What time does the Gabba Test start? How to watch the Ashes, and Brisbane weather forecast

The second Ashes Test is upon us, with the pink ball coming out of the mothballs in Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday, December 4.

• Live now: Follow all the action via ABC Sport's live blog

ABC Sport will have you covered on the air and online throughout the series, so make sure to bookmark abc.net.au/news/sport on your phone and computer.

Here is everything you need to know.

What time does the Gabba Test start?

The second Test starts at 3pm AEDT on Thursday, which is 2pm in Queensland, 12pm in Western Australia and 2:30pm in South Australia.

Here is the schedule for the remaining Tests:

Third Test December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Starts at 11am, local time, 11:30am AEDT, 10:30am Qld, 8:30am WA

Fourth Test December 26-30, MCG, Melbourne

Starts at 10:30am, local time, 9:30am Qld, 10am SA, 7:30am WA

Fifth Test January 4-8, SCG, Sydney

Starts at 10:30am, local time, 9:30am Qld, 10am SA, 7:30am WA

How can I watch and follow the Ashes?

ABC Sport is live-blogging all the action, every day with every ball, at abc.net.au/news/sport. Join Dean Bilton, Simon Smale, Jon Healy, Chris De Silva and Henry Hanson throughout the series.

ABC Sport will also be calling all the action on ABC local radio and on the Listen app, led by Corbin Middlemas with Jim Maxwell, along with former cricket champions Jason Gillespie, Darren Lehmann, Phil Tufnell, Tom Moody and Stuart Clark.

To keep across all the viral action, make sure to follow ABC Sport on Instagram and give us a like on Facebook.

You can also listen to all the action via abc.net.au/news/sport by tapping the green "play live radio" button in the top right of your browser.

Channel 7 will be broadcasting the Tests live on its channels.

Can I sync the ABC Sport call to the televised coverage?

For the first time, yes you can sync the ABC Sport call to the live vision without the pesky delay.

Just select the ABC Sport Rapid stream on the ABC listen app by navigating to the sport tab at the top of the app and browse the Live Radio carousel.

What is the weather forecast for Brisbane?

Thursday: 27C, clear, 0 per cent chance of rain

Friday: 28C, clear, 0 per cent chance of rain

Saturday: 30C, clear, 0 per cent chance of rain

Sunday: 31C, possible thunderstorms in the evening, 40 per cent chance of rain

Monday: 27C, possible thunderstorms in the morning, 65 per cent chance of rain

Who is in and out of the England and Australia Test teams?

Usman Khawaja is officially out of Australia's team for the Gabba Test due to injury.

With Travis Head already showing he's comfortable at the top of the order, it has meant that Josh Inglis has slotted into the middle order.

In one of the bigger shocks at the selection table, Nathan Lyon is out, and has been replaced by Michael Neser.

Rumours that injured Australian skipper Pat Cummins would almost certainly be back into the squad did the rounds last week, and were unproven. Rumours then spread that he would play despite not being in the squad. That didn't happen either.

Meanwhile, English quick Mark Wood will miss the Gabba Test due to injury, with spinning all-rounder Will Jacks coming in.

How do I sign up to ABC Sport alerts?

If you want to be alerted about the start of play and major moments that happen throughout, make sure to download the ABC News app on your mobile phone.

Then head to "profile and settings", tap on "notifications", then switch on the "breaking news" slider and tap "sport" under the topics section. You can also sign up for things like business and world news — but we are just here for the cricket.

Does ABC Sport have a cricket podcast?

We sure do, and we reckon it is a ripper.

Hosted by Corbin Middlemas, who is joined by former Test opener Ed Cowan, the guys will keep you across all the hot takes and talking points from the series. ABC Sport Daily with Patrick Stack and Poppy Penny will also be keeping across the cricket throughout the summer.

Check it out on the Listen app or give it a listen via the landing page here.