Follow UsIt was yet another gritty performance with the bat by England captain Ben Stokes. He had to come good for England if they were to get something out of this match after going down within two days in the first Test in Perth.
England's backs were against the wall in the second Test in Brisbane when Stokes walked in. But he found an able ally in Will Jacks, with whom he put on 96 for the seventh wicket, which helped their side take a slender lead.
Stokes got to his fifty off 148 deliveries on Day 4 in Brisbane, which is his second-slowest of his Test career, and the slowest under head coach Brendon McCullum.
152 balls vs Australia, Leeds, 2019
148 balls vs Australia, Brisbane, 2025
147 balls vs India, Nottingham, 2018
128 balls vs New Zealand, Auckland, 2018
Stokes was eventually dismissed for 50 off 152 balls, striking just four boundaries. After his partnership with Jacks was broken, England managed just 17 more runs before getting bowled out for 241.
As a result, Australia need just 65 runs to win the match and go 2-0 up in the five-match Ashes series.