England slipped to a dispiriting eight-wicket defeat in the second NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes Test to leave them with it all to do in the remainder of the series, but there was at least a late and engrossing show of defiance from Jofra Archer as the fast bowler reignited his old feud with Steve Smith.
Eyeball to eyeball, as Archer tried to channel the spirit of his Lord’s 2019 spell to the Aussie batter, the pair squared up at the crease as the England fast man looked to take the scalp of the stand-in Australia captain.
Gus Atkinson had removed both Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, but Smith and Jake Weatherald steadied the ship to ensure the hosts reached a measly target of 65 in the second innings to preserve their impressive record at the Gabba.
Speaking at dinner, ahead of the final session, TNT Sports’ Matt Prior reflected on Archer belatedly finding his rhythm with the ball in hand after a punishing few days which culminated in him recording just one wicket at the expense of 115 runs.
In a precursor to what followed, Prior said: “The Gabba is alive, amazing and a phenomenal end to that session. So much excitement, Jofra Archer bowling 93 miles an hour consistently. England buzzing around, the fielders, the intensity.
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“But the question has to be asked, where was it in the first innings? Why are they doing it now? That actually just winds me up. You need that on day one. You need that on day two, when it’s a hot day.
“Ten minutes to the break, and then you come charging out. Archer’s just shown us what he can do. Do that, but do it for seven hours.”
Judging by what followed, you imagine Smith shared the same sentiment.
With Archer resuming his bid to leave a mark on his old foe, the tantalising bit of needle which followed is precisely what was needed to ignite England, even if Smith rose to the occasion, meeting fire with fire.
‘That winds me up’ – Prior blasts England as Archer bowls 93mph with Test all-but over
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England had clearly been instructed by Ben Stokes to bring an intensity and to create an atmosphere in the field that had been missing in the first innings.
As Smith attacked, Archer was only too happy to take on board that message with a searing spell, as the England quick was heard to say to Smith: “You only play those shots when there’s not much on the score, mate.”
Smith was then himself heard on the stump mic, responding: “Bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion.”
Smith: It was good banter
England needed something to galvanise them, but the problem is that Smith only thrives in these situations. After exchanging insults between the wickets, the Australian captain hit the England bowler for back-to-back boundaries.
As the contest reached its climax, Smith emphatically hit a six to put the game to bed – scoring 23 runs off nine balls to punish the tourists.
Stokes knows England must show similar aggression from ball one in Adelaide. There needs to be more control with the bat and more concentration in the field. They must use this as motivation to bounce back, but Smith once again showed his own leadership qualities and temperament.
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On the words exchanged with Archer, Smith told TNT Sports: “That stays on the field. It was good banter. He’s a good competitor and comes hard at you, so it was good fun.
“It just felt right to play a few shots. He was obviously bowling quick, and I thought I’d hit a few up and try to get hold of a couple. I tried to finish it quickly. There’s a bit of a storm coming around, so I wanted to get it done by playing a few shots. High percentage with the short boundary behind me, so I wanted to take it on.
“I thought the boys played exceptionally well. Our first innings batting, the tail was unbelievable. The bottom four batted for 53 overs or something like that, which allowed us to get into the dark last night, and taking six wickets got us in front of the game. Will Jacks and Ben Stokes had a good partnership today, and you never know what would happen if Stokesy is still at the crease.”
England ‘a great team when ahead, not when game is on the line’ – Stokes
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Archer and Smith famously clashed at Lord’s in 2019, when Smith stoically faced Archer’s express pace, absorbing several blows to the hands and arms before eventually being struck on the helmet by a ferocious bouncer.
The topic resurfaced during Smith’s latest press conference.
“He was just bowling good pace, not really too sure what he said, not really sure what I said, and I’m not sure it’s any of your business either,” Smith laughed.
Stokes: We didn’t stand up to pressure
Winning personal battles will be key if England are to wrestle back a foothold in this series, and having Archer fired up isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
In truth, it was all Brendon McCullum could cling to as he was left to reflect on another comprehensive setback.
England were ‘not able to stand up to pressure’ of Ashes Test – Stokes
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England displayed improved discipline with the bat on day four of this pink-ball Test, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a second heavy defeat on the tour, coming on the heels of their two-day loss in the opening Test in Perth.
Once Ben Stokes and Will Jacks’ resistance was ended following a 96-run seventh wicket stand, England lost their final four wickets for 17 runs to be all out for 241.
“It’s very disappointing,” Stokes told TNT Sports. “I think a lot of it to me comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game, this format, when the game is on the line.
“In small passages we have been able to bring the game back into some kind of control and then let it slip away. It is very disappointing, in particular because of the ability of the players we have in that dressing room. We need to think a bit harder and deeper about those moments and show a little more fight when it is needed.
“If I could have put my finger on it I would be able to tell you. It is not a skill thing.
“It is not down to skill. You have got to dig a bit deeper and find out what the thing is that we seem to keep doing in the big moments of the game. We will be having some conversations that I will be keeping in the dressing room.”
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