There are fears England spinner Jack Leach whitethorn beryllium playing successful his last Ashes Test aft being subjected to a merciless battle from Australia's batsmen connected Day 2.
England's determination to prime Leach - a left-arm spinner - implicit seasoned seamer Stuart Broad was questioned astatine the coin toss and his archetypal innings show truthful acold has done small to soundlessness the critics.
The 30-year-old bowled conscionable 11 overs, adjacent with the likes of Ollie Robinson and Ben Stokes struggling successful the searing Brisbane heat, with Australia plundering the spinner for 95 runs successful those overs.
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Leach's system complaint of 8.63 was 1 that is considered precocious adjacent successful the game's shortest format, fto unsocial Test cricket, and allowed Australia to interruption the shackles aft a tense opening session.
Australia's relentless battle connected Leach was akin to the maneuver adopted against Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah, who was smacked for 124 disconnected 14 overs during the New Year's Test backmost successful 2017.
Leach's show was a stark opposition to his output successful the drawn 2019 bid betwixt the 2 sides, wherever helium took 12 wickets successful 4 Tests, including 4-49 astatine The Oval.
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The show near galore backmost successful the UK wondering whether Brisbane would beryllium the past they would spot of the antheral who became a cult leader for his relation successful the Ben Stokes occurrence successful Headingley 2 years ago.
"It is astir frightening, and surely demoralising, however rapidly a Test lucifer successful Australia tin gaffe away," Scyld Berry wrote successful The Telegraph.
"This is wherefore England's enactment for the Gabba Test was wrong. They had to battalion their broadside with 4 seamers, positive Ben Stokes, and nary spinner but Joe Root.
"Leach could not capable this vacuum arsenic the Australian batsmen decided to instrumentality him apart, and the runs helium conceded - astatine the complaint of 8.6 per implicit - person scuppered England's chances."
Former England skipper Michael Atherton said the Australians attacked the left-arm spinner with "brutal intent".
"Gone was the acheronian unreality and humidity of the archetypal day, replaced by piercing bluish skies and sapping heat," helium wrote successful The Telegraph.
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"Splendid batting conditions, successful different words, and an accidental for Australia's batsmen to twist the knife, which they did, dilatory for the astir part, unless Leach was bowling, erstwhile they attacked with brutal intent."
The ruthless onslaught connected Leach near BBC commentator Jonathan Agnew feeling immoderate sympathy for the spinner.
"Jack Leach was a atrocious enactment for the pitch," helium said.
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"It is simply a five-seamer transportation and it seems a full luxury but you are 5 for this crippled due to the fact that you don't cognize however acceptable Ben Stokes is and you tin vessel a seamer erstwhile you request him.
"It was utterly predictable that Australia were going to onslaught Leach – it is what we said yesterday. It was precise evident that's what was going to happen.
"I consciousness atrocious for him – helium has hardly played since India. He's bowled precise well. He didn't vessel peculiarly severely but they conscionable smashed him."
While Leach was acold from the lone happening to spell incorrect for England connected Day 2, inews.co.uk analogous Chris Stocks said the spinner's showing was "the astir alarming development".
Leach is not the archetypal English spinner to beryllium taken isolated connected Australian soil, with the likes of Graeme Swann and Moeen Ali suffering akin fates successful erstwhile tours down under, but the left-armer's show received small sympathy from Stocks.
"What Leach served up astatine the Gabba ... was worse than thing seen by either Moeen oregon Swann," helium wrote.
"Indeed, barring a miraculous show successful Australia's 2nd innings – presuming they really person to bat again – he's virtually unselectable for the remainder of the series.
"You person to consciousness for the 30-year-old due to the fact that helium has been enactment successful an intolerable presumption by being asked to play his archetypal Test successful 9 months connected the biggest and astir unforgiving signifier of all.
"Leach is intelligibly not trusted by skipper Joe Root, who opted against picking him for immoderate of past summer's six location Tests."
The Telegraph's Nick Hoult adjacent laid immoderate of the blasted connected Leach for Stokes' struggles.
"The non-selection of James Anderson and Stuart Broad volition rumble for a agelong clip and picking 4 seamers enactment unit connected Stokes to vessel erstwhile not afloat ready," helium wrote.
"Also pity mediocre Leach was was overlooked each summertime and past thrust into an Ashes Test connected a greenish pitch. No astonishment helium was belted around."
Despite the attraction helium received, England's bowling manager Jon Lewis was not prepared to number Leach out.
"It wouldn't beryllium 1 of his amended days and he'll privation to enactment it astatine the backmost of his memory, but similar I said astir the different guys I cognize Jack is simply a beauteous resilient fella," Lewis said.
"We're decidedly not defeated yet. Expect Jack to travel backmost beardown time and amusement the quality I cognize helium has."
With Stokes each but definite to beryllium hampered for the remainder of this Test match, England volition necessitate a superhuman reversal of fortunes for its left-arm spinner successful the 2nd innings.
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