The Ashes

Image source, Getty Images

Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior says Jamie Smith needs to 'get external' to rediscover his form in the Ashes series.

Smith has struggled in recent matches, failing to pass 33 in his past eight innings and dropping Travis Head in Brisbane.

Prior, who won three Ashes series with England in a 79-Test career, told the BBC's Stumped podcast that focusing on the job in the field will help the 25-year-old's game.

"You go completely internal because you are ultimately standing out there panicking," Prior said of times he'd struggled in the England side.

"You drop the catch, it's amazing how many times you then go out and get nought. And that just keeps adding more pressure, you don't keep as well, you get stiff, you don't move.

"The best thing Jamie Smith can do is get external - do your prep, make sure that your game's in good order.

"Once that done, you can't do any more than that, if you make a mistake because you're human. When you get into the game then it's about everything external.

"Sometimes you have to force yourself massively, but just focus on 'Is Jofra hitting the gloves well? Is he swinging it back, is it going across, is the ball swinging, is it not?'

"Grab my fielders, 'Right we're going to go pick a fight with Steve Smith'. That's the stuff you have to do."

England need to win the third Test in Adelaide to retain a chance of winning the Ashes and Prior said a re-focused Smith was vital to turning round England's fortunes in the series after two opening defeats.

"The keeper's role has always been the heartbeat of that group on the field," Prior added.

"You're the drummer of the band, you help the captain and bowlers with angles. You know how the bowlers are getting on, are the plans and tactics right?

"If you're internalising everything and just focusing on your own game, you can't concentrate on anything external. Which is hugely important to the captain and bowlers and the rest of the team.

"Jamie Smith in that role as wicketkeeper needs to want to be out there and want to be in the middle and want to be in the fight."

Prior acknowledged the unique pressures Smith will be feeling in his role as wicketkeeper.

"I spent hours stood in the middle with my glasses hoping no-one could see my eyes - because I was just scared," said the 43-year-old

"A batsman can nick it, feel terrible and you go sit in the dressing room, a bowler can disappear off, and suddenly need to go change their shirt for half an hour.

"As a wicketkeeper you're out there. Whether you like it or not."

Image source, Getty Images

Steve Smith is winning his duel with England fast bowler Jofra Archer, says ex-Australia captain Tim Paine.

Archer continued his personal battle with Smith on the final day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane with a hostile spell that saw him bowl several rapid short-pitched deliveries at Australia's stand-in captain.

Smith, however, stood firm - first sledging the England quick and then hooking Gus Atkinson for the six that sealed victory and a 2-0 series lead with three to play.

Archer has now bowled 220 balls at Smith without dismissing him in Test cricket, more than any other bowler he has faced, though that does not take into account a blow the batter sustained at Lord's in 2019.

Smith was forced to retire hurt after being hit in the neck by a brutal bouncer and was subsequently ruled out of the next Test with concussion.

"There's a lot of huff and puff from big Jof at the moment. Steve Smith is winning that battle hands down," said Paine.

"It's really a crucial battle to the rest of the Ashes series. [At the moment] it's another battle that Smithy won, so he continues to build his record against him."

Paine, though, does believe England will enjoy the conditions in Adelaide for the third Test, which begins on Wednesday (23:30 GMT, Tuesday).

"If England get it right, they're going to be really dangerous," said Paine, who was speaking at the Adelaide Oval.

"If there's any wicket and ground in the country that suits them more than this, I don't think there is on - so there will be a fascinating Test match."

Image source, The Advertiser

The Australian sports media have unsurprisingly been poking fun at England's trip to the beach town of Noosa after going 2-0 down in the Ashes.

The tourists are on a four-day trip to the resort on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, before flying to Adelaide on Saturday to prepare for the third Test there, which starts on Wednesday, 17 December (23:30 GMT, 16 December).

England's preparation before and during this series has drawn criticism and pictures of players on the beach and in bars have featured alongside barbed headlines in many Australian newspapers.

The Advertiser, a tabloid based in Adelaide, featured England captain Ben Stokes taking a photo with children on the beach on its front page, next to the headline, 'Pickin' up bad vibrations'.

Brisbane's Courier-Mail also had a picture of Stokes in a segment at the top of its front page, with the headline, 'Having a Bazball at Noosa!'

The West Australian front page carried a photo England players applying suncream to each other's backs above the headline, 'Overprepared? I don't zinc so' - referring to England coach Brendon McCullum's belief his side perhaps "trained too much" before their heavy defeat at the Gabba.

The break in Noosa was planned before the Ashes series began and was arranged in conjunction with Cricket Australia. England have three training sessions at the Adelaide Oval scheduled from Sunday.

Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has at least defended England, saying it is important for touring sides to "refresh the batteries" during Ashes series in either country.

Image source, Getty Images

England coach Brendon McCullum failed to "read the room" in saying his side "overprepared" following defeat in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, says Durham coach Ryan Campbell.

The tourists have been criticised for their preparation for this series, playing one intra-squad warm-up game before the first Test defeat in Perth and opting not to send any of the first XI to play in the Lions' pink-ball day-night match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.

Instead England opted to acclimatise to the heat in Brisbane between Tests and had five training sessions leading up to the day-night match at the Gabba.

England are on a four-day break in Noosa, a resort town on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, before flying to Adelaide on Saturday to prepare for the third Test there, which starts on Wednesday, 17 December (23:30 GMT, 16 December).

"I kind of understand what McCullum's saying, but he hasn't read the room," Campbell told BBC Radio 5 Live's Ashes second Test review show.

"Are they that far in the bubble that they are not listening to all the fans?

"The fans seem very unhappy with the perception of England cricket. I know they work really hard, but I'm not sure you need to say we 'overprepared'."

Campbell said McCullum's words do not tally with director of men's cricket Rob Key calling for England to stop talking "rubbish" in interviews and post-match press conferences earlier this year, adding he cannot see how the New Zealander could defend his suggestion his side "trained too much" before the second Test.

However, former England bowler Sir James Anderson said he could see the reason behind McCullum's comments.

"I obviously know why that's wound people up, but I can see what he's saying," said Anderson, speaking on the Tailenders podcast.

He added that five days of practice before a Test that could last five days is "a lot", with each net session possibly lasting up to two hours.

"Especially the bowlers, you want them to be fresh going into a game in Brisbane where it's hot," said Anderson.

"You've got to find the balance of getting stuff right and also having enough breaks so your body's fresh and your mind is mentally ready to deal with five days of Test cricket."

Anderson said he felt McCullum mentioning England would look at their training methods was a sign he wants to "focus on quality rather than quantity".

He added: "It's got to be intense, it's got to be high energy, high quality. That's how teams improve, that's how players get better."

Image source, Getty Images

Former England batter and coach David Lloyd says the tourists should have selected Nottinghamshire opener Haseeb Hameed for the ongoing Ashes series.

England are 2-0 down in the five-match series after heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane.

Hameed, 28, made four half-centuries in 10 Tests but has not played for England since struggling in the 2021-22 Ashes, in which he was dropped for the fifth Test.

TV and radio pundit Lloyd told BBC Radio York that Hameed is "absolutely belting the door down" to get into England's Test team.

Nottinghamshire captain Hameed hit 1,258 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 66.21 in leading his side to the County Championship title this year. Only Surrey's Dom Sibley scored more runs in Division One.

"He is a far, far better player than when he was that young prodigy at Lancashire," added Lloyd. "He looks a Test match player."

Hameed made his Test debut aged 19 in India in 2016 and impressed in the first three Tests before having to return home because of a broken finger.

He subsequently struggled at Lancashire but revived his career by moving to Nottinghamshire in 2019 - making 15 of his 19 first-class centuries at Notts and earning an England recall in the 2021 home series against India.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have been England's preferred openers for most of the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era since 2022, scoring 2,564 runs together in 59 innings at an average of 44.2 - including four century stands.

However, they have put on only 53 runs together in the two Ashes defeats so far. Duckett has scored only 64 runs in the series, though Crawley came back from a pair in the first Test to make 76 and 44 in Brisbane.

"England have a plan of how they want to play and Crawley is in that plan," said Lloyd.

"In this last Test, Crawley has done OK but he hasn't got a hundred."

Image source, Getty Images

Former England seamer Sir James Anderson says England do not have the characters for verbal exchanges with their Australian counterparts.

Speaking on the Tailenders podcast, Anderson said Ben Stokes' side were not the type to engage in sledging with the opposition.

"You look at their slip cordon for example - Jamie Smith, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett. They're quiet kind of people, they don't want to get into a verbal battle with the batter," said Anderson.

"Same as the bowlers even - Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, they're generally quiet people. They're not that type of character.

"It's only towards the back end of the Test when we saw Jofra going at Steve Smith and Stokesy loves that sort of battle, but from being in that dressing room I know that Brendon McCullum isn't a massive fan of that side of the game.

"He just wants England to go out there and focus on the cricket and perform your skill as best you can."

Anderson also said captain Stokes requires more support from his senior players when England are in the field.

"It looked like Ben had a lot on his plate on the field, he was the one coming up with the ideas," said Anderson, who has previously worked as a bowling consultant with the England side after retiring from Test cricket in 2024.

"I didn't see many chats between Ben Stokes and Harry Brook, he's vice captain. You'd expect that little bit more," he added.

"Ollie Pope was vice-captain, I didn't see him going up to Ben.

"I saw a little bit of Jofra chatting to Stokes, but generally it was Ben on his own, that's how it looked from the outside."

Image source, Getty Images

Shoaib Bashir must play in the third Ashes Test because England cannot rely on part-time spin options in Adelaide, says Durham coach Ryan Campbell.

Off-spinner Bashir was left out by England for the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane as coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes put an emphasis on fast bowling.

Spin bowling all-rounder Will Jacks was brought in for the second Test and finished with 1-51 from 11.3 overs in Australia's first innings.

Jacks also strengthened England's batting and shared a defiant 96-run stand with Stokes for the seventh wicket in 36.4 overs – the tourists' longest partnership of the series.

Former Australia international Campbell said Jacks should bat in England's top order but predicted it will "rag on day four and five" in Adelaide so 22-year-old tweaker Bashir should also get the nod.

"Will Jacks cannot play as a spinner in Adelaide. You cannot go to Adelaide and not play a frontline spinner," Campbell told BBC Radio 5 Live's Ashes second Test review show.

"You have groomed a guy for three years so Bashir has to play in Adelaide. He's the guy who was supposed to be your guy in Australia.

"No matter what you've done, you have set your bed up that this is the kid who is going to win you games of cricket in Australia.

"So therefore where does Will Jacks fit? You want him in the team. He looked magnificent. So he's going to be one of your batters and Bashir comes in."

Bashir has taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests for England and the 6ft 4in spinner's high-release point has been highlighted as a potential asset in Australia.

However, he has only just returned from a broken finger suffered in the Lord's Test against India last summer.

Bashir returned figures of 0-115 across 25 overs as England Lions were thrashed by an innings and 127 runs by Australia A over the past few days.

He finished with 1-68 and 1-83 in an England intra-squad match at Lilac Hill before the opening Test in Perth last month.

Image source, West Australian

Australia's media have written off any possibility of an England comeback in the Ashes, with the West Australian proclaiming "Dismal England Ashes hopes over after six days".

England, who haven't won a men's Test in Australia since 2011, trail 2-0 after suffering back-to-back eight-wicket defeats and must win the final three Tests to retake the urn.

The Perth-based newspaper said Ben Stokes' side are "on the verge of an embarrassing Ashes disaster" while also labelling head coach Brendon McCullum's claim that England were "over-prepared" for the match as "bizarre".

The Daily Telegraph referenced the on-field tension between Australia captain Steve Smith and England bowler Jofra Archer, writing "Cop that, champion - Aussies two up as Smith fires back at Archer".

Meanwhile, the Courier-Mail says Bazball "died at the Gabba", splashing "Bazball in Ashes" across its front page.

The Brisbane paper also hailed the contribution of Queensland all-rounder Michael Neser, who registered his maiden Test five-wicket haul in England's second innings.

The "home wrecker" and "Gabba hero" has given Australia a "stranglehold" on the Ashes.

Image source, Getty Images

England's misery in Australia continued as the Lions were thrashed by an innings and 127 runs by Australia A on the final day of their four-day match in Brisbane.

Resuming on 274-6 and needing to reach 422 just to make the Australians bat again, the Lions lost their last four wickets for 21 runs on day four.

Asa Tribe, the only Lions batter to make a century on the tour after his day-three ton, finished 129 not out in their 295.

Jacob Bethell, playing for the Lions having been released from the Test squad, made 71 on day three as he found some form.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir returned figures of 0-115 across 25 overs in Australia A's 558.

Australia A picked a far more experienced XI for the encounter - their XI featured eight full internationals compared to a youthful England's four, Bashir, Bethell, Josh Hull and Matthew Fisher - but the heavy defeat only adds to England's difficult winter.

The Test team is 2-0 down in the Ashes series and few other players have pushed their case for selection for the Lions.

The Brisbane match concludes the development side's matches in Australia.

• Scorecard

Image source, Getty Images

Chief cricket reporter Stephan Shemilt painted a bleak picture of England's Ashes hopes following their eight-wicket defeat at the Gabba.

Now trailing 2-0 after losing by the same margin in the series opener in Perth, he wrote: "This is a team battling to avoid the worst England performance on an Ashes tour this century."

And it's fair to say BBC Sport readers have been similarly unimpressed in the comments section.

Numerous readers want to see changes at the top, with head coach Brendon McCullum, Rob Key, and Andrew Strauss under fire. Unhappy Voter called for a "massive culture change", stating the current leadership have instilled a mindset in the players where they "think they have done no wrong".

Mike91 labelled England "overrated" while Tiger Feet said "they're simply a shambles, nothing more, nothing less".

After singling out Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey for praise, Geoffrey added: "Every facet of Australia's game is better."

In response to captain Ben Stokes stating his dressing room is "not a place for weak men", Jontay5 believes England have the "wrong mindset". "Real strength is the ability to take accountability and confront fallibility," they wrote.

As for Andy, he expressed his sympathy for Joe Root, whose maiden Test century in Australia was one of the few bright moments for England with the bat.

"I feel sorry for Joe Root. One of the best batters this country has ever produced and he's stuck with a bunch of muppets that just want to hit out and play golf. This might be his last Ashes down under. Some ending if so!"

Image source, Getty Images

Coach Brendon McCullum said England had poor moments with bat, ball and in the field during the second Test but admitted they "bowled terribly" at the start of Australia's first innings.

England's wayward seamers allowed Australia to race to 77-0 in 13 overs in reply to the tourists' 334 and had to battle to limit the damage throughout the remainder of the second day.

"We were trying too hard was my assessment of it," McCullum told 7 Cricket.

"We had a reasonable score in the first innings and knew it was a pivotal moment in the game if we were able to strike.

"Sometimes if you do try too hard you mis-execute, tighten up and aren't able to apply pressure. We were honest with ourselves. We bowled terribly in that period.

"From that point on it was about trying to bring the game back to us."