England and Australia went head-to-head on the Second test of the Ashes at The Gabba in Brisbane
England faced Australia in day one of the Second Test of the Ashes at The Gabba in Brisbane, and Mirror Sport takes a look at what happened….
- England’s early collapse: England won the toss and elected to bat first but suffered an immediate setback. Mitchell Starc struck twice in the first three overs, dismissing Ben Duckett for a golden duck and Ollie Pope for nought.
- Crawley and Root stabilise the innings: Zak Crawley and Joe Root then combined for a crucial 117-run partnership for the third wicket to rebuild the innings. Crawley put the first Test behind him, scoring an aggressive 76 before falling to Michael Neser.
- Starc’s dominance and record: Mitchell Starc continued to be the main threat, picking up the wicket of Harry Brook to claim his third of the day. This wicket also saw him surpass Wasim Akram to become the leading left-arm fast bowler in Test history by wickets taken.
- Root anchors the middle order: Joe Root played a masterful innings, initially steadying the ship and then accelerating the scoring. He formed partnerships with Brook and later with his captain, Ben Stokes, to take England past the 200-run mark.
- Australia fights back with quick wickets: A period of swift dismissals saw England lose Stokes to a brilliant run-out by Josh Inglis, followed quickly by Jamie Smith and Will Jacks falling to Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc respectively. This late-evening collapse threatened to see England bowled out cheaply.
- Joe Root reaches milestone: Despite the wickets tumbling around him, Root reached a magnificent century, his first in Test matches on Australian soil. This crucial knock was a demonstration of world-class patience and skill under pressure.
- Archer’s late blitz: The final wicket pair of Root and Jofra Archer then provided a stunning, counter-attacking finish to the day. They added a rapid 61-run partnership, with Archer providing powerful hitting to push the team’s total higher.
- Stumps reached with England nine down: England reached the close of play at 325/9, with Joe Root unbeaten on 135 and Jofra Archer not out on 32. Mitchell Starc ended the day with impressive figures of 6/71, keeping Australia firmly in the contest.
- READ MORE: Why is Steve Smith wearing black tape under his eyes in the Ashes?
