South Aussies rule Adelaide … but it’s not easy being Green – Beragampengetahuan
After just 11 days of cricket, Australia have retained the Ashes for the fifth consecutive series – but it wasn’t without a serious fight from England.
In an incomplete performance from the hosts, it was hometown heroes Alex Carey and Travis Head who proved match-winners-in-chief, the former rescuing the team from a horror start with a Day 1 century, and the latter preventing any second-innings jitters with a spectacular 170 to continue his love affair with the Adelaide Oval.
With Pat Cummins leading from the front with six wickets on a superb return to Test cricket, and Marnus Labuschagne seamlessly filling in for Steve Smith in the slips cordon with a pair of sensational catches, Australia’s batting, bowling and fielding were a cut above the tourists, even if they were made to work right to the final moment to secure an 82-run win.
For England, Jofra Archer’s five-for and maiden Test half-century was the standout performance, while Ben Stokes fought tooth and nail to keep his side in the match.
Here are beragampengetahuan’s player ratings for the second Ashes Test.
Contents
Australia
Travis Head – 9
All hail Trav.
For the fourth straight summer, Head made his return to Adelaide one to remember, with the hometown hero crunching a spectacular near-chanceless century on Days 3 and 4 to officially bat England out of the series after nervy Australian start.
This was a different innings to his match-winning 69-ball ton in Perth: more watchful and less streaky, the 31-year old dished out death by a thousand cuts (literally) as he dispatched the plentiful short and wide offerings from England’s seamers with ruthless efficiency.
Has made the opening spot his own for as long as he wants it – has there ever been a more popular man in South Australia?
Jake Weatherald – 3
Didn’t build on from his impressive second Test in Brisbane, throwing away a strong start with a failed pull shot on Day 1 and mustering only a single run in the second innings.
That he chose not to review his LBW on Day 3 that replays showed was pitching comfortably outside leg indicated a man not quite assured of his place in the team just yet – and averaging 26.2 for the summer so far, Weatherald probably needs a big score or two in Melbourne and Sydney to bed down his spot.
Marnus Labuschagne – 5
Australia came out of the third Test with only two problems to consider for the rest of the series; while Labuschagne is comfortably the lesser of the two, Adelaide presented a worrying regression for the No.3.
Labuschagne played two innings symbolic of the two-year form slump that got him dropped for the West Indies tour – struggling for fluency and with minimal intent to score, especially second time around, the nervous prod that saw him gift a catch to slip on Day 3 has become a typical dismissal for the Queenslander of late.
Gets bonus marks, though, for his continued exceptional fielding – having replaced Usman Khawaja at first slip in Brisbane, he filled in at second for Steve Smith here, removing Ollie Pope on Day 4 with a one-handed screamer reminiscent of Smith’s extroardinary grab at the Gabba … and then one-upping himself with another, even better blinder to end Will Jacks’ resistance on the final day.
Usman Khawaja – 8.5
Less than a week after Khawaja’s Test career appeared done after being left out of the XI for Adelaide, the veteran has, at the very least, given Australia’s selectors something to think about.
Played his role perfectly as an eleventh-hour replacement for Steve Smith at No.4, and while his Day 1 82 was overshadowed by Alex Carey’s century, the 39-year old’s measured 82 rescued the Aussies from disaster at 4/94, even if he was lucky to survive being dropped in single figures.
Will be filthy, though, at not completely cashing in with two poor dismissals when well set – holing out off Will Jacks’ unthreatening off-spin on Day 1, then edging a half-tracker behind on Day 3 to somehow get out to him twice.
Cameron Green – 2
Long hailed as the next big thing in Australian cricket, Cameron Green has a big problem.
In the best batting conditions of the summer, and in Australia for some time, the all-rounder managed just seven runs combined in two innings – and of the nine balls he faced for the Test, he scarcely looked comfortable once.
Has looked more confident with the ball with every passing match, but 21 overs for the match (and only one wicket) and 37 for the series to date is far from enough to justify his place without runs.
Calls for the 26-year old’s axing have never been louder – do the selectors give him two dead-rubber Tests to find some form ahead of 2026’s overseas matches, where he has always looked more comfortable with the bat?
Alex Carey (wk) – 9.5
If Mitchell Starc is the player of the series to date, Carey can’t be far behind.
Ensured Australia didn’t post a below-par score in the first innings with a chanceless century, his third in Test cricket and first at the Adelaide Oval, as the local hero paid tribute to his late father Gordon in the most perfect fashion.
Nearly as good was his 72 in the second innings in partnership with fellow local lad Head to bat the Aussies to safety – the two South Australians’ crowd-pleasing 162-run stand is surely as enjoyable as cricket gets for both of them.
And if that wasn’t enough, Carey was again nearly flawless with the gloves, taking another catch up to the stumps off Scott Boland and smartly stumping Zak Crawley late on Day 4 as part of seven dismissals for the match. Brad Haddin’s record of 29 dismissals in the 2013 Ashes series is well within reach.
Josh Inglis – 3.5
With Khawaja making runs on Test return, Inglis surely needed to post a score to have any chance of retaining his spot for the Boxing Day Test, and failed to do so.
Batting at No.7, his role is clearly to be aggressive and proactive, but looseness contributed to both his dismissals, while the short-ball working over Josh Tongue provided on Day 1 that led to him chopping on is one of the few times this series an England plan has worked.
Pat Cummins (c) – 8.5
Having not bowled in a competitive match since July, Cummins jumped straight back into Test cricket and didn’t miss a beat.
Four of his six wickets for the Test were textbook fast bowler scalps – challenging the off stump and the outside edge, Zak Crawley, Jamie Smith and Joe Root (twice) feathered edges behind to Carey off balls that did just enough on a beautiful batting surface.
However, his captaincy was at times jittery on Day 5 as England refused to yield, while he’ll be further tested, as he was in the 2023 Ashes, by Lyon’s likely absence from the remainder of the series.
Mitchell Starc – 6
After being the dominant force of the first two Tests of the series, the left-armer returned to the mortal realm in Adelaide, though still had an influence on proceedings.
A freewheeling half-century in the first innings – his second of the series – helped Australia add 100 crucial runs for the last three wickets, and while he only took one scalp in England’s first dig, it was a cracker: Stokes done all ends up by late swing.
Rose again at the time of need with three of Australia’s four final-day wickets to boost his figures – even if two of them, Smith and Jofra Archer, were gifts.
Nathan Lyon – 8.5
Alongside Head and Carey, Lyon’s difference in class to Will Jacks as a spinner was the biggest reason for Australia’s victory in Adelaide.
After just two overs in Perth and being dropped in Brisbane, returned in style with two wickets in his first over on Day 2 to rip through England’s top order, his beauty to bowl Ben Duckett probably the ball of the series to date – and a fitting way to move into second place on Australia’s all-time wicket-taking leaderboard.
Turned the match again just when the tourists seemed on top on Day 4 with three wickets in as many overs, all serious scalps: Harry Brook lulled into a faulty reverse-sweep, Stokes succumbing to another cracker to a left-hander, and Zak Crawley smartly stumped.
His likely absence for the final two Tests of the series with a hamstring injury looks certain to be keenly felt.
Scott Boland – 7.5
Boland’s second innings figures of 1/35 from almost 18 overs are a classic case of raw numbers not doing a player justice.
Was all over England like a rash from start to finish in Adelaide, with his metronomic accuracy and subtle seam movement giving nothing away and forcing the tourists to work for every run.
Thoroughly deserved three lower-order wickets first time around, while he fittingly took the final scalp to secure the Ashes for Australia.
On to Melbourne, where he will get a similar reception to what Carey and Head enjoyed in Adelaide.
England
Zak Crawley – 7
After starting the series with a pair in Perth, the much-maligned opener has arguably been England’s best batter since.
Copped a Cummins peach in the first innings, but looked as comfortable as any of the tourists with the bat all series on Day 4, with his punchy 85, showing more discipline and good judgement than usual and at a much slower pace, briefly making a monumental run chase look possible.
Gets a bonus mark for his safe hands amid yet more England drops in Adelaide, with his screamer at cover point to send Head packing on Day 1 perhaps only behind Smith’s one-hander in Brisbane as the catch of the summer.
Ben Duckett – 3
Nothing exemplifies England’s latest horror tour down under than arguably the world’s best opener in recent times being rendered a complete non-factor by Australia’s bowlers.
The Adelaide Test was a microcosm of his Ashes nightmare: looked beautiful in England’s first innings before copping the ball of the Test, a wicked turner from Lyon that spun past his forward defence and into off stump; then had no excuses on Day 4 with a lazy waft second ball to hand slip catching practice.
Having averaged 46 since his Test return three years ago, Duckett has 97 runs this series at 16 – fewer than Jofra Archer.
Ollie Pope – 2
The most under-pressure member of England’s touring squad, Pope’s position in the team is now all but untenable.
It’s hard to decide which dismissal was worse: flicking Lyon to mid-wicket third ball for 3 at a crucial time on Day 2, or aimlessly pushing at Cummins outside off in the second innings after possibly the worst 17 ever made in Test cricket.
Started the series in Perth as England’s most fluent-looking batter; now, if he plays in Melbourne or Sydney, it would come as a shock.
Joe Root – 4
Before Root goes to sleep at night, he probably checks under the covers for Pat Cummins.
The Australian captain again tormented England’s premier batter, twice removing him after strong starts with perfect fast bowling to catch the outside edge on a pristine batting surface.
Root has now fallen to Cummins 13 times in Test cricket. Unlucky indeed.
Harry Brook – 5
In conditions as close to the flat tracks of England on which he has made his name as this tour has thus far provided, Brook couldn’t cash in.
The young star didn’t do much wrong in feathering behind off Green for 45 in the first innings, but you couldn’t say that about his second innings downfall: having made 30, with England 3/177 and giving their run chase a fair shake, he chose to reverse-sweep Lyon and be comprehensively bowled in doing so.
Oh dear.
Ben Stokes (c) – 6
On one hand, England’s captain did all he could to reduce their first innings deficit and keep them in the match, his defiant 83 the second-slowest half-century of his career.
On the other, Adelaide might have been a low point for Stokes as skipper – routinely letting the game drift and giving far too many overs to Will Jacks’ spin, he appeared to also be losing patience with his bowlers, if a fiery conversation with Jofra Archer on Day 2 is any indication.
Fatigue appears to also be setting in after not bowling throughout Head and Carey’s match-sealing Day 3 partnership – not a good sign ahead of back-to-back Tests ahead.
Jamie Smith (wk) – 6
Far from the nightmare Brisbane was for the young wicketkeeper, Smith looked assured in both innings in Adelaide, enough to suggest he’s still a key part of England’s future.
Fell amid Snicko drama on Day 2 when given out caught behind despite an apparent gap between bat and ball, but only had himself to blame for his second innings dismissal: on 60, with Australia’s attack appearing out of answers,he gifted his wicket with the most reckless shot of the series so far.
Kept reasonably without being spectacular.
Will Jacks – 6
There is no future for Jacks in Test cricket as a spinner – but there might be as a batter.
Despite three wickets for the match, was all over the shop with the ball, the nadir a horrific over to start the post-lunch period on Day 3 that leaked 12 runs with long hops, half-volleys and everything in between.
His defiant Day 5 47, though, continued his strong rearguard effort in Brisbane, and suggests he has the technique – and more importantly, the temperament – to succeed as a top-six batter at the highest level.
It would be a surprise if he wasn’t in Pope’s spot at No.3 for Boxing Day.
Brydon Carse – 5
Continues to take wickets – with 14 for the series, only Starc has more – but in between them is frequently unforgivably loose.
Regular short, wide offerings were manna from heaven for Head in particular, and prevented Stokes from being able to exert any pressure whatsoever.
Improved his figures with two tailend wickets when Australia were searching for quick runs on Day 4, while he finally came to the party with the bat with an unbeaten 39 during England’s Day 5 resistance – but no one would be surprised to see him left out on Boxing Day.
Jofra Archer – 9
England’s best player in Adelaide by a considerable distance.
Save for a wretched start to Day 2, bowled superbly throughout on a flat track, and richly deserved his first innings five-for having challenged Australia’s top order more than anyone else.
Was down on pace if still economical in the second innings, but could hardly be blamed after his maiden Test half-century helped add 106 with Stokes and keep England in the hunt.
Josh Tongue – 6
Took out four of Australia’s top seven in the second innings to show plenty of ticker after being recalled to the XI in Adelaide – even if he was guilty, as Carse was, of frequent poor deliveries.
Challenged the outside edge and at good pace on a regular basis. At 28, he seems a more promising long-term prospect than Carse or Gus Atkinson.
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