that they're not learning from their losses . They keep showing up half-hearted and expecting miracles. It's like they think the scoreboard will magically correct itself if they just "show some application" . Newsflash: Test cricket doesn't work that way . You gotta grind it out, take the tough decisions, and back it up with execution. Anything less is just spinning your wheels . England's got to get its head in the game and start playing for the win, not just hoping for a miracle . Otherwise, they'll be stuck in this rut forever

ugh dont even get me started on englands performance in australia right now theyre literally crumbling under pressure and its like ben stokes just gave up halfway through his innings idk what his strategy was but 50 off 152 balls is not exactly gonna get the job done

and can we talk about australia's bowlers for a sec?? neser and atkinson are like a deadly duo theyre like the dynamic duo of aussie cricket and stokes just got absolutely carved up by them its like england never even had a chance lol

i mean i get it theyre down 2-0 but that still doesnt excuse this kind of performance especially coming off 17 losses without a win in australia i feel so bad for the english fans right now

England's chances of winning the Ashes are slipping away... They need to step up their game ASAP or risk being humiliated 2-0 down is a huge gap to bridge, especially with Pat Cummins returning from injury Nathan Lyon might be the key to Australia's success, but England's batsmen just can't seem to get it together https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/55595646

im just seeing this now lol what happened to england?? they were down 2-0 and then they had that one day where ben stokes finally showed up but yeah they still lost nathan neser got his first 5 wicket haul in test cricket tho that's nice for him. anyway i'm not sure what the problem is with england's batting but its clear they need to step up their game or else australia is gonna take it easy on them

This series is getting really ugly for England! I mean, 2-0 down already? They need to pick themselves up and get their act together if they wanna retain the Ashes. The Aussie bowlers were on fire today, especially Neser – he's got some serious skills . And let's be real, Stokes' half-century was a nice effort, but not enough to turn things around. Now it's all about how England can come back from this, and that's a tough one...

England's chances of winning the Ashes are looking pretty bleak after that 8-wicket loss to Australia . They were finally able to show some fight with the bat on the fourth day but it was too little, too late . The Aussie bowlers were just too good and now England is facing a long road to recovery if they want to retain the Ashes .

I'm not surprised that Stokes had his slowest half-century of Tests since 2019 though – he's been struggling with form in this series . And Jacks' catch by Steve Smith at first slip was just a game-changer . England needs to figure out what went wrong and sort it out ASAP or they'll be in for a tough time .

I'm also a bit worried about the mental side of things – 17 losses without a win in Australia is not exactly a great track record . The pressure will be on the hosts in the remaining Tests, especially with Cummins back and Lyon ready to go . It's gonna be a tough one for England to turn around this series

I'M GETTING REALLY ANXIOUS ABOUT THE ASHES SERIES NOW! ENGLAND JUST GOT BEATEN BY 8 WICKETS IN THE SECOND TEST AND IT'S LOOKING REALLY UGLY FOR THEM. BEN STOKES IS TRYING HIS BEST, BUT EVEN HE COULDN'T SAVE HIS TEAM FROM CRUSHING DEFEAT. THE AUSTRALIANS ARE ON FIRE RIGHT NOW AND I DON'T THINK ENGLAND CAN CATCH UP. THEY NEED TO STEP UP THEIR GAME IF THEY WANT TO RETAIN THE ASHES! IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG AND DIFFICULT ROAD FOR THEM, ESPECIALLY WITH CAPTAIN PAT CUMMINS RETURNING FROM INJURY

[Image of a sad cartoon character with a bat and ball]

[Image of a cricket pitch with an "Out" sign] ️

[Australia's Ashes series flag with a big X through it]

[Illustration of Ben Stokes throwing in the towel]

[GIF of a cricket ball bouncing off Steve Smith's helmet]

omg i feel so bad for england's cricket team they're in such trouble now its like they're stuck in a rut & can't seem to get out of it ben stokes is trying his best tho he even scored 50 runs which is something, right? but seriously, australia's team is looking super strong pat cummins is gonna be a game changer when he comes back from injury & nathan lyon is like the ultimate spin doctor i'm not sure if england can mount a comeback now

I'm telling u mate, this defeat is not just about one game, its about Englands whole mentality towards cricket in Ausland! They keep getting thrashed and they never learn from their mistakes . Ben Stokes is having a decent series, but thats it. He can't save them on his own. The Aussies are just better than them period . And now with Cummins coming back, it's gonna be tough for England to mount a comeback. They need to sort out there attitude and strategy towards the game

omg australia is just killing england in this ashies series england is really struggling with their batting atm and they dont seem to be able to recover from those big losses ben stokes was the only one who showed some fight, but even he got out when its needed most thats a major concern for england now. australia just needs to keep up the good work with pat cummins and nathan lyon back in form

the way england's batting has been on display in this series is utterly underwhelming ...i mean, a 50-run partnership that lasts nearly an hour and then suddenly implodes? it's like they're not even trying to survive the innings, just waiting for the inevitable . captain stokes' half-century was a decent effort, but not enough to stem the tide of the game. australia's bowlers were excellent, no question about it ...i mean, neser taking his first five-wicket haul in test cricket? that's a testament to their skill and consistency. england's recent history in australia is indeed a concern ...17 losses without a win since 1986? that's a long time of being outperformed by the hosts.

I'm like so confused about cricket ... isn't that just a bunch of guys hitting a ball with sticks? Like, why do they care if one team wins or loses? and what's up with the names? Pat Cummins sounds like a superhero but I guess he's just an Aussie sports star. And who's Steve Smith... is he like a captain or something?

So England's cricket team is having a rough time in Australia, no surprise there. I mean, 2-0 down already and they're struggling to even get out of bed with their bats. Their recent history in the country is pretty bleak, like they've been stuck in a rut since... well, forever . The question now is can they turn it around? Doubtful, but you never know. Maybe if they bring in some fresh faces from the England Lions team or something. But let's be real, Australia's got this in the bag . Captain Pat Cummins is back and Nathan Lyon's primed for a recall - that's like a one-two punch to England's face . Bring it on!