England plan extra training before second Test

England have planned extra training sessions in Brisbane following their hammering in the first Ashes Test.

The tourists were beaten by Australia inside two days in Perth and have responded by outlining five days of build-up to the day-night Test at the Gabba, beginning next Thursday.

England's decision to pass up the opportunity to send any of the team from the first Test to play in an England Lions match in Canberra this weekend has come under heavy scrutiny.

Instead, Ben Stokes' side have plans for one of their longest preparation periods since the captain and coach Brendon McCullum took charge more than three years ago.

England usually train for two or three days before a Test. The only occasions under Stokes and McCullum when training periods have been longer were on pre-tour camps, like those preceding trips to India and Pakistan.

The original schedule for Brisbane was to train at the Gabba for three days from Monday. Now they have arranged an extra session at the ground on Sunday and further time at nearby Allan Border Field on Saturday.

Two of England's training sessions - Monday and Wednesday - will be under floodlights.

England flew to Brisbane from Perth on Wednesday and have their own time to relax until training resumes on Saturday.

The debate over England's decision to ignore the Lions' two-day pink-ball fixture against the Prime Minister's XI centred on the 11-day day gap created by their poor performance in the first Test and the day-night conditions of the second Test.

England were bowled out twice in 67.3 overs in Perth, the fewest overs they have faced in a losing effort since 1904.

The visitors have a poor record in day-night Tests, winning only two of their previous seven, including three defeats in Australia.

The home side have won 13 of their 14 pink-ball matches. Two of England's likely XI in Brisbane - Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson - have not before played a first-class pink-ball match.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan called the decision "nonsense", while ex-England bowler and BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew said it was a "bizarre situation".

Another former England skipper, Alec Stewart, backed Stokes and McCullum to "stick to their guns".

Three players from the Ashes squad who did not play in the first Test - Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue - have been included in the Canberra match.

Part of England's rationale for not sending the first-Test XI to the capital is the difference in conditions between Canberra and Brisbane.

The pitch at Manuka Oval is likely to be slow and low, in contrast to the pace and bounce of the Gabba. On Thursday, the day after England arrived in Brisbane, temperatures in the city were expected to hit 36C, compared to 24 in Canberra.

From 1-0 down, England almost certainly need to avoid defeat in Brisbane to retain any hope of winning the Ashes for the first time since 2015. They have not won a Test at the Gabba since 1986.

Australia's only defeat in a day-night Test - a stunning eight-run victory for West Indies - came in Brisbane in January 2024.

The home side are expected to confirm their squad for the second Test before the weekend.

Captain Pat Cummins could return after missing the first Test as part of his recovery from a back injury. He has been bowling in Sydney with a pink ball.

Fellow pace bowler Josh Hazlewood has also been bowling in training but is not expected to return in Brisbane.

If Cummins does come back, he would take the captaincy from Steve Smith and give the hosts the option of an all-pace attack, replacing off-spinner Nathan Lyon. If Lyon is retained, it would leave a decision between Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett.

Australia also must make a call on Usman Khawaja, who suffered back spasms in Perth and was unable to open the batting. Travis Head took Khawaja's place in the second innings and crashed one of the all-time great Ashes hundreds to lead Australia to victory.

If Khawaja is left out it would open the door for Josh Inglis, who was the reserve batter in the squad for the first Test and made a century for a Cricket Australia XI against England Lions on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Perth pitch on which the first Test was played has been rated as "very good" by the International Cricket Council.

A very good pitch is defined having "good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and bowlers".

The Perth Test was the first two-day Ashes match in 104 years.