Australia Close in on Ashes Win as England Struggles Day 4

Australia Close in on Ashes Win as England Struggles Day 4

The Gabba's floodlights cast long shadows over a beleaguered England on December 7, 2025, as Day 4 of the second Ashes Test slipped inexorably into Australia's grasp. With the hosts enforcing the follow-on after bundling England out for a meager 164 in their second innings—trailing by 312 runs—the series now teeters on the brink of a 2-0 Australian lead. Steve Smith, captaining in Pat Cummins' absence, orchestrated a masterclass in seam movement under the pink ball, his light heavyweight attack dismantling Ben Stokes' side in a session that evoked memories of 2021's Gabba rout. As stumps loomed, England closed at 45 for 3, still 267 adrift, their hopes flickering like the dying embers of a once-fiery Bazball ethos. "We're not done, but it's grim," Stokes admitted post-play, his voice hoarse from barked field placements, while Smith savored the stranglehold: "This urn's ours if we stay sharp."

The day-night spectacle, shortened to five days but no less savage, has amplified Australia's fortress mentality—unbeaten in 11 pink-ball home Tests. England's first-innings 248, anchored by Joe Root's gritty 72, crumbled under Mitchell Starc's 5-41 swing symphony, but the follow-on declaration exposed deeper frailties. Zak Crawley's loose drive off Scott Boland in the 10th over set the tone, a procession that saw Harry Brook lbw to Brendan Doggett's inswinger and Ollie Pope edging Michael Neser to Alex Carey. By tea, the die was cast: Australia one win from retaining the Ashes, England staring at a series whitewash mirage.

Crowds of 32,000—buoyed by Queensland's festive fervor—roared as Smith juggled his green seamers, omitting spin entirely on a pitch offering variable bounce. The psychological blow landed heaviest on Stokes, whose all-round threat (a quickfire 28 in the first dig) couldn't stem the tide. With Adelaide's pink-ball decider looming on December 17, England's tour hangs by a thread, their attack—Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse toiling for 1-120—outbowled and outthought.

England's Unraveling: Top-Order Travails and Tactical Tangles

England's second innings implosion was a study in squandered starts. Resuming at 22 for 1 after Day 3's late stutter, Ben Duckett's aggressive 19 off 22 balls promised defiance—a flicked four off Starc through midwicket echoing his 2023 Lord's riposte. But Guskov-esque discipline from Australia's pack prevailed: Duckett nicked Neser's outswinger at 35 for 2, the left-hander's frustration palpable as he trudged off, muttering about "unplayable conditions." Crawley, promoted to open after Will Jacks' knee tweak, fared worse—a tentative 8 before Boland's seamers kissed the edge at 40 for 3.

Pope, the elegant No. 3 whose pre-series nets brimmed with promise, mustered 12—a cover drive's flourish undone by Doggett's nip-backer, plumb lbw at 42 for 3. Root, the run font with 12,800 Test tons, entered at crisis point, his 3 not out a testament to survival over splendor. Stokes, at five, remains unbeaten on 7, but the required 312 looms Everest-like against a fired-up foe. "Our top order's folding like cheap lawn chairs," lamented coach Brendon McCullum in the huddle, his Bazball blueprint battered by Brisbane's bite.

Tactically, England's gambles backfired. Inserting Australia first on a green-tinged deck yielded 476, Travis Head's 142 a counterpunch to Stokes' 4-56. The follow-on, invoked at 4:30 p.m., was bold but brittle—England's seamers, sans Jofra Archer's fire (knee rest), leaked 45 in eight overs. Shoaib Bashir's leggies, tossed the ball early, extracted turn but no breakthroughs, his 0-32 a footnote in seam's shadow. Australia's response? Ruthless: Starc's metronomic yorkers, Boland's channel mastery (3-29), and Neser's bounce (2-18) weaving a web that snared England's blade.

Australia's Arsenal: Smith's Seam Symphony and Head's Heroics

Smith's captaincy, a debut dipped in gold, shone brightest. With Cummins sidelined by back spasms and Nathan Lyon nursing a calf strain, the 36-year-old leaned on his green machine—Starc, Boland, Neser, and Doggett a quartet of venom. Starc's morning spell, three maidens on the trot, evoked his 2017 Ashes haul, the left-armer's 150kph thunder troubling Duckett's pads. Boland, the Victorian metronome, claimed man-of-the-match honors with his economical 3-29, his lbw to Brook a textbook seamer's kiss.

Head, promoted to open sans Usman Khawaja's spasms, anchored the first dig with 142—a fluent essay blending drives and pulls, his 200-run stand with Marnus Labuschagne (68) burying England early. Labuschagne, averaging 55 Down Under, fell short of three figures but his 68 set platforms, while Cameron Green at six loomed large, unbeaten on 45 in the declaration. Josh Inglis, the surprise keeper-batsman replacing the ailing Carey in spots, added 32 with sweeps that defied the pink ball's skid.

Australia's fielding, razor-sharp under Smith's gaze, turned pressure to powder kegs. Inglis' diving catch at second slip off Pope, a screamer low to his left, echoed Gilchrist's glory days. The hosts' 476 declared—led by Head's blitz—pressured England's 248 reply, Root's 72 a lone lighthouse in a storm of collapses.

Stokes' Strain: Leadership Under Fire, Lower Order's Last Stand

Stokes, the talismanic skipper, shoulders the series' sins. His 28 in the second dig, laced with a six off Neser, flickered fight, but captaincy calls drew scrutiny: persisting with Bashir on a unresponsive track, delaying Atkinson's introduction. "Bazball's about belief, but belief needs runs," Stokes reflected, his knee brace a reminder of 2024's scars. Root, the vice-anchor, faces familiar ghosts—his 72 the highest but his tentative push at Doggett symptomatic of a middle order mired in mediocrity.

Brook, the vice-captain dynamo, succumbed to a loose shot, his lbw a low point after Perth's 52 tease. Jacks, the all-round wildcard, hobbled off at 0, his knee flaring under pink-ball duress. Lower down, Jamie Smith's 15 offered grit, but Carse and Atkinson's tail-end cameos—quick 10s—couldn't stem the bleed. England's attack, once a Bazball bedrock, wilted: Atkinson's 2-89 heroic but harried, Carse's 1-72 a toil.

Off-field, England's camp fractures subtly. The e-scooter fines from Brisbane's eve—Crawley and Duckett among culprits—drew light ribbing, but morale dips. McCullum's huddle emphasized "process over panic," yet whispers of squad tweaks for Adelaide swirl—Mark Wood's recall, perhaps Rehan Ahmed's spin.

Ashes on a Knife-Edge: Adelaide Awaits, Legacies Loom

With two Tests remaining—Adelaide's pink-ball pivot on December 17, then Sydney's SCG finale—Australia scents whitewash. Smith's seam selections, sans Lyon's guile, vindicate the gamble; Head's opener shift injects verve, his strike rate 82 a weapon. England's path? Miraculous: 267 more on a wearing pitch, then defending 400-plus. Stokes eyes a Root-Brook stand, but history haunts—England's last Gabba win, 2010 under Strauss, feels fossilized.

Broader narratives brew. The series, condensed yet colossal, spotlights evolution: Australia's depth sans Cummins, England's Bazball battered but unbroken. For Błachowicz-like resilience, Stokes channels on; for Guskov's grit, Smith savors.

As Day 5 dawns humid in Brisbane, the urn's gleam taunts England. Australia closes in, victory's whisper now a roar—yet in Ashes' alchemy, despair births defiance. The pink ball rolls on, fates unfurling.