England captain finally breaks Ashes drought in Australia

Even Ben Stokes’ tangle with Root (England captain Josh Inglis’ direct strike left them 19 out) could not throw the visitors off course.

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Crawley, who set the tone for the visitors with his shot of 76, said: “The fact that he showed this today and scored 100 points shows what a class act he is.”

“We were nervous about him for a long time before that. He was less nervous than we were. It was a great moment. He’s so humble, he doesn’t try to make a big deal about it. I’m sure he’s very pleased inside.”

Mitchell Starc’s outstanding start to the Ashes continued with figures of 6-71 from 19 overs, surpassing Wasim Akram’s long-standing tally of 415 wickets to become the most prolific left-arm fast bowler in Test history. It’s not that he thinks he’s in the same class.

“I’ll think about it later,” Starc said. “Wasim is still a much better bowler than me.”

Starc backed up his 10-wicket haul in even more brilliant fashion in the first Test to remove Ben Duckett for a golden duck on Thursday, but a century stand from Crawley and Root saved England from first-day humiliation after winning the toss and batting at the Gabba.

Australia lacked variety without the return of Nathan Lyon as England batted more in one day in Brisbane than in the entire Test in Perth.

Root faces criticism wherever he goes after failing to remove his helmet in Australia. When he did, there was a quick kiss on the badge and a shrug towards the dressing room, an understated celebration for a player who would finally get the recognition he deserved in Australia.

The likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Lyon have long been rooting for Root in Australia, but none of them could get the pink ball on the opening night at the Gabba, where England are more reliant than ever on their most dangerous weapon. Without Root, the tourists would be in a difficult situation.

In his 30th Test innings on Australian soil – having reached 50 nine times with his previous best of 89 – Root broke the shackles, some 4,396 days after his first attempt 16 Tests earlier. His 100 might not have come if Steve Smith had not taken a tricky diving chance at second slip when Root was at two.

He deserves a slice of luck after a poor run.

“I’m sure he’ll be relieved when he gets those 100 points,” Starc said. “He played exceptionally well today, took advantage of the conditions, handled the pressure and got the result at the end of the day.

“We ended up getting a little bit away with a soft ball and we’re sitting pretty balanced here.”

Starc’s record of taking wickets in the first over has long been formidable, but he has taken it to another level in recent months. Ben Duckett became the left-arm’s latest early casualty, closing in on Marnus Labuschagne in the first over to head for the golden duck.

It was a dent in the scoreboard and another psychological blow, to the delight of the 37,117 Gabba fans.

From Australia’s last Caribbean Test tour in Kingston (when the West Indies were bowled out for 27) to Thursday in Brisbane, Starc took 6-5 in his first four overs in every innings.

This was Starc’s first hit in a Test innings for the 26th time in his career; He was seven more than England’s Jimmy Anderson and well ahead of Kemar Roach (10). This was also the third time Starc had been hit from three innings in the first innings of this series.

At 2-5, England’s decision to bat initially appeared to have backfired, with No. 3 Ollie Pope bowling and dragging Starc to his stumps – a dismissal that undid his vow earlier in the week to shelve loose shots outside off stumps.

Soon after, Starc edged Harry Brook ahead of Akram by 31 runs and moved into 16th place in the all-time bowlers list. In terms of all fast bowlers, Starc is ranked ninth on the list.

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England’s start was so worrying that former captain Michael Vaughan asked live on television if there were curtains at the Gabba so he didn’t have to watch Australia twist the knife early on.

When Root and Crawley edged a Neser delivery to Carey, the latter struggled to get the momentum back before perishing on 76 off 93 balls in the 28th over.

The duo’s 117-run third wicket partnership was England’s highest ever in the series. Root was steady and Crawley was more expansive, driving when possible and scoring freely within the frame of goal.

Still, Crawley tried his luck; Replays suggested he may have been 15 overs behind – a point not reviewed by Australia – while Boland took the chance to take a tough catch and bowl when he was on 39 in the opening overs.

Brook’s wild knock saw him stay behind the wicket for 31 off 33 balls before Root flourished like a man with a point to prove and England took the 1-1 scoreline.

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