In the current Ashes series, Australia has a 2-0 lead over England. If England does not perform to their best in the following Test, which begins on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), they are likely to lose the series.
So far in the series, Australia has been aggressive. After a stunning nine-wicket victory in the first Test at the Gabba, they repeated the same at the Adelaide Oval the next day.
With Pat Cummins pulled out just hours before the Test, Steve Smith was handed the lead and decided to bat first after winning the toss. They declared their innings on 473, thanks to a century from Marnus Labuschagne and fifties from David Warner (95), Steve Smith (93), and Alex Carey (51). The bowlers then elevated to dismiss the Poms with a score of 236 runs.
In the second innings, Labuschagne hit fifty and was strongly supported by Travis Head (51) as they scored 230 and declared, setting the Englishmen a target of 468. Root's team made a great effort to recover a point, but Australia was simply too good with the pink ball. Australia won the British and Irish Lions by 275 runs after scoring 192 runs.
The Australians put in a strong overall performance, and they will be hoping to end the series in the third Test. England, on the other hand, will have to perform at a high level to keep the series alive.