The beauty of the longest format of the game is the very fact that the balance of a match can swing one way or the other multiple times in a single day’s play. England have overseen one such turnaround, led by the efforts of Zak Crawley and Joe Root, to post 325/9 on Day 1 of this second Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
After being 5/2 after just 2.3 overs, things looked dire for the visitors, who were at the risk of being bundled out for another low score in this Ashes series. However, Root and Crawley dug in after Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope were dismissed, putting up 117 runs for the third wicket. Root stitched a 54-run partnership with Harry Brook, followed by a 34-run stand with skipper Ben Stokes, before the pair departed.
Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse fell for ducks, make it a total of four ducks among the 11 batters – something England really need to improve. Will Jacks and Jofra Archer contributed with invaluable cameos, taking their side’s total into a respectable range, putting some pressure back on Australia.
For the hosts, spearhead seamer Mitchell Starc was the hero of the day, picking up six wickets after some brilliant spells throughout the day. Michael Neser and Scott Boland picked up one wicket apiece, and Stokes was dismissed by way of run out by Josh Inglis.
Apart from failing to capitalize on England’s shaky start, the Australians were also guilty of being considerably slower than the expected over rate. Instead of being close to the standard 90-over mark, the Aussies barely crawled their way to 74 overs bowled in one day, with 24 overs in the first session, 23 in the second, and 26 overs in the final session. This is where missing a spinner could come back to bite the hosts, who will need to increase their over-rates to be at par with the requirements.
Joe Root remains the main talking point of the day despite Starc’s impressive bowling figures, achieving a milestone of his own in the process. He scored his 40th Test century, with it being his first-ever in Australia, in spite of such an illustrious career in this format. Not only did that lift spirits in the England camp, it will give their premier batter some much-needed confidence with a little over three-and-a-half Test left to play.
The Australians will look to wrap up the final wicket fairly early on Day 2, which should ideally give them enough time to bat and eat into England’s lead before the lights come on tomorrow. Pressure will be on the top order, with at least one batter expected to post a big score that could help their team.
Will England find their way back to level the series, or will Australia come through with their batting? Join us tomorrow at 4am GMT to find out. Until then, cheerio!