Superstar Starc! English batting woes. Test 2, Day 3 Review!

Day 3 at the Gabba ends with Australia firmly in the driver’s seat, thanks to a resilient tail-end batting performance and a clinical display of traditional seam bowling. Hosts Steven O’Keefe and Moises Henriques dissect a day where Australia's "engine room" took over, leaving England facing a series-defining uphill battle.

The "Tail" that wagged

The morning belongs to the Australian tail, as the last four wickets add a staggering 180 runs. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland provide the highlight, frustrating the English attack with a 75-run partnership. Henriques is full of praise for Boland, who faced 70 balls to "dig in" and "grind" England down. "There's just no way the English tail would bat like that," Henriques notes, contrasting Australia’s disciplined approach with England’s high-risk "Bazball" tendencies. This late-order resistance not only pushed Australia into the lead but ensured they had a hard ball to use under the lights.

Seam bowling masterclass

Once the ball is in their hands, Australia’s bowlers show England how to adapt to Gabba conditions. Michael Neser and Scott Boland lead the way with "relentless" accuracy on the stumps. Neser, in particular, has a bizarrely productive spell, claiming two caught-and-bowled's. O’Keefe highlights that while England wants to drive everything, Neser and Boland are "always putting pressure on your forward defense." He praises the "workmanship" of the duo, who stepped up in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

Superstar Starc

Mitchell Starc continues his incredible form, proving why he is world-class even at age 35. After batting for three and a half hours, Starc charges in to clock speeds of 145 km/h, eventually claiming the massive wicket of Joe Root. Henriques compares Starc’s longevity and physical preparation to Jofra Archer’s, noting that Starc seems to get faster as the day progresses while Archer’s intensity tends to "tail off." O’Keefe points out that Starc now has 418 Test wickets, moving past Wasim Akram: "This guy takes wickets for fun."

England’s "Answer C" mentality

The hosts are critical of England’s inability to adapt their game plan. "England are answering 'C' to every question. It’s the same answer to every question, and it’s not working," O’Keefe remarks. He notes that while Australia changes their plans from innings to innings, England’s batters continue to "drive on the up" and fall into the same traps. Henriques observes that even the world’s best players, like Steve Smith, are constantly tweaking their technique and looking for a "1% edge" (like Smith’s black eye stickers), a level of adaptability he feels is missing from the current English side.

A "Series-Defining" Day 4

England heads into Day 4 with a lead of 43 and four wickets in hand. Ben Stokes, who battled through cramps to lead the bowling effort, remains at the crease alongside Will Jacks. O’Keefe believes England needs at least 150+ to be in the game, but he is skeptical they can survive Australia’s disciplined attack. "This is serious-defining for them," O’Keefe says, warning that a 2-0 deficit would be nearly impossible to overcome, especially with Australian reinforcements like Cummins likely returning for the third Test.

Watch the full episode on Fanatics TV.