The Ashes: England plan extra training in Brisbane before second Australia Test

Three players from the Ashes squad who did not play in the first Test – Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue – were included in the Canberra match.

Part of England’s reasoning for not sending the first Test XI to the capital is the difference in conditions between Canberra and Brisbane.

The pitch at Manuka Oval is likely to be slow and low, unlike the pace and bounce of the Gabba. On Thursday, the day after England arrived in Brisbane, temperatures in the city were expected to reach 36 degrees, compared to 24 degrees in Canberra.

Trailing 1-0, England must avoid defeat in Brisbane to retain hope of winning the Ashes for the first time since 2015. They haven’t won a Test at the Gabba since 1986.

Australia’s only defeat in the day-night test – a stunning eight-run victory for the West Indies – came in Brisbane in January 2024.

The home team is expected to confirm its squad for the second test before the weekend.

Skipper Pat Cummins was able to return after missing the first Test as part of his recovery from a back injury. He was bowling with a pink ball in Sydney.

Fellow bowler Josh Hazlewood has also been bowling in training but is not expected to return to Brisbane.

If Cummins comes back, he will take the captaincy from Steve Smith and give the home side the option to attack at full pace in place of offspinner Nathan Lyon. If Lyon stays in the team, the decision will be between Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett.

Australia also need to call on Usman Khawaja, who suffered a back spasm in Perth and was unable to open the batting. Travis Head replaced Khawaja in the second innings and powered Australia to victory by knocking down one of the best Ashes hundreds of all time.

Khawaja’s exclusion will open the door to Josh Inglis, who was a reserve batsman in the squad in the first Test and made a century in the Cricket Australia XI against the England Lions on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Perth venue, where the first Test was played, was rated “very good” by the International Cricket Council.

A very good pitch is defined as having “good carry, limited seam movement and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and pitchers.”

The Perth Test was the first two-day Ashes match in 104 years.