ENGLAND sunk to their inevitable defeat in the Second Test but at least Ben Stokes and Will Jacks made a fight of it.
And then Jofra Archer cranked up his pace in Australia’s brief second innings and swapped angry words with a fired-up Steve Smith.
Smith sealed Australia’s eight-wicket victory – and 2-0 series lead – by pumping a ball from Gus Atkinson into the crowd for six.
Stokes and Jacks compiled a seventh-wicket partnership of 96 from 36.4 overs to delay Australia’s victory until the final session of day four.
They were watchful, patient and showed plenty of resolve.
But it was frustrating, too, because the liaison between Stokes and Jacks put into perspective England’s batting in the rest of the match.
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All the idiotic shots of the previous day and in the first innings had made England’s task virtually impossible.
But let’s hope something good comes from the batting of Stokes and Jacks. England must learn some lessons and show more smartness in the remaining three Tests.
After all, the extreme optimists will say that the series is not over. England can still regain the Ashes by winning at Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Yeah, right!
Once Jacks was brilliantly caught by a diving Smith at slip, the end came quickly and the final four wickets fell in the space of just six overs.
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Gus Atkinson took two wickets before Australia swept to victory and Archer went beyond 150kmh. England’s fielders were buzzing around with plenty of energy.
Travis Head dragged on and Marnus Labuschagne could not get out of the way of a lifter.
Archer sent down several short balls to Smith, who responded with a flurry of boundaries and told him: “Bowling fast when there’s nothing on it.”
He was right, too. Why didn’t Archer and the rest bowl with such speed and fielders show such intensity when it mattered in the first innings?
England were still 43 runs behind when play resumed. But Stokes and Jacks put away the ambitious drives that have ruined England’s attempts at putting together decent totals so far in this series.
They were solid and attempted to attack only when the Aussie bowlers offered them something to hit.
At one point, Australia bowled two consecutive maidens for the first time in the series.
The two-hour opening session was negotiated and the seventh-wicket pair continued well into session two.
Stokes had a worrying moment when, on 34, an edge flew over Cameron Green in the gully and Jacks was technically dropped on 35 when he clipped to short leg.
The ball struck Head on the right thumb. It was a chance, but a mighty difficult one.
Jacks finally edged Michael Neser and Smith plunged low to his left and clung on to a cracking catch. Jacks departed for 41 and he can be pleased with the way he has shaped up in his first Test appearance for three years.
Stokes’ half-century took 148 balls and he did not add to his total before perishing to a superb catch – this time by wicketkeeper Alex Carey standing up to Neser.
England’s captain lobbed his bat in the air and was clearly furious and frustrated as he trudged back to the dressing-room. With his departure, any chance of a miracle disappeared.
Atkinson pulled a catch to mid-wicket – a very soft dismissal – and Brydon Carse guided to slip and Smith held his third catch in the space of a few minutes.
Neser, who was Australia’s sixth-choice seamer at the start of the series, finished with 5-42. All his wickets were taken with the ‘keeper standing up to his nibbly seamers.