Brendon McCullum. (Getty Images)

Australia won the day-night second Ashes Test in Brisbane by eight wickets on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. They chased the target of 65 in 10 overs, with captain Steve Smith hitting a six off Gus Atkinson over square leg to seal the result.England were outplayed again. Their batting struggled on the Gabba surface, apart from contributions by Joe Root and Zak Crawley in the first innings and Ben Stokes and Will Jacks in the second. Several dismissals came from loose shots. England’s bowling also lacked control, with short lengths and little use of the new pink ball, unlike Australia’s attack, which did not even have Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.England dropped five catches in the first innings, while Australia held all their chances. Josh Inglis’s run-out of Stokes in the first innings shifted the match. With this win, Australia strengthened their position in the series, with Tests in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney still to come.

Iceland Cricket jibe

Iceland Cricket took a swipe at England head coach Brendon McCullum after the defeat. “Message to Brendon ‘Bazballup’ McCullum, you are also off our coaching wishlist,” Iceland Cricket’s official handle said in a post on X.

It is notable that Iceland Cricket had also directed a similar comment at India’s men’s head coach Gautam Gambhir after India’s 0-2 home Test series loss to South Africa last month. “To all our fans, no, Gautam Gambhir will not be invited to be our new national team coach. That position is already filled and we won 75% of our matches in 2025,” the Iceland Cricket account had posted then.