The Ashes: England’s Joe Root scores first Test hundred in Australia as Mitchell Starc takes six wickets in pink-ball game | Cricket News

Joe Root finally notched his first Ashes hundred away from home while Australia’s pink-ball maestro Mitchell Starc bagged six wickets on an absorbing opening day of the second Test.

Root’s highest knock across 29 innings in Australia before this fixture was 89, and he headed out to bat on Thursday afternoon not only off scores of nought and eight in the two-day first-Test defeat in Perth, but with his side reeling at 5-2 in the third over in Brisbane after Starc (6-71) dismissed Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks.

However, the 34-year-old went on to score 135 not out off 202 balls, reaching three figures off 181 deliveries with a clip to fine leg for his fifth Ashes ton and 40th in Test cricket, as England closed on 325-9 after electing to bat in the day-nighter at The Gabba.

Root shared a third-wicket stand of 117 from 152 balls with Zak Crawley (76) – Crawley bouncing back from his Perth pair with a 20th Test fifty – and 54 off 69 with a skittish Harry Brook (31 off 33).

Root and last man Jofra Archer (32no off 26) then smashed the tourists past 300 with a rollicking, unbroken stand of 61 from 44 balls after a collapse of 5-54 from 210-4.

Amid a boundary barrage, the 70th over, bowled by Scott Boland (1-87), was clubbed for 19 as England captain Ben Stokes opted against a late-night declaration.

In a way, that pleased Australia, whose delaying tactics showed how uninterested they were in having to pad up under the lights.

England’s position could have been even brighter if not for Brook recklessly slashing the second ball of Starc’s spell to slip, just as the natural light had started to fade and the floodlights were turned on, and Stokes (19 off 49) needlessly running himself out after adding 34 off 94 balls with Root in a diligent fifth-wicket stand.

Jamie Smith (0) was bowled by a beauty of a nip-backer from Boland three balls after Stokes’ dismissal and then Will Jacks (19) – picked in place of the injured Mark Wood (knee) – Gus Atkinson (4) and Brydon Carse (0) were all out to Starc as the Aussie quick upped his wicket tally in pink-ball Tests to 87 and to 418 in all Test cricket.

Jacks and Carse fell on the drive – we have seen that from England batters before in this series – while Atkinson was superbly caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey running towards the boundary despite nearly being tackled by team-mate Marnus Labuschagne.

England’s middle and lower-order wobble came against an Australia pace attack that had struggled earlier in the day, with stand-in captain Steve Smith also going to ultra defensive fields very early on.

England on top after day one at The Gabba

The home side were once again without regular skipper Pat Cummins – the seamer not risked after whispers that he was ready to return from a back injury -and off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who was omitted from a home Test for the first time since 2012.

The all-pace unit looked a bit samey, except for Starc, who nicked off Duckett in the first over and then bowled Pope (0) in the third as the latter England batter chopped on aiming through point.

When Starc later profited from Brook’s ugly dismissal he surpassed Pakistan legend Wasim Akram (414 wickets) as the most prolific left-arm seamer in the history of Test cricket

While Duckett, who admittedly got a good ball from Starc that nipped away late, was unable to trouble the scorers, opening partner Crawley finally did in the series after his back-to-back blobs at Optus Stadium last time out, both of which were inflicted by Starc

Crawley’s concentration finally snapped shortly after the 40-minute tea break, under-edging a banged-in ball from Lyon’s replacement Michael Neser behind to Carey having hit 11 boundaries, including one off Starc to get off the mark.

Crawley could possibly have been given out caught behind off Neser on 15 towards the end of the fourth over had Australia reviewed – there was murmur on Snicko, although one perhaps not large enough for the on-field decision of not out to be overturned.

Root, too, had a slice of fortune early in his innings after being squared up by Starc, with Steve Smith unable to claim what would have been a stunning one-handed catch as he leapt across Labuschagne in the cordon.

But after a jittery start, Root soon found his groove, positive in defence and attack, exquisite on the drive and only a few lbw appeals and run-out scares causing him any real concern, while he also rolled out the reverse scoop for six late in the final session.

It was just a shame for England that Crawley could not go on, Brook perished after a dizzying cameo, and a combination of Stokes’ misjudgement and a superb throw from cover by Josh Inglis with just one stump to aim at ended the captain’s innings early.

However, Root and Archer’s pyrotechnics have given the tourists the whip hand after day one as they look to level the five-Test series after their Perth pummelling two weeks ago.

Root’s ton, meanwhile, means Australia great Matthew Hayden will not have to walk nude around the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which he had said he would do if the England batter did not hit a hundred over the course of this Ashes series.

Ashes series in Australia 2025-26

All times UK and Ireland

• First Test (Perth): Australia beat England by eight wickets
• Second Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
• Third Test: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (11.30pm) – Adelaide Oval
• Fourth Test: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
• Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground