Adelaide Oval’s sun-baked boundaries, a bastion of Test cricket lore, became the canvas for a captivating comeback on December 22, 2025, as Ben Duckett’s flamboyant 156 not out off 168 balls steered England to a dominant position in the second Test against Australia, crafting a 280-run first-innings lead that has the hosts on the ropes. The Nottinghamshire opener, thrust into the breach after Zak Crawley’s hamstring tweak, arrived at 18 for 2 in the 6th over, with Pat Cummins’ pacemen prowling for prey under a leaden sky.