A selection squeeze looms for Australia as they head to Adelaide looking to wrap up the Ashes series against England.

He’s skittled England’s teetering, tottering batsmen as if they’re assembled in white at the end of a tenpin bowling alley. When Australia has need to bat for 153 minutes or thereabouts to ensure Mitchell Starc can bowl under lights,

Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.

The most prolific batter in English history finally scored his first Test hundred in Australia to prove he is an Extraordinary Joe

Steve Smith dives to his left. ­Extends to full stretch. The ball nestles in his palm. Fingertips wrap around it. Not a millimetre or ­millisecond to spare. It’s the moment of brilliance that snuffs out England’s resistance and sends Australia cartwheeling towards victory in the second Ashes Test at the ’Gabba.

Australia moved within 32 runs of victory at the dinner break on day four of the second Ashes test in Brisbane on Sunday after home captain Steve Smith turned the game with a stunning slips catch to trigger an England batting collapse.

England suffered another blow as they slipped to an eight-wicket defeat in Brisbane to go 2-0 down in the 2025-26 Ashes. Despite some gritty individual performances, England are again on the verge of the losing the contest.