England's Openers Stand Firm as Starc Shines in Ashes Test

England Openers Show Resilience

Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley demonstrated strong performance, guiding England to a score of 45 without losing a wicket, as they trailed by 132 runs at the dinner break on Day 3 of the day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane. Earlier, Australia had been dismissed for 511, establishing a significant lead of 177 runs.

Starc's Stellar Performance Boosts Australia

Mitchell Starc delivered an impressive innings, scoring 77 runs, making him the highest scorer for Australia in their second innings. Australia began the second session at 450/8 after 99 overs, leading by 116 runs, with Starc (46*) and Scott Boland (7*) still at the crease.

Starc Achieves Milestones

Starc reached his fifty in the opening over of the second session, hitting a four off Will Jacks towards mid-wicket. This achievement placed him among a select group of players who have scored 50 or more runs while also taking five wickets in a day-night Test match, joining the ranks of Dilruwan Perera and Jason Holder.

Additionally, Starc now holds the record for the most runs scored by a number nine batsman in Test cricket, amassing 1,408 runs in 64 Tests and 77 innings, with an average of 22.34, including eight fifties and a top score of 99, surpassing England's Stuart Broad.

Australia's Tail End Contributes

In the 109th over, Starc aggressively targeted Gus Atkinson, hitting two boundaries and pushing the lead past 150 runs. Brydon Carse eventually dismissed Starc in the 111th over, with Starc scoring 77 runs off 141 balls, allowing Brendan Doggett to join Boland at the crease.

Jack concluded Australia's innings by taking out Doggett for 13 runs in the 117th over. Boland and Doggett added 20 runs for the final wicket, helping Australia reach a total of 511 in 117.3 overs.

Recap of Day 3

Earlier in the day, Australia maintained their dominance in the Second Ashes Test against England at the Gabba, reaching 450/8 in 99 overs and establishing a 116-run lead at Tea on Day 3. Australia resumed their innings at 378/6, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey (46) and Michael Neser (15) at the crease. The pair quickly added 50 runs for the seventh wicket, completing their partnership on the second delivery of the 74th over.

Match Summary

Match Summary: England 334 and 45 (Zak Crawley 76, Joe Root 138, Mitchell Starc 6/75) vs Australia 511 (Mitchell Starc 77, Jake Weatherald 72; Brydon Carse 4/152).