The fact that England captain Ben Stokes had to deal with offspin from both Shoaib Bashir and Will Jacks was one of the more striking scenes in the nets, suggesting that the last slot in the starting lineup is still up for grabs. The tourists are confident that Mark Wood will be able to play in Adelaide despite being sidelined as England tends to his severely strapped left knee. It is anticipated that the remaining 10 players from the first Test would be kept.
On Thursday, December 4, Australia and England will play their second Ashes Test at the Gabba. Intensity has increased on and off the pitch as the match day draws near, and officials are keeping a careful eye on the net sessions to gauge how players are handling the pink Kookaburra ball.
If England decide to duplicate their all-pace attack from Perth, Josh Tongue seems to be the easiest replacement. As they try to even the series after falling behind 1-0, the visitors are thought to be leaning towards introducing a spinner, especially as it is anticipated that the pink Kookaburra will soften before the red ball.
Jacks and Bashir have come to this Ashes campaign via quite different routes. Since his unexpected call-up for the India tour at the beginning of 2024, Bashir has become Stokes’ go-to spinner, taking 68 wickets in 19 Test matches. The first traditional offspinner Stokes chose was Jacks, an all-rounder who made his debut in Pakistan in late 2022, taking 6 for 161 in Rawalpindi before batting at No. 3 in Multan to give Ollie Pope more rest after keeping.
Jacks seemed to have the advantage during Monday’s practice before moving to bat, but Bashir is reportedly the front-runner for selection.
In Australia, visiting spinners have historically had trouble with the pink ball, taking just 28 wickets at an average of 64.03. Joe Root is tied for second place on that list with Yasir Shah after taking three wickets in the Adelaide day-night Test during the 2021–2022 tour, while Dawid Malan is tied for fourth place with two wickets from the same game. Ravichandran Ashwin is at the top with six wickets at 20.66. Nathan Lyon’s impressive day-night home record of 43 wickets at 25.62 in 13 Test matches may perhaps give England hope.
We’ve had a look at some of the pink-ball games that have been played in Australia over the last four or five years, and we’ve talked to the players who have played some of them. It does appear to do a little bit more on an evening, particularly if you have a somewhat newer ball, which we’ll undoubtedly take into account during the game. It will be thrilling. I anticipate a sizable and angry audience. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Carse stated, “The guys are really looking forward to it.”
“I think their new-ball bowling is really impressive when you look back at a few clips of earlier matches played in Australia. Whether it’s specific lines we’ll be bowling or perhaps bowling a little fuller to allow it swing, I think it’s going to be crucial that they attack early. They’ve used a pink ball to play some excellent cricket. Therefore, I would like to state that we have examined some of their work from past years,” he continued.
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