England Bounces Back with Strong Partnership in Second Ashes Test

England's Resilience Shines in Brisbane

Brisbane [Australia], December 4: England has made a remarkable recovery in the second Ashes Test, thanks to a solid, unbeaten partnership of 93 runs between Zak Crawley and Joe Root. This comeback came after a challenging start, where Australia’s Mitchell Starc dismissed both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope early in the innings.

By the end of the first session, England stood at 98 for 2 after 24 overs, with Crawley not out on 61 and Root on 32.

Choosing to bat first, England faced immediate trouble as Starc claimed Duckett's wicket for a golden duck in the very first over. Duckett attempted a defensive shot, but the ball edged to Marnus Labuschagne at slips.

Starc struck again, removing Ollie Pope on the third ball of the third over. Pope tried to play a shot towards off-stump but ended up with an inside edge that hit the stumps, leaving England at 11 for 2.

In a tense moment during the fourth over, Crawley narrowly escaped dismissal when Australia opted not to review a close call after he edged a delivery from Michael Neser.

Root, who joined Crawley at the crease, played cautiously at first. In the ninth over, Starc allowed Crawley to hit two boundaries, and the pair reached their 50-run partnership in the 12th over.

Both batsmen continued to score steadily with singles and twos, with Crawley surviving another close call when Scott Boland failed to catch a ball in his follow-through during the 18th over.

Crawley eventually reached his first fifty of the series in 67 balls, a significant achievement after a disappointing performance in the first Test in Perth.

As the first day of the pink ball Test at the Gabba progressed, England managed to reach 98 for 2 at Tea.

Australia entered this match with confidence, having won the series opener by eight wickets, which concluded in just two days, highlighted by a brilliant century from Travis Head and a 10-wicket haul from Mitchell Starc.

Brief Scores: England 98/2 (Zak Crawley 61*, Joe Root 32*, Mitchell Starc 3/26) vs Australia.