It ain't half hot mum

PL pays witness to one of England's worse days in these parts

These are tough times for the English, those playing cricket, and those fan and family groups you see wandering the streets of Brisbane in the morning, having made the long journey down here in the expectation that this cricket team might be the one that reverses the fortunes of all those outfits who’ve travelled here in the last 15 years.

Australia, for all its sun, sand and beaches, can be a hostile place. There are spiders and flies and snakes and the snide contempt for The Pom that resides among the local louts.

And then there’s the cricket. In the past 24 hours, England teams have conceded over 1000 runs to Australian batsmen at the Gabba and in the A game at Allan Border Field.

At the close of play in the second Test, England are in a worse place than just about any of their forebears.

An attempt to break the speed of cricket is going about as badly for Ben Stokes’ side as Donald Campbell’s in Bluebird almost half a century before.

When stumps were drawn, the visitors were 6-134 and tumbling out of control. Ben Stokes (4no) and Will Jacks (4no) must add another 43 runs to avoid an innings victory – and considerably more to give themselves any chance of not going down two-nil in a series that is entering its sixth day.

Hope springs eternal, and if any mob could turn this one around it is these Bazballers. The wicket is keeping low, and even a modest last innings chase could be difficult, so let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Where there’s Stokes there’s hopes.

But still.