Mark Waugh slammed Brydon Carse during day two of the second Ashes 2025/26 Test, for bowling an inconsistent line and length during Australia's first innings.
Waugh came down hard on Carse after his pitch map was put up on the Fox Cricket broadcast, saying it was ‘third-grade standard’. The England quick struggled to remain consistent on a surface that Waugh feels can be rewarding if he pitches it up full on off stump and lets the ball do the rest.
By the dinner break on day two of the Brisbane Test, Carse had gone for 78 runs in 11 overs, accounting only for Travis Head’s wicket, and had largely bowled short of a good length. Commenting on the bowler’s performance so far in the Test, Waugh said on Fox Cricket:
“I think he's bowled poorly, and just hasn’t put two balls in one spot in any over. At this level, you've got to be better, and the surface has just got enough in it. There's a little bit up and down, so you don't have to try too much, you've just got to bang that. Look at his pitch map, that's third-grade standard, all over the place. Sorry to the third-graders watching, but that's not great for a Test bowler.”
England struggle to keep Australia in check after Root hundred takes them to 334
After putting up 334 on the board, riding on Joe Root’s maiden Test hundred Down Under, England have struggled to limit Australia's scoring. The hosts raced to 228-3 by dinner on day two, with Steve Smith and Cameron Green having added 32 runs for the fourth wicket after Marnus Labuschagne’s dismissal.
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Labuschagne, meanwhile, completed a second fifty in two Tests of the 2025/26 Ashes, while Jake Weatherald, playing only his second Test, hit a maiden half-century in the format. For England, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Carse have picked up a wicket each so far in the innings.
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