The Ashes Daily: Nas, Ath and Broad react to England's defeat in the second Test, to go 2-0 down in the Ashes

·43 min·2 clips

The episode opens with England’s second-Test defeat and the blunt reality of going 2-0 down. The mood is flat rather than dramatic. The panel says Australia now have one hand on the Ashes after only six days of competitive cricket. They point out how rare a comeback from 2-0 down is in a five-match series, and how that history hangs over the discussion. The match is treated as more than one bad scoreline. Australia are not framed as a vintage side, but as a team that looks capable of playing tougher cricket for longer, or more disciplined cricket for longer, than England. That gap matters. Attention then shifts to the small positives for England. Ben Stokes gets credit for lasting three hours and showing determination and resolve. Will Jacks is also praised for the grit he showed alongside him. The point is that England still had some fight left in the middle of the collapse. The speakers are careful not to confuse that with a recovery. They return to the questions around preparation and decision-making. One concern is the lack of a clear tactical plan to get rid of the tail enders. Another is the six-wicket slide in one session under the lights. Stuart Broad calls that one of the most deflating days he has watched for a long time, while also comparing it to the shocker on day two in Perth. The conversation keeps coming back to discipline, nerve, and what England are actually trying to build. It ends with the sense that the focus has to move to Adelaide, where day one already feels like a big one, and England need to get the most out of themselves without looking too far ahead.

As heard by us

A blunt Ashes debrief that still finds fight in Stokes and England.

England's defeat is framed as a serious Ashes setback, not just a single bad result. At 2-0 down after six days, Australia look to have one hand on the series, and the margin now feels painfully small.

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Why you'd press play

England are 2-0 down, and this is the blunt Ashes debrief for when you want the post-mortem, not the spin.

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