Online Reporter
ENGLAND’S Joe Root conquered his final frontier with a first Ashes Test cricket century in Australia as the tourists pushed past 300 on day one of the second Test in Brisbane yesterday despite a six-wicket haul from pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
Root marched off unbeaten on 135 off 202 balls after a late flogging of the pink ball under the Gabba flood-lights, with England 325 for nine after captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first.
Number 11 batter Jofra Archer chipped in a handy 32 not out in an unbroken 61-run partnership for the final wicket, while Zak Crawley shrugged off a pair of ducks from Perth to score a valuable 76.
Crawley combined with Root in a 117-run partnership to rally England after Starc reduced them to five for two in a disastrous start, with opener Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope falling for ducks in the space of four balls.
With Root and Crawley in command, England went to tea at 98 for two during a hot and sunny afternoon, and made the same again in the twilight session to be 196 for four at dinner.
But their hopes of piling up a huge total were thwarted by the brilliant Starc, who surpassed Wasim Akram as most prolific left-arm seamer in tests with 415 dismissals when he captured his third wicket, having Har-ry Brook caught in the slips for 31.
Starc later rattled through the lower order to finish with 6-71 for the day.
Australia sprung a surprise by dropping Nathan Lyon for the first home test since 2012 and picking Michael Neser in a four-prong seam attack.
With Usman Khawaja out injured, Australia captain Steve Smith confirmed Travis Head will open for the hosts after his match-winning 123 in Perth.
Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis takes Head’s usual middle order spot.
England shelved their four-pronged seam attack, with spin-bowling allrounder Will Jacks picked in place of Mark Wood.
Australia lead the five-Test series 1-0 and have not lost to England at the Gabba since 1986. — Reuters.
