Ashes 2025-26: England produce another wretched bowling day against Australia in Sydney

We have been here before over the past six weeks.

England’s pace bowling attack was supposed to provide new hope of winning in Australia. Luke Skywalker would have been better at holding a line and length.

In Perth and Brisbane, England’s philanthropy allowed Australia to reach 100 in 16.3 overs and then 17.2 overs – both in the top five for quickest they have reached three figures in 140 years of Ashes Tests.

This effort – 100-1 in 20.3 overs – was not far behind.

Again, England’s length was the obvious failing.

Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts set the tone with a wayward first six overs which included seven fours – all of them to cuts and pulls.

Potts and Carse bowled 47% of their deliveries shorter than 8m in the first six overs, compared to 19% by Australia across the same period on day one.

Potts, playing his first match of the series, ended the day with 0-58 from seven overs. Carse, as he has throughout the series, has been hit at more than four runs per over though Jake Weatherald was dropped off his bowling.

Stokes pinned Weatherald lbw in the 13th over and he and Josh Tongue brought brief control but Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne were still able to combine for 105 runs in 113 balls for the second wicket.

Australia have scored a boundary every 13.4 balls in this series, already below the recent global average of one every 15.1 balls.

Across this innings, Australia have hit the ball to the rope once every 7.2 deliveries.

“It can’t be planning,” said Tufnell. “I think now it is coming down to ability. I don’t know whether they have got it.

“I don’t understand why professional bowlers can’t run up and try to hit the top of off stump six out of six. You’re the best we’ve got.

“They haven’t been able to string any sort of pressure [together]. Put the sheet of A4 down and hit that. They have been all over the place. I can’t believe it.”