On the opening day of the day-night second Ashes Test in Brisbane, England produced a rollercoaster batting performance, anchored by Captain Joe Root, who finally scored his first Test century on Australian soil, finishing the day unbeaten on 135 off 202 balls. England ended the day on 325 for 9.
Australian left-arm quick Mitchell Starc was the standout bowler, tormenting England's top and lower order to finish with phenomenal figures of 6 for 71. Starc's performance saw him surpass Wasim Akram's record for the most Test wickets by a left-arm quick.
After Ben Stokes elected to bat on a green Gabba surface, England slumped to 5 for 2 after just 15 balls, with Starc dismissing openers Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks. Four English batters fell for ducks in total.
Root combined with Zak Crawley (who scored a resilient 76 off 93 balls) for a crucial third-wicket century stand to stabilize the innings.
After reaching a strong position, England lost 5 wickets for just 54 runs under the lights, losing key wickets like Crawley (falling in the 70s) and a rash dismissal by Harry Brook (16 off 10 balls).
Just when Australia looked set to enforce the follow-on, Root found unlikely support in No. 11 Jofra Archer, with the pair adding an unbroken 61-run partnership to frustrate the tiring Australian attack and ensure England batted out the day.
Australia fielded an all-pace attack, notably dropping frontline spinner Nathan Lyon (missing only his second home Test since his debut) for Queensland fast bowler Michael Neser. Captain Pat Cummins was also not included despite speculation. Josh Inglis replaced injured Usman Khawaja and impressed with a sharp run-out of Ben Stokes.
Players from both teams wore black armbands in honor of former England batter Robin Smith, who passed away this week.
