Follow UsEngland were way ahead of Australia in the first Test in Perth for the longest time, but then collapsed dramatically. The visitors were running away with the clash, with a 100+ run lead just after lunch on day two, but from thereon, they suffered a terrible collapse, setting Australia a target of 205.
While Ben Stokes and co would have hoped to make early inroads during the Australian run chase, their bowlers were second best to Travis Head, as the make-shift opener smashed the second-fastest Ashes century, with a 83-ball 123 blowing England away.
However, the biggest worry for them wasn’t their bowling but their batting, as there were two big collapses – 5/12 and 6/39 – leading to their blowout loss in Perth. Despite those collapses, England’s best XI will not be part of the upcoming two-day pink-ball practice clash against the Prime Minister’s XI, starting on November 29.
Earlier in the week, former England captain Michael Vaughan had slammed the English players, stating that it would be ‘amateurish’ if they didn’t go out and get a hit ahead of the pink-ball Test at the Gabba.
"Whether they like it or not, all these conversations are going to come back to England. It's amateurish if England don't go out and practise between now and then. What harm is it playing two days of cricket with the pink ball under lights?” Vaughan was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"I can't be so old school to suggest that by playing cricket, they might get a little bit better? My method would be, you've got a pink-ball two-day game, you go and grab it, go and take it, play those two days and give yourself the best chance,” he added.
With England trailing 0-1 in the series, the second Test at the Gabba could go a long way in turning their recent fortunes in Australia around.