England's batting woes finally showed some signs of abatement as Joe Root, the team's captain, and their all-time leading run-scorer, notched a 135* on day one of the second Ashes Test at Brisbane's Gabba. The milestone marked his 40th Test ton and his first in Australia since 2019, putting the tourists in a respectable 325-9 at stumps.
The day had started off poorly for England with opener Ben Duckett being bowled by Mitchell Starc for a golden duck. But Root quickly steadied the ship, rebuilding from a disastrous start alongside Zak Crawley to form a crucial 117-run partnership before being joined by Harry Brook. The stand between the two batsmen was a highlight of the day, with both men showing glimpses of their quality before being parted ways by Starc.
The Australian attack, led by the prolific left-arm fast-medium bowler Starc, continued to pose a threat throughout the day, with the wicketkeeper Alex Carey performing admirably behind the stumps. The tourists did struggle to adapt to the day-night conditions at times, but Root and his team have been working tirelessly to improve their game in this environment.
Starc's impressive display saw him pick up 6-71, taking his record in day-night Tests to 87 wickets in 15 matches. He also became the most successful left-arm pace bowler in Test cricket history, surpassing Wasim Akram.
The value of Root's ton will only become clear when the match is closer, but it provided a much-needed boost to England's chances of regaining the Ashes. With the series still very much alive, England will look to build on this solid foundation and push their hosts hard in the coming days.
As for Starc, he continues to spearhead the Australian attack, putting together a body of work that has echoes of Mitchell Johnson's destruction in 2013-14. The left-arm fast-medium bowler remains a potent threat, capable of changing the game with his delivery every time he steps onto the field.
The decision by Australia to omit off-spinner Nathan Lyon from their squad for this Test will only be revealed in time, but without him, if Starc is taken out of the equation, the combined figures of Australia's other seamers were 2-249. The tourists must hope that Root and his team can build on this solid foundation and push their hosts hard over the coming days.
The stage is now set for a thrilling contest between two of cricket's greatest rivalries. England will look to capitalize on the momentum from day one, while Australia will seek to build on Starc's impressive display and put pressure back onto the tourists.
The day had started off poorly for England with opener Ben Duckett being bowled by Mitchell Starc for a golden duck. But Root quickly steadied the ship, rebuilding from a disastrous start alongside Zak Crawley to form a crucial 117-run partnership before being joined by Harry Brook. The stand between the two batsmen was a highlight of the day, with both men showing glimpses of their quality before being parted ways by Starc.
The Australian attack, led by the prolific left-arm fast-medium bowler Starc, continued to pose a threat throughout the day, with the wicketkeeper Alex Carey performing admirably behind the stumps. The tourists did struggle to adapt to the day-night conditions at times, but Root and his team have been working tirelessly to improve their game in this environment.
Starc's impressive display saw him pick up 6-71, taking his record in day-night Tests to 87 wickets in 15 matches. He also became the most successful left-arm pace bowler in Test cricket history, surpassing Wasim Akram.
The value of Root's ton will only become clear when the match is closer, but it provided a much-needed boost to England's chances of regaining the Ashes. With the series still very much alive, England will look to build on this solid foundation and push their hosts hard in the coming days.
As for Starc, he continues to spearhead the Australian attack, putting together a body of work that has echoes of Mitchell Johnson's destruction in 2013-14. The left-arm fast-medium bowler remains a potent threat, capable of changing the game with his delivery every time he steps onto the field.
The decision by Australia to omit off-spinner Nathan Lyon from their squad for this Test will only be revealed in time, but without him, if Starc is taken out of the equation, the combined figures of Australia's other seamers were 2-249. The tourists must hope that Root and his team can build on this solid foundation and push their hosts hard over the coming days.
The stage is now set for a thrilling contest between two of cricket's greatest rivalries. England will look to capitalize on the momentum from day one, while Australia will seek to build on Starc's impressive display and put pressure back onto the tourists.
. He's been through so much over the years and there are times when I feel like he's not as consistent as he used to be... maybe that's just an old man in me though 
. On a more serious note, what's with the lack of batsmen who can handle the day-night conditions? It seems like every team is struggling with it these days 
. Maybe Root and his team need to work on their skills in these conditions to stay ahead of Australia 
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- The quote says it all for Joe Root's incredible 135* on a tough day-night surface at Gabba. He, along with Zak Crawley, showed the Aussie bowlers that England's batting woes have finally begun to show some signs of improvement! Starc, the Aussie left-arm fast-medium bowler, put on an incredible display, taking his record in day-night Tests to 87 wickets in just 15 matches! The stage is set for a thrilling contest between two cricketing giants 
! He's been working so hard to get back in form and it's great to see him finally showing some signs of life. That partnership with Zak Crawley was really key, they need more of those kind of sessions like that to take the game away from the Aussies.
. He's clearly the leader of the pack and Australia's attack is starting to look pretty strong. But England's got some fight left in them, we've seen it before when they're under pressure.
! It's about time he broke that drought in Aus, I was starting to think he'd never hit another six Down Under 
. But seriously, it's a huge boost for England and their chances of regaining the Ashes. Now they just gotta keep the pressure on and Root will be unstoppable 
. I love how he's taking the game to England, making them work hard for every run.
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and can we talk about how he's surpassing wasim akram as the most successful left-arm pace bowler in test cricket history? legendary! 
, but Joe's got some tricks up his sleeve! 40th Test ton and all that jazz? He's like the cricketing equivalent of me eating a whole pizza by myself (which is a pretty impressive feat, btw 
). And Starc's on fire, man! Like, he's got more wickets in day-night Tests than I've got memes on my phone 
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. 6-71 is some serious numbers from Starc! He's literally unstoppable when it comes to day-night Tests. I mean, 87 wickets in just 15 matches? That's insane. But what really caught my eye was how Root's ton impacted their chances of regaining the Ashes. It's definitely a boost for them, but can they keep it up and put some real pressure on Australia? One thing's for sure, if Starc keeps bowling like this, Australia will be in trouble 
but root and crawley saved the day for england. australia's attack is still super strong tho, especially with starc taking 6 wickets... i mean, who else can say they've taken 87 wickets in just 15 matches? 
But let's be real, it's been coming for years. Can we please just get some consistency out of this team? 
They're like a rollercoaster ride of emotions - one day they're on top, the next they're getting roasted by Australia. 
And can we talk about Starc for a sec? 
Still a great bowler, but let's keep things in perspective, yeah? 
i went there last week with my friends and got the most amazing matcha crème brûlée 
, I mean, 325-9 is a decent score but it's not like they're setting up for a big win or anything. Joe Root's ton was just that - a ton - and not exactly a game-changer. It's gonna take more than one day of batting to get them out of this hole.
The Aussie attack just keeps getting stronger 
87 wickets in 15 day-night Tests? That's insane! 
England needs to find a way to counter him or it's gonna be tough to regain the Ashes.
I mean, 325-9 is a pretty respectable score, especially considering how tough day-night cricket can be. 
he's been on fire lately and it's going to take some magic from Root and his teammates to beat him. 
I'm loving the drama and tension that's building up for this match - can't wait to see how it all plays out!