Australia's Jake Weatherald Shines with Maiden Half-Century Against England

Weatherald's Breakthrough Performance

Brisbane, Australia - On December 5, the second day of the Test match at the Gabba saw Australian opener Jake Weatherald achieve his first half-century, helping Australia close the gap to 204 runs behind England's first innings score of 334 by the end of the morning session.

At the conclusion of the first session, Australia stood at 130 for 1 after 21 overs, with Weatherald not out on 59 and Marnus Labuschagne contributing 27 runs.

The day commenced with England resuming their innings at 325 for 9, featuring Joe Root (135*) and Jofra Archer (32*) at the crease.

In the 76th over, Archer executed a stunning drive off Mitchell Starc, sending the ball to the boundary.

However, England's innings concluded shortly after, with pacer Brendan Doggett dismissing Archer in the second ball of the 77th over.

Archer attempted a well-timed pull shot, but Labuschagne made a spectacular catch at backward square leg, leading to England's total of 334 runs.

Archer scored 38 runs off 36 balls, including two fours and two sixes, while Root, who achieved his first Test century in Australia, finished unbeaten on 138 runs from 206 balls, featuring 15 fours and one six.

Root's score of 138* is now the highest individual score against Australia in a day-night Test, surpassing Asad Shafiq's previous record of 137 runs set in 2016 at the same venue.

Additionally, the 10th wicket partnership of 70 runs between Root and Archer marked the highest for England in Australia since the 1951/52 series.

Mitchell Starc had an outstanding performance with the ball for Australia, taking 6 wickets for 75 runs in 20 overs, marking his second five-wicket haul in the ongoing Ashes series and his 18th overall in Test cricket.

Starc also reached the milestone of 250 Test wickets in Australia, achieving this in 11502 balls, a record only surpassed by Dale Steyn, who did it in 9863 balls in South Africa.

In response to England's total, Australian openers Travis Head and Jake Weatherald began their innings cautiously.

Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson posed challenges for the Australian openers with their accurate bowling.

Australia managed to score their first runs after 20 balls when Weatherald hit a boundary off Atkinson.

Weatherald then broke free in the eighth over, striking three boundaries against Atkinson.

In the ninth over, wicketkeeper Jamie Smith dropped a catch from Head off a superb delivery by Archer, which found the edge.

Head quickly responded with a boundary and a six off Brydon Carse, helping Australia reach 50 runs in their innings.

Carse, who was struggling, eventually took the first wicket for England by dismissing Head for 33 runs in the 14th over.

Weatherald maintained his aggressive batting style, leading Australia past the 100-run mark in just 17.2 overs, where he also celebrated his maiden half-century.

Marnus Labuschagne, who joined Weatherald at the crease, also hit quick boundaries, putting pressure back on England as Australia reached 125 for 1 in just 20 overs.

Notably, 125 for 1 is the second-highest score at the end of 20 overs in a Test innings in Australia, only behind Australia's 146 for 0 against India in Perth in 2012.

Both Marnus and Weatherald navigated the bowling attack effectively, ensuring Australia was in a strong position at the end of the first session.

Earlier on Day 1, England made a strong recovery after losing early wickets, with Zak Crawley and Joe Root forming a solid 93-run partnership after Mitchell Starc dismissed Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope cheaply.

Root reached his maiden Test century in Australia in 181 balls, marking his 40th overall in Test cricket, and became the second English player to score a century on the opening day of a Gabba Test.

Brief Scores: England 334 (Zak Crawley 76, Joe Root 138*, Mitchell Starc 6/75) vs Australia 130/1 (Jake Weatherald 59*, Marnus Labuschagne 27*).