The Ashes 2nd Test Review: Starc & Root become legends, but it's still Bazball without brains

In this episode of the show, it's a full house as we look back at the second Ashes Test between Australia and England, which saw the hosts take a 2-0 lead after a comprehensive win at the Gabba. As per tradition, we start with the victors: first to praise Australia and then to attempt to understand why they've been so dominant so far - and where England have let themselves down. There's talk of key moments, of selection, of game management and much more as we bounce around a number of different talking points. As the episode continues, the conversation turns to individuals: Mitchell Starc's starring role in the series and his overall status in the Test game; Is Jake Weatherald looking like the long-term solution for Australia at the top of the order?; Joe Root's first hundred on Aussie soil; Alex Carey's performance with the gloves; criticism of Jofra Archer and whether England are actually learning from their mistakes. To round out the show, we look ahead to the options facing both sides for the third Test in Adelaide as injury ins and outs seem set to play a major role: Mark Wood and Josh Hazelwood out for the series, but Pat Cummins is on track to return. We'll be back in your feed at the end of the week with more from the cricketing world. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro: Ashes 2nd Test Review 1:45 Australia's dominant victory: more impressive than the first test? 3:15 Did we underestimate Australia before the series started? 7:00 Why are England not performing up to expectations? 19:40 Key performers: Mitchell Starc stars again 23:40 Nathan Lyon's exclusion & stats-based decision-making 27:20 Are England making tactical errors? 34:35 How much is the Bazball mindset contributing to these results? 37:35 Alex Carey's performance with the gloves 42:45 Joe Root's first hundred in Australia 44:40 Is Jake Weatherald a long-term solution at the top for Australia? 49:30 Selection questions for the third Test: Australia 53:20 Selection questions for the third Test: England 57:15 Quick predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices