It started as a dream.
For a few hours on a cold winter night, English cricket fans could have been forgiven for being sleepy.
The aftermath of the first Test focused on England's left-arm spinner. The leader of the Australia attack was ruled out just before the second Test.
Glenn was on a cricket ball. Pat Cummins being identified as a Covid close contact after having dinner in a restaurant is a very 2021 problem.
The 2005 feeling lasted until the toss.
This time there was no strange decision from the Australia captain, unlike 16 years ago when England kept their faith in Jack Leach.
By the end of the first day, with Steve Smith at the crease and ready to feast on a diet of English right-arm fast-medium, it wasn't very much like 2005.
England tried to avoid this by meticulously planning over a two-year period.
Injuries, Covid, the T20 World Cup and rain are some of the circumstances that have transpired against them.
The backlash of a cricketing butterfly effect, which dictates that attitudes towards spin bowling in the English game and decisions taken over a particular spinner in Leach will have knock-on consequences for a boiling Thursday night in South Australia, is what they are feeling.
In the first Test defeat in Brisbane, he played. Even if it's difficult to compare the two bowlers' experience, quality and haul of Test wickets, no one suggested Australia should have left out Nathan Lyon.
You can take your pick of the reasons why Leach was mauled for 102 runs in 13 overs: the domestic schedule, a historical English distrust of spin bowling, and the fact that Australia have targeted every delivery.
England had a problem. Could they go back to Leach in Adelaide, especially with the pink ball hanging in front of them?
Even though it was rocket hot and the groundsman told the tourists to pick a spinner, he was thrown out.
Mark Wood, the fastest bowler on either side, rested in a decision that feels like it was taken before the series began.
Wood is the only genuine pace bowler from England who has made it to Australia and has a history of injury problems, so must be carefully managed. Wood might only be fresh for dead rubbers if England lose in Adelaide.
The result? England's attack was a book of matches a few days after captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood spoke about the importance of having variety in their bowling.
England assistant coach Graham Thorpe insisted that they picked the right team for the match. It could have been different if we had grazed the edge more.
The change came from Ben Stokes banging the ball in halfway down the pitch with the catchers waiting on the leg side boundary. David Warner had 95 to his name by the time the time plan persuaded an Australian to make a mistake.
That's a tactic they tried. Warner didn't know why they were doing that. It worked into our plan.
The make-up of the attack isn't the only reason that England are staring down the barrel.
They have been plagued by dropped catches for a long time. This time it was Buttler who was shelling Marnus Labuschagne.
Buttler had taken an acrobatic grab to remove Marcus Harris earlier in the day. The catch that he dropped under the lights was very simple.
Jos will hurt but will have to come back tomorrow. Test cricket is about that.
He is a human being. If you drop a catch, it gets highlighted. We will get around him.
The test is not over. Australia was stopped from getting away by England. If England bowl well and take their chances in the first session on Friday, a score of 221-2 could become 250-5.
Australia will pile up runs for most of the day, leaving England to bat against the new ball under the lights.
Australia won the first day. "We have to show some fight and roll up our sleeves," said Thorpe.
The second day of the second Test is when the stakes are highest.
England has to stop the dream from turning into a nightmare.
