MITCHELL JOHNSON: Gabba conditions, the pink ball and twilight sessions a recipe for ‘absolute carnage’

If you thought the frenetic first Test in Perth was a blockbuster, then get ready for the sequel.

Because if rain doesn’t drag the Gabba day-night match out, it’s not out of the question we could see another two-day Test.

Traditionally, the Gabba pitch has a healthy coverage of grass for red-ball cricket while being a little soft on top, offering early seam movement, and swing once the humidity kicks in. Add in a pink ball, under lights, in Brisbane weather conditions and we might be walking straight into absolute carnage.

Both batting line-ups looked vulnerable outside the off stump in Perth, feeling for balls they should’ve left, chasing width, and playing airy drives. That combination doesn’t survive long at the Gabba in a day-night Test.

If you want a comparison, look at Adelaide Oval’s pink-ball record. Dusk and early evening sessions turn the ball into a completely different beast. Batting becomes an exam, not an expression.

The Gabba, with more natural pace and bounce, will only amplify that. Batters will need to bury the ego, put the shots away, and put a price on their wicket the old-fashioned way.

The question is will England do that? Or will they continue doubling down on “playing freely”, as they keep insisting?

Glenn McGrath made a great point this week, saying he’d love to bowl to this style of batting. Anything around that off-stump channel and you’re immediately in the game.

We saw that in Perth. Mitchell Starc didn’t swing the ball in the first innings, yet he found the edge of the bat. If he gets the pink ball shaping, good luck. Scott Boland, after a flat first day, corrected beautifully in the second innings holding that McGrath-esque line, waiting for the mistake. Textbook fast bowling.

Then we hit the big selection questions. And there are plenty.

Should Travis Head stay as an opener? For me, yes. He’s inflicted an early psychological blow. You can see it in England’s reactions, and in Mark Wood’s words about the feeling it left in their dressing room.

Head won’t replicate Perth every match, but his intent suits the role, and more importantly, it suits Jake Weatherald, who wants to open and is showing leadership in how he’s owning the responsibility. Head’s presence removes pressure from Weatherald and they balance each other.

So where does Usman Khawaja fit? Right now, I’m not sure he does. Cam Green could easily slide up to Head’s position at No.5 and either Beau Webster or Josh Inglis would be deserving of being brought in at No.6.

It is a coin toss between the pair. Inglis is coming off a hundred against the England Lions and Webster was unlucky to go out in the first place.

If Australia want versatility, height and another bowling option, Webster makes sense. Green and Webster as all-rounders gives you more overs than you’ll use.

If they want impact, explosiveness, and someone who can shift momentum in a pink-ball match where runs come in bursts, Inglis is the play. His T20 instincts actually suit day–night Test windows, where you often need to counterattack the ball when it’s moving.

If I were selecting, I’d lean slightly towards Inglis at No.6 for this specific Test. Four bowlers and Green is more than enough overs, and the Gabba rewards bravery with the bat. Inglis brings that.

Unless someone is unfit or sore, I can’t see a neat way to slide Khawaja back in down the order without disrupting what worked.

Interestingly, Pat Cummins was left out of an unchanged 14-man squad – likely handing Brendan Doggett another crack at it after an encouraging effort on debut in Perth.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the attack will stay the same. Do Australia go all pace at the Gabba? This is where it gets interesting. Spinner Nathan Lyon bowled only two overs in Perth.

And in Brisbane, with a pink ball, on a potentially fast and grassy deck, the temptation to unleash four quicks is massive. Michael Neser has plenty of local knowledge at his home ground and would also strengthen the batting. His bowling would complement Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Doggett in a unit that would make any batting line-up nervous.

Whichever combination Australia choose, the pressure sits firmly on England. They’ve been handed a reality check. If they continue with this attitude of no responsibility, no accountability, ‘we’ll just keep swinging and hope it works’, they’ll struggle.

Test cricket doesn’t reward hope, especially not in Australia. And especially not at the Gabba.

More importantly, their approach puts strain on their own bowlers. You cannot keep throwing your attack out there after 50-60 overs and expect them to thrive.

They need their batters to keep Australia in the field, tire out the legs, sap the concentration, and build some scoreboard pressure. Without that, their bowling attack - Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson or whoever they pick - won’t have the same punch to it.

Australia, meanwhile, are pink-ball masters. The conditions are made for Starc. The tactics are simple: keep the pressure on, squeeze England into doubt, and force them to question this style of cricket they keep chasing.

If England don’t adapt to the fast, bouncing, swinging balls under the Gabba lights, they won’t last long – with the threat of rain their only potential saviour.