England’s Bowling Nightmare Deepens As Australia Run Riot At Rain-Hit Sydney Test

Sydney may lose more days to rain than any ground in Test cricket, but on day two of the fifth Ashes Test, it wasn’t water falling from the sky that drowned England — it was Australia.

A late drizzle arrived just before stumps, but by then the damage had already been done. England’s bowlers had delivered another painful reminder of why this Ashes series has been so one-sided.

Root Shines, Bowlers Collapse

Joe Root’s magnificent 160 gave England a rare moment of pride in a bleak tour. His innings powered England to 384 — one of their better totals in the series and a platform that should have allowed them to apply pressure.

Instead, Australia strolled to 166-2 in just 34.1 overs, barely breaking a sweat.

Former England spinner Phil Tufnell summed it up brutally, rating the bowling performance “two out of 10”.

“Simple as that,” he said.

Same Old Story, Same Old Problems

England’s pace attack was meant to usher in a new era post-Anderson and Broad. Instead, it has delivered one of the most generous Ashes performances in living memory.

Once again, the issue was painfully obvious: length.

Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts set the tone with six overs of short, loose bowling that were punished ruthlessly. Seven fours flew to the boundary — mostly through cuts and pulls.

To put it bluntly:

• 47% of England’s deliveries in the opening overs were too short

• Australia, on day one, bowled just 19% short in the same phase

Potts finished with 0-58 from seven overs, while Carse continued a worrying trend of conceding over four runs per over across the series.

Australia have now scored a boundary every 7.2 balls in this innings — a staggering figure in Test cricket.

“I don’t understand why professional bowlers can’t hit the top of off stump,” Tufnell fumed.
“Put an A4 sheet down and hit it. They’ve been all over the place.”

Tactical Confusion And Leadership Questions

England’s selection and bowling tactics only deepened the frustration.

This was the first time in Brydon Carse’s 63-match first-class career that he has opened the bowling — yet England have persisted with him as a new-ball option throughout the series.

Meanwhile, Josh Tongue, England’s most effective seamer in Australia, once again watched from the sidelines as the new ball was used without him.

Across their careers:

• Tongue averages 27 with the new ball

• Carse averages 82

Former captain Michael Vaughan did not hold back.

“It’s like this leadership group doesn’t care about anything that’s gone before,” Vaughan said.
“Data isn’t everything, but ignoring it completely makes no sense.”

The refusal to let Ben Stokes open the bowling — despite Australia fielding left-handed openers and Stokes owning the best record against them — only added to the confusion.

A Bleak Look Into England’s Future

There are caveats. Stokes’ fitness remains fragile, and expecting him to bowl long spells is unrealistic.

But the bigger issue is unavoidable: this is England’s bowling future.

• Anderson, Broad, and Woakes are gone

• Mark Wood’s body remains unreliable

• Carse is struggling

• Atkinson hasn’t matched early promise

Outside of a fully-fit Jofra Archer, answers are alarmingly scarce.

In conditions that were meant to suit England’s pace-heavy attack, Australia have feasted — scoring nearly 30% of their runs from cuts and pulls.

The alarm bells are no longer ringing quietly. They are blaring.

England may yet salvage pride in this Test, but unless something changes quickly, the post-Ashes conversation will be unavoidable — England don’t just need better tactics, they need better bowlers.

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