AUS vs ENG Live Score, 2nd Ashes Test Day 4: England 241 all out; Australia need 65 runs to win Brisbane Test

Scott Boland to Ben Stokes, FOUR BYES! England won't mind that. Scott Boland goes back to around the wicket, but lands this back of a length, down the leg side. Ben Stokes fails to glance it away. Alex Carey just came up to the stumps before this delivery, only manages to get a glove on that but it deflects to the fine leg fence for a boundary.

Scott Boland to Ben Stokes, Good length and on middle, shapes in a bit, Ben Stokes fends it off the inner half of the bat to the leg side.

Scott Boland to Ben Stokes, Scott Boland comes over the wicket, bowls this full and on off, angling it away. Ben Stokes offers no shot at it.

Scott Boland to Ben Stokes, Short of a length and on middle and leg, jags back in sharply. Ben Stokes gets a bit cramped up, loses his bottom hand but manages to tuck it away towards square leg.

Scott Boland to Ben Stokes, Fuller in length and on middle, straightens a bit, Ben Stokes blocks it out solidly.

Scott Boland to Ben Stokes, Scott Boland hits the length hard, on middle, angles it in sharply. Ben Stokes looks to flick it away but misses and gets hit high on the pads.

A slight halt in play as Will Jacks' right index finger is being taped up by the physio. May have copped a blow or two due to uneven bounce. All good to continue. 

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, A bit fuller and on off, Ben Stokes steers it away towards point for a run. England trail by 35 runs now.

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, That one keeps low! Good length and just outside off, does not bounce at all. Ben Stokes lets it go as it goes on almost three bounces to the keeper.

Mitchell Starc to Will Jacks, Short of a length and around middle, takes off a bit. Will Jacks rides the bounce well and tucks it away towards square leg for a single.

Mitchell Starc to Will Jacks, Goes fuller again and on off, Will Jacks drives it to the left of mid off but cannot beat the fielder.

Mitchell Starc to Will Jacks, Back of a length and on leg, targets the body of the batter, Will Jacks clips it away towards square leg.

Mitchell Starc to Will Jacks, Fuller in length and on off, Will Jacks leans on a bit and drills it towards mid off.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, On a length and around leg, Will Jacks nudges it towards fine leg for a single.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Scott Boland bangs this into the pitch, on middle, angles it into the body of the batter. Will Jacks tries to pull it away but gets a bit cramped up and ends up toe-ending onto the pitch.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Hits the length hard and on the sixth stump line, gets it to jag back in, Will Jacks lets it go.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Touch fuller and on off, Will Jacks taps it out towards short cover.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Good length and just outside off, no movement this time around, Will Jacks offers no shot at it. This time, Alex Carey collects it near the kneeroll of his pads. Uneven bounce already?

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Back of a length and on off, nips back in a bit. Will Jacks leaves it alone. Alex Carey is standing up to the stump and collects it well near his chest.

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, Overpitched and on off, Ben Stokes drives it firmly but straight to mid off.

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Lovely shot! A bit too straight from Mitchell Starc. He serves this full and angling it into the pads. Ben Stokes steps across and flicks it away with fine timing between mid-wicket and mid on for a boundary. England trail by 38 runs now.

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, Bangs this into the pitch and around off, Ben Stokes stays back and dabs it down towards point.

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, Lands this back of a length and on middle, nips it away a bit. Ben Stokes looks to work it across the line but gets squared up. The ball takes a leading edge and rolls towards short cover.

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, Short of a length but way outside off, moves further away, Ben Stokes leaves it alone. Starc has a look at his landing area and does not look too happy about it.

Mitchell Starc to Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc begins with a hard-length delivery, outside off, shapes it away a bit, Ben Stokes lifts his bat and lets it go to the keeper.

Mitchell Starc (12-2-48-2) will bowl from the other end.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Pulls his length back a bit, serves this in that channel outside off, gets it to hold its line. Will Jacks leaves it alone.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Pitched up and on the sixth stump line, Will Jacks strides out and fends it away.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Goes a bit fuller, on middle, angles in, Will Jacks clips it towards short mid-wicket.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Back of a length and on middle and on off, Will Jacks gets behind the line of it and keeps it out on the pitch.

Scott Boland to Will Jacks, Touch fuller and on off, Will Jacks gets half forward and blocks it out.

Scott Boland to Ben Stokes, Scott Boland starts with a good-length delivery, on middle, angles in a bit and kicks up a bit off the surface. Ben Stokes adjusts well and tucks it towards mid-wicket for a single.

In all readiness for the fourth day to commence in Brisbane. The weather is pretty clear at the moment with the sun shining through. Though there are thunderstorms predicted later in the evening. The stands are packed as the overnight batters for England, Will Jacks and skipper Ben Stokes walk out to resume their batting. Scott Boland will get us underway on what could be a decisive Sunday. England trail by 43 runs, Stokes to face. Here we go...

Australia, meanwhile, will smell an early finish. With momentum completely on their side and conditions still offering plenty to the quicks, they will look to strike hard and fast. Every over will be an opportunity, every batter a target. Another flurry of wickets could wrap this one up well before the day is done. One side is chasing survival, the other senses victory. Day 4 promises tension, pressure, and possibly a decisive moment in this Ashes series.

For England, Day 4 is about survival before anything else. They need their lower order and especially skipper, Ben Stokes to show serious fight, soak up pressure, and somehow drag the match into a safer position. The challenge is clear - deal with movement under lights, extra bounce off the Brisbane surface, and an Australiab attack that senses blood. If they are to avoid defeat, the resistance must start immediately and last long.

Australia's authority was built on a massive first-innings total of 511, a statement of intent that put England under pressure from the very start. But the real hammer blow came late on Day 3, when the lights came on and the bowlers went to work. Mitchell Starc, fresh off a vital innings with the bat, struck twice in a hostile spell, while the relentless pressure from the rest of the attack ensured England never found any rhythm. By Stumps, the tourists were six down, still trailing by 43 runs, and staring at another uphill battle.

All eyes turn to The Gabba once again as Day 4 dawns on a Test that is slipping rapidly out of England's grasp and into Australia's control. The hosts are firmly in the driver's seat after a dominant showing with both bat and ball, and with the finish line now in sight, they will arrive with one clear aim - finish the job early and take a commanding grip on this series.

... DAY 4, SESSION 1 ...

If cricket matches were to be decided by reading scorecards, then don't even turn up for Day 4. Because that's what the scorecard says with England 6 down and still 43 adrift. But let's just focus our minds to where Australia were at the end of Day 2. They added 133 runs for their last 4 wickets and with Stokes and Jacks still there as the visitors' last recognized batting pair, England would look forward to do the same. If they do manage to play out the first two sessions, they could possibly end up with a lead of over 100. With the cracks on the pitch opening up rapidly, batting is only going to get tougher. So you never know, any target in excess of 100 could be tough for the Aussies to chase. Will Australia be able to wrap things up quickly in the afternoon? Or will England show their grit and make the Aussies work hard? To add some spice to the drama, there are some thundershowers forecast for Sunday. That means, if England bat well, they could force a Day 5 too! Join us on Sunday, 7th December, 2025, for all the action from Day 4 of this second Test. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 4 am GMT but our buildup will begin well in advance. So do tune in early. In the meanwhile, you can catch all the action from the India-South Africa series. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Australia's SCOTT BOLAND is up for a chat with Isa Guha alongside the boundary. On being asked to describe how he was feeling, Boland describes taking 6 wickets in a session as 'fun', stating that the team's plans had worked well. He attributes the swing to the pitch and the conditions under the lights, which were favouring the bowlers. Boland is also pleased with his performance, highlighting his 75-run stand with Starc and the couple of wickets he took as notable moments. On what he liked more, his batting earlier or his bowling in the night, Scott smiles and says that he would take both. Ends by saying that he enjoyed his time with the bat alongside Starc at first and then with Doggett.

What went wrong for England? Don't know. A bit of luck and one of Australia's inside edges would have found the stumps when Starc and Boland were batting. A bit of responsibility and they might have been just 2 or 3 down heading into Day 4. Instead, they find themselves against the wall again, trailing by 43 runs and 4 wickets in the bank.

Pope played a rash shot which resulted in his dismissal and the tide changed. Suddenly, the ball started to move around, the cracks started to open up on the pitch and the English batters found themselves unsure of their footwork. 90/1 became 128/6 in the span of around 15 overs and 90 minutes. Michael Neser triggered the start and after that, it was Boland and Starc doing their bit towards the end. The trio managed 2 wickets apiece while Brendan Doggett was unlucky not to get a wicket after his terrific start to the final session.

To be very honest, Australia were all over the shop with the new ball. They just allowed England to get away but after the Dinner break came back hard. They managed to get rid of Ben Duckett but there was another momentum swinger after that. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope got to business after a scratchy start from the latter and it was looking all hunky dory at 90/1 around the 17th over. And then, it just happened, as it most often does in night sessions.

After Australia were criticized for their over-aggressive approach on Day 2, they earned praises from all corners of the world for grinding England out on Day 3. They batted for 44.3 overs for their last 4 wickets, adding 133 vital runs. Of that tally, Starc and Boland batted doggedly for nearly 28 overs, sharing a 75-run stand for the 9th wicket, which literally blew the wind over England's sails. But then, came the momentum changer once again. Despite the sorry day with the ball, the English openers came out all guns firing, racing to 45/0 by Dinner in just 6 overs.

If Day 2 was termed as horror by some cricketing pundits for England, Day 3 can be called as frustrating. The word frustrating is used because the visitors did not bowl that badly. Yes, they were favouring the short side a bit too often with the second new ball and came unstuck against Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. They needed 2 wickets with Australia's lead showing 82. More than 2 hours later, they were staring at a deficit of 177 in their first innings.

6th of December, 2025 will show up as a Saturday in every calendar. But as far this Ashes is concerned, it will be renamed as 'Starc'day. A fine 77 with the bat and then, after a sluggish start with the ball, finishing the day with 6-2-12-2 in his last spell.

Mitchell Starc to Will Jacks, No drama. On a length, outside off, angling away, Will Jacks shoulders arms. That will be STUMPS ON DAY 3. ENGLAND ARE 134/6, TRAIL BY 43!

Final ball of the day. Any more drama left?

Mitchell Starc to Will Jacks, On a length, around off, coming back in, Will defends it down the track.

Mitchell Starc to Will Jacks, Good bluff from Starc but it does not work in his favour. He keeps two men on the hook on the leg side but bowls it full and wide outside off. Jacks is prepared for it though as he lunges and pushes the ball towards point.