The gloves are off, the dogs are unleashed, the battle is joined — or at least that is what England must hope. Third time around, there can be no more false dawns for an Ashes campaign that began with rare optimism and now teeters on the brink of disarray.
Is Bazball dead, or merely dormant? After a mid-tour breather in Noosa that looked anything but peaceful, and a pair of airport flare-ups that underlined how deeply the spotlight has pierced England’s once-protected bubble, the focus shifts to Adelaide. It represents one final chance for Ben Stokes’ side to embody the intent their mindset was supposedly built to deliver.
On paper, victory should not be beyond them. England still possess the most prolific opening partnership in Test cricket since 2019, the ICC’s No.1 and No.4-ranked Test batters, and a fast-bowling unit that — Mark Wood’s series-ending injury aside — has shown genuine menace in two of the four innings so far. The problem, of course, is that the other two innings were limp, passive, and ultimately decisive.
Stokes knows the Ashes are already slipping away. His raw irritation after the Brisbane defeat and his oddly muddled rallying cry ahead of this match spoke volumes. Urging his players to unleash their inner “dog”, Stokes appeared to realise mid-metaphor that one man’s XL Bully is another’s Bichon Frise.
Whatever fight England have in them, they need to find it fast. Australia do not offer mercy, especially at home. Already comfortably ahead, they are poised to field their strongest XI yet, with Pat Cummins returning from injury and Nathan Lyon restored, while early concerns about their reshuffled top order have been eased. And if Travis Head’s success as a makeshift opener has been troubling, his record at No.5 in Adelaide should be downright alarming.
England know they squandered golden opportunities in Perth and Brisbane, but there is no room left for regret. Since 2011, their touring sides have lost 15 and drawn two of 17 Tests in Australia. In six of their last seven Ashes campaigns here, they have arrived at the third Test 2–0 down and promptly handed over the urn with a third straight defeat.
Even when England have been competitive, sustaining momentum mid-tour has proved elusive. Remarkably, they have not won a third Test in Australia since January 1966 — a statistic that predates the one-day international and underlines the scale of the task.
These realities explain why England tore up convention for this campaign, arriving with uncluttered minds, simple methods and faith in vibes over plans. Losing another away Ashes would not, in itself, be shameful. What is worrying is how easily Bazball’s blueprints have unravelled at first contact, and how little evidence there is of a fallback strategy. Without a Plan B, collapse looks more likely than revival.
The exile of Shoaib Bashir is emblematic. For nearly two years, he was Stokes’ personal project — nurtured patiently in the belief he would bloom this winter. Whatever his raw potential, Bashir’s progress owed much to a captain who has now signalled he is finished with carrying passengers.
With legacies at stake, Stokes appears ready to lead from the front once more. That may stir memories of Headingley 2019, but it marks a sharp turn from a dressing-room culture built on collective responsibility. Now, it is survival of the fittest. And if England cannot rise, an Australian attack featuring Cummins, Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Cameron Green will gladly finish the job — again.
