Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.
Helped by the catching magic of home captain Steve Smith, 35-year-old Neser finished with 5-42 in his first test in three years, leaving the hosts needing 65 runs to win the day-night match at the Gabba.
While Gus Atkinson grabbed two wickets, opener Jake Weatherald (17 not out) and number four batter Smith (23 not out) mowed down the target after the dinner-break, condemning England to a 15th defeat in their last 17 tests in Australia.
England seamer Jofra Archer had a heated exchange with Smith in the middle but ended up getting smashed for two fours and a six by the fired-up skipper.
Smith sealed the win in style, thumping Atkinson for six over deep square to trigger a huge roar from home fans in the crowd of 27,888.
“Archer was obviously bowling pretty quick and there was a short boundary behind me,” said Smith.
“I thought I would try to get hold of a few, particularly as I heard there was a storm coming so I wanted to get things done.
“What I said to Archer stays on the field. It was good banter. He is a good competitor and comes hard at you.”
England skipper Ben Stokes described the test as “very disappointing”.
“A lot comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game,” said Stokes. “(We) need to think harder mentally, and show more fight.”
With Adelaide to come and three matches left in the series, Stokes will refuse to concede that the urn is lost after battling hard in a 152-ball 50.
But it would take something extraordinary to win it from here.
Only one team has ever come back from 2-0 down to win a series in nearly 150 years of test cricket – Don Bradman’s Australia in the home Ashes of 1936/37.
In Brisbane, Stokes’s England showed their fans little to suggest a Bradman-esque effort is within them this tour.
Australia, meanwhile, may only get stronger.
Their Brisbane attack was third-string at best, with the dogged but unexceptional trio of Scott Boland, Neser and Brendan Doggett supporting the outstanding Starc.
Champion quick Pat Cummins and elite spinner Nathan Lyon will likely return at Adelaide Oval from injury and non-selection, respectively.
As it was, the duo were hardly needed.
Australia’s pacers did their work late on day three, leaving England needing another 44 runs to make the hosts bat again when they resumed on 134 for six.
Stokes and all-rounder Will Jacks deserved credit for batting through the entire first session and pushing England past 200.
But as the overs wore on, the Gabba wicket showed more uneven bounce, and Stokes was doubled over in agony when a Neser delivery caught an edge and cannoned into his groin.
He got up to cut a single off Doggett and raise his fifty, bringing England fans to their feet to applaud.
It took Smith to turn the match back in Australia’s favour with a stunning slips catch to dismiss Jacks for 41 and trigger an England batting collapse.
Smith leapt to his left to take a one-handed screamer above the grass when the England number eight nicked Neser behind, ending a 96-run stand with his Stokes.
England duly crumbled, losing 4-17 to be all out for 241.
