Root’s first century in Australia gives England edge as Starc topples Akram

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England get an borderline connected the archetypal time of 2nd Test astatine the Gabba successful Brisbane arsenic Joe Root hits his archetypal period successful Australia.

Published On 4 Dec 2025

England’s Joe Root conquered his last frontier with a archetypal Ashes period successful Australia arsenic the tourists pushed past 300 connected the archetypal time of the 2nd Test successful Brisbane contempt a six-wicket haul from gait spearhead Mitchell Starc.

Root marched disconnected unbeaten connected 135 disconnected 202 balls aft a precocious flogging of the pinkish shot nether the Gabba floodlights connected Thursday, with England 325 for 9 aft skipper Ben Stokes won the flip and elected to bat.

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Number 11 batter Jofra Archer chipped successful a useful 32 not retired successful an unbroken 61-run concern for the last wicket, portion Zak Crawley shrugged disconnected a brace of ducks from Perth to people a invaluable 76.

Crawley combined with Root successful a 117-run concern to rally England aft Starc reduced them to 5 for 2 successful a disastrous start, with opener Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope falling for ducks successful the abstraction of 4 balls.

“Joe keeps it simple, helium conscionable focuses connected what runs needed to beryllium scored connected the day,” Crawley told TNT Sports.

“He is the champion subordinate I person ever played with oregon against.”

With Root and Crawley successful command, England went to beverage astatine 98 for 2 during a blistery and sunny afternoon, and made the aforesaid again successful the twilight league to beryllium 196 for 4 astatine dinner.

But their hopes of piling up a immense full were thwarted by the superb Starc, who surpassed Wasim Akram arsenic the astir prolific left-arm seamer successful Tests with 415 dismissals erstwhile helium captured his 3rd wicket, having Harry Brook caught successful the slips for 31.

“It was a large spread aft the archetypal game, I felt calm contiguous though, and managed to settee the nerves,” added Crawley, who got a brace successful the archetypal Test.

“I tried to support it simple. I was gutted to get retired erstwhile I did due to the fact that the transportation was getting a small flatter.

“I had a wide program and stuck to it. I tried to deed the shot hard if they came into my country onto my pads.

“There was inactive a fewer escaped shots successful there, and I request to permission a small much extracurricular the disconnected stump, but erstwhile I was in, and the shot was soft, I felt I could play a fewer much connected that side.”

Mitchell Starc of Australia bowls during time 1 of the Second 2025/26 Ashes Series Test Match arsenic England skipper Ben Stokes watches on

Starc aboriginal rattled done the little bid to decorativeness with 6-71 for the day.

“Wasim is inactive up determination arsenic 1 of the champion ever with the ball, I deliberation helium is inactive better,” Starc said of his accomplishment of moving supra the erstwhile Pakistan seamer.

“I deliberation [the pinkish ball] is inactive similar a achromatic ball; it was a good-paced wicket, and Root has batted well.

“It was a beauteous unsmooth day’s cricket; erstwhile the shot goes soft, it is pugnacious to vessel with.”

Australia sprang a astonishment by dropping Nathan Lyon for the archetypal location Test since 2012 and picking Michael Neser successful a four-pronged seam attack.

With Usman Khawaja retired injured, Australia skipper Steve Smith confirmed Travis Head volition unfastened for the hosts aft his match-winning 123 successful Perth.

Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis takes Head’s accustomed mediate bid spot.

England shelved their four-pronged seam attack, with spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks picked successful spot of Mark Wood.

Australia pb the five-Test bid 1-0 and person not mislaid to England astatine the Gabba since 1986.

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