Captain Ben Stokes has sent a warning to any soft players in his touring party after playing a defiant hand in England’s eight-wicket loss at the Gabba.

Stokes and allrounder Will Jacks have shown there is another way to bat after the slowest 50-run partnership in the Bazball era held up Australia on the fourth day.

The pair brought up their half-century stand for the seventh wicket at a run rate of 2.45 per over, making it the slowest of the 164 stands of 50 or more since coach Brendon McCullum took over.

It was both attritional and brave cricket and with England now trailing 2-0 in the Ashes series it must provide food for thought ahead of the third Test in Adelaide about a new way forward other than self-destructive Bazball.

England took the lead before tea on the fourth day and had extended it beyond 40 in the second session before Stokes (50) and Jacks (41) were prised out by superb line bowling by Michael Neser, and a brilliant one-handed slip catch by Steve Smith to dismiss Jacks.

Their partnership of 96 off 220 deliveries was easily the longest played by any England pair this series. It was also the smartest.

“I said last night that I wanted us to take the scoreboard out of the equation and all I wanted us to focus on was just to fight,” Stokes said.

“Nothing is guaranteed in life or sport but so long as you walk out there and think in your head, ‘I am going to fight all the way to the end’.

“What you saw from me and Will Jacks was on the back of me saying that everybody has got to show fight.”

Stokes said England were not absorbing the pressure put on them by Australia and warned it was “a tough place to come”. He also put his teammates on notice about what he expects in Adelaide in the third Test.

“Teams that come to Australia can’t be soft or weak. There is no room for that in any dressing room I’m in charge of,” he said.

“We pick people on ability and skill and we also pick people on character and mentality. There are a few things that need to be addressed on that.”

A suite of extravagant shots the previous evening had England teetering at 6-128.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was one of several pundits scathing of the reckless approach but he was full of praise after watching the manner in which Stokes and Jacks went about their work.

“Loving this approach from England. Fantastic session of play,” Vaughan posted on X after England got through the opening two hours of the fourth day without loss.

Stokes and Jacks defended the good deliveries and put the bad ones away. They did not take unnecessary risks or try to clobber good length balls outside off stump as their teammates had late on day three under lights.

The occasional delivery kept low and the odd one bounced more than expected, with Stokes getting the splice of the bat to a Scott Boland lifter that skewed over the slips for four.

Stokes was defiant and took a nasty blow in the groin area as he defended his wicket at all costs.

It was traditional cricket played to suit Australian conditions.