Four Overs of Chaos: Second Test Begins With More Ashes Drama
Ashes Drama Returns in Four Overs of Chaos
Different day, different Test, different city and a whole new ground — yet somehow it felt like déjà vu. The Ashes had barely caught its breath after England were swept aside inside two days in Perth, and already the second Test in Brisbane erupted into pure, high-voltage chaos. If the Ashes ever needed a reputation for drama, these opening four overs did the job.
This was a day-night Test under the Gabba lights, but the fireworks arrived long before sunset. Even the toss offered a twist, with Australia confirming the omission of veteran spinner Nathan Lyon — a tactical decision that hinted at confidence in their seam attack and the pink ball. But nothing about the next 20 minutes suggested calm, measured Test cricket. What followed was a short, frantic burst of wickets, near misses and missed opportunities that set social media alight and left both dressing rooms gasping for air.
Mitchell Starc, the left-arm menace who terrorised England in Perth, didn’t need long to start bending this Test to his will. Within six balls, Ben Duckett was gone. Within 15 deliveries, Ollie Pope had joined him. Joe Root survived only thanks to a dropped catch off the same bowler, and Zak Crawley might have edged behind to Michael Neser — the only person convinced being Neser himself.
In little more than four overs, England’s series felt like it was back in the blender.
Ashes Drama: Ball-by-Ball Chaos in Brisbane
The numbers tell the story, but the emotion lives in the details. Here’s how those extraordinary first overs unfolded.
0.4 overs – England 4-0
Zak Crawley, twice dismissed for a duck by Starc in the first Test, was greeted by the same arcing inswinger. But this time, his bat came through cleanly. A crunching cover drive pierced the off side — a shot straight from Edgbaston in 2023, when Crawley lashed Pat Cummins to the rope first ball of the series. It was a statement. A moment of defiance. The relief was visible.
0.6 overs – England 5-1
Then, like clockwork, Starc struck. Duckett faced just one delivery — a full, swinging ball that begged a stroke — and sent a thick edge to first slip. Gone for a duck. Again. Incredibly, this marked the first time England’s opening pair produced three ducks between them in the first two Tests of an Ashes series. Those are the kinds of numbers that turn pressure into panic.
2.3 overs – England 5-2
If Duckett’s dismissal was pressure batting, Pope’s was poor judgement. Just his third ball, a wide cut shot to a delivery begging to be left alone, saw him chop onto his stumps. The pink ball had already shown hints of steep bounce, but Pope flashed anyway. It was a stroke that felt like a hangover from Perth — panic disguised as aggression.
2.6 overs – England 11-2
Joe Root arrived knowing that, once again, the innings hung on his presence. The great players find calm in chaos, but even Root was rattled. Starc found his edge immediately. The ball flew toward the slips. Marnus Labuschagne watched it drop short. Steve Smith, from second slip, launched across him, fingertips brushing leather as it skipped to the rope. Four runs. A heartbeat away from disaster.
It would have been one of the catches of the series — the kind of moment that ends a Test before it has even started. Instead, it became Root’s first scoring shot.
3.5 overs – England 21-2
Then came the moment nobody appealed strongly enough for. Michael Neser — drafted in specifically for his pink-ball record — rapped Crawley’s edge on the way through to the keeper. Neser turned, hopeful. A couple of teammates shrugged. No review. Replays later showed a faint scratch, though hardly conclusive enough for the TV umpire to overturn. It might not have been out, but it looked close enough for Australian fans to groan.
England survived that opening burst without further loss, staggering through Starc’s first five overs like a boxer held together by the ropes. But the damage was done — not just in runs, but in tension.
Ashes Drama and the Legend of Mitchell Starc
Before the Test was an hour old, Starc had claimed his 12th wicket of the series. The comparison to Mitchell Johnson’s 2013-14 carnage was already being whispered around the commentary box. Former England spinner Phil Tufnell summed it up with classic levity on Test Match Special:
“Mitchell Starc is one of those bowlers where, when I sit eating breakfast next to him, I’m nervous — and he looks like he’s on holiday. You can tell who’s world-class by how they eat breakfast. I bet he’s calm.”
The statistics behind the chaos only underline his influence. At 35, Starc has now joined Wasim Akram on 414 Test wickets — the most by any left-arm pace bowler in history. This is not just form. It’s legacy.
His wicket of Duckett marked the 26th time Starc has removed a batter in the first over of an innings. Three of those have come in this series alone. With the pink ball, his dominance is absurd: 83 wickets from 15 day-night Tests — 40 ahead of Pat Cummins in second place.
That kind of record doesn’t just win matches — it terrifies teams before a ball is bowled.
Ashes Drama Continues — And the Test Has Only Just Started
The Ashes 2025-26: Mitchell Starc induces four overs of chaos at start of second Test
For all the early carnage, England eventually settled into the day. Starc’s first spell faded, the pitch softened under lights, and the game took on a more familiar rhythm. But the message from those opening overs was clear: this series is being played on a razor’s edge, and momentum can flip in the space of a single delivery.
The scars of Perth remain fresh, and the volatility of pink-ball cricket only sharpens the edges. England know that every mistake against this Australian attack feels amplified. Australia know that when Starc gets the ball in his hand, even the best laid plans can dissolve into panic.
The Ashes was born for drama — and Brisbane gave us four overs of it before anyone even had time to settle into their seat.
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