NEW DELHI: Joe Root finally registered his maiden Test century in Australia on his fourth Ashes tour, steering England from a perilous 5/2 to 325/9 at stumps after a gripping opening day of the second Test in Brisbane on Thursday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Mitchell Starc claimed 6/71 — a spell that made him the most successful left-arm fast bowler in Test cricket — but Root dominated the day-night encounter with a sublime unbeaten 135.
No. 11 Jofra Archer added late fireworks, blasting a career-best 32* off 26 balls, including two sixes, to delight England’s travelling supporters. His unbeaten 61-run stand with Root was England’s highest 10th-wicket partnership at the Gabba.Root, the world’s top-ranked batter and second on the all-time Test runs list behind Sachin Tendulkar, had never reached three figures in Australia despite three previous Ashes tours. On Thursday, he buried that narrative. Walking in during the third over with Starc swinging the pink ball under lights, he produced a near-flawless innings and reached his century with a gentle leg glance off Scott Boland.Starc’s six wickets pushed his tally to 418, overtaking Wasim Akram’s 414.“Wasim’s still the pinnacle. I think he’s still better than me,” Starc said after achieving the milestone.The left-armer struck immediately, removing Ben Duckett in his first over and Ollie Pope in his second to leave England reeling. But unlike their collapse in Perth, England fought back through a crucial 117-run stand between Root and Zak Crawley, who made a composed 76.Selection shockBoth sides wore black armbands in tribute to former England batter Robin Smith, who passed away this week.Australia, already without injured captain Pat Cummins, surprised many by omitting off-spinner Nathan Lyon and bringing in seamer Michael Neser — the first time in nearly 14 years they fielded a home Test XI without a frontline spinner.After the early collapse, Root stitched together vital stands with Harry Brook (31), Ben Stokes (19) and Will Jacks (19), adopting a more controlled approach than England’s first-Test aggression.Starc remained the primary threat, while Scott Boland produced the ball of the day — a stunning delivery that cut back sharply to bowl Jamie Smith for a duck.England slumped from 210/4 to 211/6, then to 264/9 as Starc ran through the lower order under the lights. But just as a quick finish seemed imminent, Root shifted gears and Archer counterattacked.Archer launched two towering sixes, while Root produced one of the shots of the day — a bold reverse ramp for six over third man off Boland — to ensure England ended firmly on the front foot.
