Joe Root’s maiden Test hundred and a late cameo from tailender Jofra Archer has given England the ascendancy at stumps on day one of the second Ashes contest at the Gabba despite another inspiring performance from speedster Mitchell Starc.
The tourists were 9-325 at the close of play on Thursday following an unbeaten 61-run partnership between Root and Archer, who finished unbeaten on 135 and 32 respectively.
Earlier, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, England found themselves in early strife at 2-5 following another scintillating opening burst from Starc, who finished with 6-71 from 19 overs. Opener Zak Crawley cracked a rapid half-century, while captain Ben Stokes was run out in the evening session courtesy of a stunning piece of fielding from reserve wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.
The second Ashes Test resumes on Friday at 3pm AEDT.
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Waugh surprised by Lyon dropping | 01:32
LYON OMISSION LEAVES AUSSIES AT RISK
It is the selection stunner that could yet turn the Ashes and one left pundits perplexed, with Nathan Lyon left out of a Test on home soil for the first time in 14 years.
Judgement on one of the great gambles cannot be made until stumps are drawn at the Gabba, and even an Australian win may not convince experts the right call was made.
The champion off-spinner has a more than reasonable record in Brisbane, having secured 52 wickets at 28, while also toiling away for hours in the heat to give the quicks a rest.
The shock was evident in the voice of former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe, who knows a thing or two about tweaking the ball, early on Day 1.
While O’Keeffe is well known for generating laughs, anyone who has worked with ‘Skull’ at Fox Cricket knows how fastidious he is in his preparation for the summer of cricket.
He has watched recent domestic matches in Brisbane and said it was evident the spinners were extracting bounce, something he described as “Lyon’s greatest asset”, from the wicket.
“Are we going to see overs from Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne if England get away?” O’Keeffe said.
“I can’t agree with the non selection of a spinner on a dry pitch. I know it’s a day-nighter and I know it’s the pink ball, but I still can’t come to terms with it.”
So significant was the decision, Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey spoke to reporters in Brisbane to explain why the champion spinner had been overlooked.
The defence is understandable, for it was only five months ago that selector Tony Dodemaide said the decision to overlook Lyon for the final Test of the Caribbean tour was a one-off.
“Nathan will disagree with the decision, and that’s perfectly okay,” Bailey said.
“I think he disagreed with the decision in Jamaica, and that’s perfectly okay. I have no qualms about players feeling like they can impact the game. And the fact of the matter is he could have.”
Amen.
Former Australian batter Mark Waugh, another feature Kayo Sports commentator throughout the Ashes summer, was also puzzled by the decision to opt against the variety offered by Lyon.
While Michael Neser, who earned selection, is renowned for his work with the pink ball, it did mean Australia had a battery of pace bowlers given the skills of all-rounder Cameron Green.
Waugh noted the messaging seemed contradictory surrounding Green, who was cleared to bowl as frequently as required leading into the Perth Test after recovering from side soreness.
“I just wonder if not having that variety is going to come back to bite them in this game,” he said.
“It could work out for Australia and the selectors, but I can’t help but think they have overloaded their quick bowlers here, especially if Green is good to go and the word is he can bowl as many overs as they need him to bowl.”
Former Australian captain Allan Border was also stunned, noting Lyon had the happy habit of being able to snare wickets even on the greenest of wickets.
“I thought it was a strange decision. Nathan has been such a good wicket taker for Australia over a lot of years now and even on the best of wickets, he still finds a way to get people out,” he said.
Carey burns Marnus to take classic catch | 02:19
There were concerns about Lyon’s fitness at the end of the Perth Test, with the off-spinner nursing a particularly nasty bruise near the hip pointer after being struck late on Day 1.
But he has been able to bowl in the nets and was able to trundle a few overs in the nets after being overlooked before being clipped on the ankle by a drive by Beau Webster, who also has reason to feel some angst after being overlooked for a spot at No.6.
Speaking of spin, while the Tasmanian has predominantly bowled medium pace in recent years, he could have offered an off-spinning option as well if selected.
The lack of Lyon’s variety was not the only problem for Australia on the first day.
Without the spinner zipping through his overs at one end, it quickly became apparent the Aussies would struggle to get through their overs if England managed to bat through the day.
This proved an issue for a couple of reasons. It prevented Australia from being able to make the most of bowling with a new ball, which is offered after 80 overs, under lights.
Instead they reached just 74 overs in another poor showing, part of what has become a worrying trend with Test cricket globally.
From a longer term view, it also means that Australia is vulnerable to being issued with a penalty, which could prove problematic in terms of the World Test Championship race.
“It was a surprising call for me,” former England bowler Isa Guha said of the decision to drop Lyon.
“I’d been saying that in the afternoon, that they’re not getting through these overs.
“You just think about Mitch Starc, another three or four overs at the end of the day (with the second new ball) to just take a couple of wickets into tomorrow, it would just give them so much momentum.”
Root bags his maiden ton in Australia | 01:05
ROOT FINALLY BREAKS 12-YEAR AUSSIE HOODOO
Matthew Hayden can breathe a sigh of relief.
Ahead of this summer’s Ashes campaign, Joe Root was repeatedly reminded of his Test record on Australian soil. The English superstar, the world’s No. 1 ranked batter, had already toured Australia on three occasions with an average of 33.33 and no hundreds.
Having been dismissed cheaply in both innings of the series opener at Perth Stadium, pressure was mounting on the Yorkshireman to silence his critics and end the Australian hoodoo – and with no Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood or Nathan Lyon to worry about, he delivered for his country in the Queensland capital on Saturday.
Walking to the crease in the third over, Root rebuilt England’s innings after an early collapse with a 181-ball century, his 40th hundred in Tests.
The right-hander soaked up pressure and batted with patience, ticking along at a steady tempo despite some reckless batting at the other end. He also wasn’t afraid to advance at nagging seamer Scott Boland to negotiate lateral movement.
Apart from the final 30 minutes of the day, while chasing quick runs alongside tailender Jofra Archer, there was no need for reverse ramps or lofted slogs, just high-quality Test batting. He was England’s glue on day one, holding the innings together and frustrating the Australians.
Root celebrated the triple-figure milestone with a sheepish shrug towards the media box, as if to ask, ‘What are ya’ll going to write about me now?’.
“He knows how important runs after his team on the back of what happened in Perth, to be able to bounce back after such a savage loss is so important,” former England bowler Isa Guha told Fox Cricket at the Gabba.
“Root is the one in that order to manage the tempo.
“You can see it was a really tough, tricky period for him against Starc early on. Once he got through that period, I think he felt a lot more confident in his innings.
“He’s just setting up this game.”
Root brings up his 50 | 00:39
Former England captain Michael Vaughan acknowledged that Root’s traditional approach with the willow allows his more aggressive teammates – such as Harry Brook and Zak Crawley – to play their natural game.
“I’ve always said the key to England’s batting is Joe Root,” Vaughan said.
“Whenever Joe Root is out there, you feel like there is at least a bit of calmness for them.”
He continued: “All the talk leading into this series was, ‘Will Joe Root get three figures in Australia?’
“Well, in his third innings of the series he’s done it off the back of a difficult week in Perth.
“For England to compete they need that man.
“It was a technical masterclass from England’s best player.”
Root’s heroics have put England in a strong position at the Gabba, but there’s another drought he’d be much more eager to break this week. The 34-year-old has played 15 Tests in Australia without tasting victory, an unwanted record.
The century will be gratifying, but he won’t be fully satisfied unless England draws the series 1-1.
“He’s come here a few times now and not been able to see England win a Test match, and I think he’s just really pumped up to try and make that happen,” Guha continued.
“Losing in Australia was never fun. I was very fortunate to have been involved in some winning teams over here, but to actually get over the line and win is unbelievably hard in these conditions.
“To have had that much hurt over here in the manner of those defeats as well, when you’ve lost all control and it feels like it’s just spiralling towards the end of a series, it’s a horrible place to be psychologically.
“They know they have to win this Test match to give them every chance of winning the series. It’s one of the best opportunities they’ve ever had, so I think that’s definitely at the forefront of his mind.”
CHANGE THAT MADE STARC ‘ONE OF THE GREATS OF THE GAME’
Mitchell Starc celebrates his 36th birthday next month, but the Australian speedster is showing no signs of slowing down.
Three days into the Ashes campaign, the tall left-armed already has 16 wickets to his name, more than England’s entire team has managed thus far in the series. Albeit with a long way to go, he’s on track to topple his personal best for most scalps in a Test series of 24, achieved during the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka.
Starc has now taken 26 wickets in the first over of a Test innings, comfortably the highest figure among players since his debut in 2011. On day one at the Gabba, he also became the leading wicket-taker among left-armed fast bowlers in Tests, leapfrogging Pakistan legend Wasim Akram.
“I think it’s right that we start talking about him as one of the greats of the game,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.
Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey added: “I have been lucky enough to stand behind the stumps for a little while to him, and he is one of the greatest bowlers Australia has seen and now the world as well.”
Starc has played 24 consecutive Tests dating back to the 2023 Ashes – only Carey and Travis Head have played all of Australia’s matches during that period. Considering the sport’s crowded calendar, which has forced several teams into rotating their injury-prone fast bowlers, Starc’s ongoing durability has been a marvel.
Australian great Brett Lee, who played alongside Starc at the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, applauded the New South Welshman’s improvement in the Test arena.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to Mitchell Starc,” he told Fox Cricket at the Gabba.
“I’ve been super impressed, he’s just gone from strength to strength.”
Lee added: “He’s got the ability because he’s super fit.
“He’s just a pure athlete.”
Lee attributed Starc’s improvement to his relaxed and rhythmic run-up, which he compared to the West Indies greats of the 1980s and his brother, high-jumper Brandon. It’s allowed him to bowl longer spells and preserve energy throughout the day.
“His run-up I think now is the key to his success,” Lee said.
“His approach just looks effortless now.
“His brother’s an Olympic high-jumper. He’s got the genes in the family.”
Starc’s willingness to pitch there ball up and target the stumps has also paid dividends – of his 418 Test wickets, 23 per cent of them have been bowled. No cricketer with more Test scalps comes close to matching that figure.
“Ninety-nine of his Test wickets have been bowled, which is unheard of,” Lee added.
Starc finished the day with figures of 6-71 from 19 overs, stepping up in the absence of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. He’s an early candidate for player-of-the-series accolades.
Vaughan hails Starc as one of the greats | 01:30
THREE FROM THREE: ENGLAND’S FIRST-OVER NIGHTMARE
Three innings. Three wickets in the first over.
England’s openers once again failed to survive Mitchell Starc’s first over, with Ben Duckett departing for a golden duck after edging a full out swinger towards first slip. In the tall left-armer’s following over, Ollie Pope recklessly flashed at a wide delivery with no footwork, chopping back onto his stumps for a third-ball duck to leave the tourists in early strife at 2-5.
“That’s a really poor stroke,” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket commentary.
“You have got to be leaving that ball from Mitchell Starc. It is far too close to be playing that shot to the off-side.”
He added: “You got any curtains? So I don’t have to watch.”
Later on Thursday, the dangerous Harry Brook departed for 31 after slogging at the first delivery he faced from Starc, with the outside edge sailing towards rival skipper Steve Smith in the slips cordon. During the evening session, the returning Will Jacks fell in almost identical fashion.
When considering the match situation, it was a regrettable stroke from both youngsters.
It comes after opener Zak Crawley bagged a pair during the Ashes opener in Perth, on both occasions driving on the up, while multiple of England’s top-order batters were guilty of attacking deliveries they could have comfortably left alone in the West Australian capital.
England’s openers are struggling to find a way to tame Starc during his opening spell, but according to Brett Lee, the answer isn’t rocket science.
“Leave. Leave the ball,” he told Fox Cricket at the Gabba.
“It’s a combination of probably playing balls that they don’t have to, but that’s built up by pressure and great bowling.
“It’s not necessarily poor batting. It’s shots are being played because they’re under pressure, and they’re being put under pressure from a world-class bowler in Mitchell Starc
“They’re playing in shots they don’t have to, so they’ve got to find a way to leave the ball.”
Lee also acknowledged that England right-handed batters feel obliged to play Starc early courtesy of his lethal inswinger – they don’t want to be left red-faced after leaving a delivery that crashes into off stump, instead falling victim to a wobble-seam delivery that moves across them.
“He shapes the ball back in, so they have to play,” he continued.
“They play because they think the ball’s been shaped back in, so they play the line of the ball, and that’s when they nick off.
“Try and leave it, they might get their off stump ripped out.”
England’s batting was considerably more sensible compared to what Perth fans witnessed during the first Test, but the tourists have too often shot themselves in the foot with rushes of blood to the head.
STOKES RESISTS ‘GUTSY’ DECLARATIONSpeaking to reporters on the eve of the Gabba Test, England captain Ben Stokes was asked about the prospect of a funky declaration that would force Australia’s vulnerable top order to face the swinging pink Kookaburra under lights.
Just over 24 hours later, he was presented with the exact situation.
With the venue’s floodlights in full blast and England’s lead approaching 300 courtesy of a late flourish tailender Jofra Archer, Stokes would have considered the possibility of an early declaration on Thursday afternoon, allowing his fast bowlers an opportunity to create early inroads before stumps.
The ploy worked during the 2023 Mount Maunganui Test against New Zealand, when Stokes declared after just 58 overs before the tourists claimed three scalps before the conclusion of day one.
“There’ll be times in the Test match where you’ll probably be presented with something like that,” Stokes said on Wednesday.
“It’s commonly known that it’s a lot more difficult under lights.
“I’m not going to say that’s what we’re going to go out there and try and do. But I guess if there’s an opportunity that presents itself in a game where you feel like you can use those lights to your advantage when you’ve got the opportunity to bowl, I think both teams will try and catch that.”
Former Australian opener David Warner also floated the “gutsy” idea on Fox Cricket commentary, questioning why Stokes didn’t want to unleash his fast bowlers for 15 minutes on Thursday evening.
“Night time is the best time to bowl”, Warner said.
“If you want to make inroads with a new ball, the best time to do that is at night time.
“Unless you feel like you can bat deep into tomorrow evening then you make the decision.”
He added: “I’m baffled here, absolutely baffled.
“Statistics prove and show to you that the hardest time to bat is under lights with a brand new cricket ball.
“It’s remarkable what I’m seeing.
“Would Jofra Archer not want that brand new ball in his hand now rather than with a beaming sun tomorrow?”
However, Stokes would have been wary of what happened the last time England declared on day one of an Ashes Tests, suffering a tense two-wicket defeat at Edgbaston in 2023. Centurion Joe Root was still at the crease on that occasion as well.
Asked about the potential of a declaration on day one, Guha emphasised the importance of first-innings runs on a dry pitch that could deteriorate as the match progressed.
“Make the bowlers tired, bat until tomorrow, utilise that first session tomorrow,” she said.
“You do the hard work tonight, you get to have a bit of fun tomorrow afternoon.
“That’s their best chance in this Test match.”
