The Ashes

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Shoaib Bashir must play in the third Ashes Test because England cannot rely on part-time spin options in Adelaide, says Durham coach Ryan Campbell.

Off-spinner Bashir was left out by England for the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane as coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes put an emphasis on fast bowling.

Spin bowling all-rounder Will Jacks was brought in for the second Test and finished with 1-51 from 11.3 overs in Australia's first innings.

Jacks also strengthened England's batting and shared a defiant 96-run stand with Stokes for the seventh wicket in 36.4 overs – the tourists' longest partnership of the series.

Former Australia international Campbell said Jacks should bat in England's top order but predicted it will "rag on day four and five" in Adelaide so 22-year-old tweaker Bashir should also get the nod.

"Will Jacks cannot play as a spinner in Adelaide. You cannot go to Adelaide and not play a frontline spinner," Campbell told BBC Radio 5 Live's Ashes second Test review show.

"You have groomed a guy for three years so Bashir has to play in Adelaide. He's the guy who was supposed to be your guy in Australia.

"No matter what you've done, you have set your bed up that this is the kid who is going to win you games of cricket in Australia.

"So therefore where does Will Jacks fit? You want him in the team. He looked magnificent. So he's going to be one of your batters and Bashir comes in."

Bashir has taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests for England and the 6ft 4in spinner's high-release point has been highlighted as a potential asset in Australia.

However, he has only just returned from a broken finger suffered in the Lord's Test against India last summer.

Bashir returned figures of 0-115 across 25 overs as England Lions were thrashed by an innings and 127 runs by Australia A over the past few days.

He finished with 1-68 and 1-83 in an England intra-squad match at Lilac Hill before the opening Test in Perth last month.

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Australia's media have written off any possibility of an England comeback in the Ashes, with the West Australian proclaiming "Dismal England Ashes hopes over after six days".

England, who haven't won a men's Test in Australia since 2011, trail 2-0 after suffering back-to-back eight-wicket defeats and must win the final three Tests to retake the urn.

The Perth-based newspaper said Ben Stokes' side are "on the verge of an embarrassing Ashes disaster" while also labelling head coach Brendon McCullum's claim that England were "over-prepared" for the match as "bizarre".

The Daily Telegraph referenced the on-field tension between Australia captain Steve Smith and England bowler Jofra Archer, writing "Cop that, champion - Aussies two up as Smith fires back at Archer".

Meanwhile, the Courier-Mail says Bazball "died at the Gabba", splashing "Bazball in Ashes" across its front page.

The Brisbane paper also hailed the contribution of Queensland all-rounder Michael Neser, who registered his maiden Test five-wicket haul in England's second innings.

The "home wrecker" and "Gabba hero" has given Australia a "stranglehold" on the Ashes.

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England's misery in Australia continued as the Lions were thrashed by an innings and 127 runs by Australia A on the final day of their four-day match in Brisbane.

Resuming on 274-6 and needing to reach 422 just to make the Australians bat again, the Lions lost their last four wickets for 21 runs on day four.

Asa Tribe, the only Lions batter to make a century on the tour after his day-three ton, finished 129 not out in their 295.

Jacob Bethell, playing for the Lions having been released from the Test squad, made 71 on day three as he found some form.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir returned figures of 0-115 across 25 overs in Australia A's 558.

Australia A picked a far more experienced XI for the encounter - their XI featured eight full internationals compared to a youthful England's four, Bashir, Bethell, Josh Hull and Matthew Fisher - but the heavy defeat only adds to England's difficult winter.

The Test team is 2-0 down in the Ashes series and few other players have pushed their case for selection for the Lions.

The Brisbane match concludes the development side's matches in Australia.

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Chief cricket reporter Stephan Shemilt painted a bleak picture of England's Ashes hopes following their eight-wicket defeat at the Gabba.

Now trailing 2-0 after losing by the same margin in the series opener in Perth, he wrote: "This is a team battling to avoid the worst England performance on an Ashes tour this century."

And it's fair to say BBC Sport readers have been similarly unimpressed in the comments section.

Numerous readers want to see changes at the top, with head coach Brendon McCullum, Rob Key, and Andrew Strauss under fire. Unhappy Voter called for a "massive culture change", stating the current leadership have instilled a mindset in the players where they "think they have done no wrong".

Mike91 labelled England "overrated" while Tiger Feet said "they're simply a shambles, nothing more, nothing less".

After singling out Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey for praise, Geoffrey added: "Every facet of Australia's game is better."

In response to captain Ben Stokes stating his dressing room is "not a place for weak men", Jontay5 believes England have the "wrong mindset". "Real strength is the ability to take accountability and confront fallibility," they wrote.

As for Andy, he expressed his sympathy for Joe Root, whose maiden Test century in Australia was one of the few bright moments for England with the bat.

"I feel sorry for Joe Root. One of the best batters this country has ever produced and he's stuck with a bunch of muppets that just want to hit out and play golf. This might be his last Ashes down under. Some ending if so!"

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Coach Brendon McCullum said England had poor moments with bat, ball and in the field during the second Test but admitted they "bowled terribly" at the start of Australia's first innings.

England's wayward seamers allowed Australia to race to 77-0 in 13 overs in reply to the tourists' 334 and had to battle to limit the damage throughout the remainder of the second day.

"We were trying too hard was my assessment of it," McCullum told 7 Cricket.

"We had a reasonable score in the first innings and knew it was a pivotal moment in the game if we were able to strike.

"Sometimes if you do try too hard you mis-execute, tighten up and aren't able to apply pressure. We were honest with ourselves. We bowled terribly in that period.

"From that point on it was about trying to bring the game back to us."

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BBC Test Match Special commentator Jonathan Agnew, speaking about his interview with Ben Stokes: "After Perth he was really angry.

"Today he was more considered, more controlled reflection. I think he has some players in his sights. He was talking about why there are key moments Australia win them.

"His eyes were burning. If you get the message saying Ben would like to see you in 15 minutes I think I might take a deep breath."

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Speaking after the defeat in the second Test, Ben Stokes raised questions about the mentality of his team in pressure situations.

"They are all incredibly talented players but if you can't put it down to a skill thing you start to wonder what is it?" Stokes said.

"Do we need to start thinking about what mentality we are taking into those pressure moments?

"When we are on top we are great and when behind the game we are also very good but when that moment is neck and neck we are not coming out on top on enough occasions."

Head coach Brendon McCullum, speaking to Test Match Special about whether he wishes England did anything different in their preparation: "Not from a preparation point of view.

"If anything, we trained too much. We had five intense training sessions leading into this game.

"Something as a coach you have to be aware of. Sometimes there is a tendency to overdo things to make up for it.

"As we all know in this game it is played in the top two inches. We all have to find a way to ensure that we feel prepared physically, technically and we are ready for the battle, but also to make sure we are fresh and make sure we can make those decisions in the heat of the games."

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Jacob Bethell found some form in Australia with 71 before Glamorgan 21-year-old Asa Tribe scored 114 not out for England Lions against Australia A in Brisbane.

Batting with a massive first-innings deficit of 422 after the Australians dominated the first two days, Bethell and Tribe put on 169 for the fourth wicket in a show of some defiance.

Bethell is most likely to replace any of England's struggling Test batters in the Ashes, given he is the one spare batter in the full squad, but had only passed 50 once in his previous nine innings this winter.

Batting at number three, he dug in for 154 balls and hit seven fours against a strong attack before he flicked seamer Fergus O'Neill to mid-wicket.

Tribe, a full international with Jersey who hopes to play for England, carried on to record his third first-class century and the first by any of the Lions batters on tour.

The right-hander has made a quick rise in recent months, having made 122 not out, an unbeaten 131 and 206 for Glamorgan in the final two months of the county season.

He put on 74 with Somerset batter Thomas Rew, who made 47 on his first-class debut.

The Lions ended on 274-6, still 148 runs behind.

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