Ben Stokes’ gritty 36 keeps England’s Ashes hopes alive in second test

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) – Ben Stokes dispensed with Bazball and pragmatically set about reviving England’s Ashes prospects with a watchful 36 on Sunday to usher his team through the first session on Day 4 without losing a wicket in the second test.

The unbeaten 112-ball innings and a half-century seventh-wicket stand with No. 8 Will Jacks gave England a 16-run lead. More importantly, it kept the day-night match alive at the Gabba and ensured Australia will have to bat again to have a chance of taking a 2-0 series lead.

Stokes had a bit of luck when he stepped down the pitch, was squared up and got a thick edge to a lifting ball from Scott Boland just high enough to fly over a leaping Cam Green in the slips 15 minutes before the interval.

The Australian attack bowled a tight line and length and mixed it up with some short-pitch deliveries in an attempt to entice the usually aggressive England batters to have a go.

Stokes and Jacks resisted the temptation, knowing that a wicket would expose the tailenders. Jacks was unbeaten on 25 from 66 deliveries and England added 59 runs in the session that was played in sunny, subtropical conditions. It was a completely different approach to England’s usual attack-at-all costs mentality that has attracted wide criticism in the first two Ashes tests so far.

England resumed Sunday at 134-6, and took an hour and 36 minutes – 18.2 overs – to score the 43 runs needed to erase the deficit, batting watchfully against an Australian attack.

A single from Jacks in the following over brought up the 50-partnership for the seventh wicket and give England a one-run lead.

Part-time tweaker Travis Head came on to bowl minutes before the break, the first over of spin for Australia in the match after veteran Nathan Lyon was omitted from the XI in favor of four specialist pacemen.

Marnus Labuschagne, another part-timer, bowled an over of medium pace immediately before the interval.

Stokes has rescued England from seemingly losing positions before and remains the biggest hope for the tourists even to take the match into Day 5.

Australia won the series-opening test on Day 2 of the scheduled five. At least the second test has gone well into a fourth day.

Mitchell Starc, who took 10 wickets in Perth and six in the first innings here, had a big day out on Saturday by scoring an innings-high 77 as Australia responded with 511 for a 177-run first-innings lead. He then took two wickets under lights but wasn’t able to add to his wicket tally before the big break on Sunday.

___