Tuck into Daily Mail Sport’s Ashes Breakfast, keeping you up to date with all the nuggets you may have missed from the second Test in Brisbane.
The second Test began with a crazy opening four overs after England elected to bat after winning the toss. After Zak Crawley crunched a delivery off Mitchell Starc, the Australian bowler got his own back by dismissing Ben Duckett for a golden duck.
Starc then enticed Ollie Pope into an attempted cut, with the England batsman chopping onto his own stumps to leave England 5-2 in just the third over.
Joe Root and Crawley then survived scares of their own, with Steve Smith nearly catching the former after he edged a Starc delivery, before Michael Neser appealed that he had had the latter caught behind.
Crawley and Root then began to build an England fightback to the loss of the early two wickets.
Here, Oliver Holt brings you the latest from behind the scenes at the Gabba.
Crawley sports new look, before justifying selection
Under-pressure England opener Zak Crawley turned a few heads when he walked into the Gabba a couple of hours before play sporting a brand new buzzcut.
It’s unlikely to change the Courier Mail’s opinion of him: ‘The type of person you’d hire as a personal assistant because he’s really good at getting his ducks in a row.’
Crawley, though, achieved a small victory by not being one of the two England top order batsmen to fall for a duck in the first three overs. It was much to his credit that even under the intense pressure of coming into this Test after a pair in Perth, he played with his usual swashbuckling style.
He survived one difficult caught and bowled chance to Scott Boland but anchored England’s fightback with a 68-ball 50 before lunch. His innings was a reminder of just how beautifully he can play fast bowling. Many had called for Crawley to be dropped for this match but he has already justified his selection.
Starc burnishes his pink ball reputation
There were times in the opening session of the Second Test at the Gabba when this match felt like Mitchell Starc versus England.
While Australia’s other bowlers toiled, Starc burnished his record as the greatest pink-ball bowler of all-time with a stunning opening salvo that claimed the wickets of both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for a golden duck and a duck respectively.
Duckett’s wicket represented the 26th time Starc has claimed a victim in the first over of a Test match, seven clear of his closest rival, Daily Mail columnist Jimmy Anderson.
The wicket of Pope moved Starc level with Wasim Akram as the leading wicket-taker amongst left-arm pacers in Test history on 414.
Fortunately for England, the rest of Australia’s fast-bowling attack, still shorn of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, were not quite as potent.
Why the journey to the Gabba is among sport’s best
There are some wonderful ways to get to sporting venues across the world but the ride on the CityCat passenger ferry from downtown Brisbane to Mowbray Park, a ten-minute walk from the Gabba, is right up there.
The stroll from Putney Bridge along the Thames and through Bishops Park to Craven Cottage is up there, too. As is the stroll through Bute Park to Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
I used to love the walk through Queens Gardens to the WACA in Perth but the less said about Perth the better.
Courier Mail raise a smile with latest jibe
Brisbane’s Courier Mail newspaper can usually be relied upon for some pre-match sledging when the Gabba Test comes around.
The Courier Mail famously refused to mention Stuart Broad’s name or print his picture when England came here in 2013-14.
Their front page headline on Wednesday read, simply: ‘Pommy Idiots’. They were a little more restrained on Thursday morning but their pen picture of Travis Head was mildly amusing. ‘What’s the difference between Travball and Bazball?’ it read.
‘Travball is undefeated in Test cricket with nine wins and one draw from Head’s 10 Test centuries. Bazball is the moral victory you get when attempting Travball. Like a participation certificate.’
Eyes on The Gabba’s Olympic future
The Ashes are dominating the news cycle here in Queensland but they are not the only sports story in town.
The local TV news station devoted a decent segment of its breakfast bulletin on Thursday morning to early preparations for the 2032 Olympics, which are, apparently, going well.
The Gabba will stage some events six years hence and will be demolished once the Games are over.
Fans tuck in to English favourite
Aussie fans crowded into the bars and food stalls inside the Gabba early for some pre-match lunch.
An unscientific poll suggested the most popular food item was Panko Crumbed Whiting with Chips. Or Fish and Chips, to English eyes. Retailing at $15.65, or £7.75.
