Brisbane: Joe Root posted a long-awaited first Ashes century in Australia to give England the honors on Day 1 of the second cricket test despite Mitchell Starc’s six wickets.
Starc removed Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to have England reeling at 5-2 in the third over Thursday.
That’s when Root went to the crease and set about restoring the England innings, and confidence, following the series-opening eight-wicket loss in Perth.
His unbeaten 135 led England to 325-9 at stumps, with No. 11 Jofra Archer at a career-best 32 in an unbroken 61-run last-wicket stand.
Zac Crawley, who helped Root get England’s revival going in a 117-run third-wicket stand, described his teammate’s century as a “phenomenal knock.”
“He played brilliantly,” Crawley said. The ball “was doing plenty when he first came in and he was so calm and he was so clear as well about how he wanted to go about it.”
Opener Crawley, who was coming off two ducks in Perth, scored 76 from 93 balls and was outscoring Root before he attempted an extravagant pull shot and got an under edge through to the keeper just after the first interval.
Starc then returned to dismiss Harry Brook, giving him his 415th career wicket to surpass Pakistan great Wasim Akram (414 from 104 tests) as the most successful left-arm fast bowler in test cricket.
“He’s still still the pinnacle of left-armers,” Starc said of Wasim. “It’s nice to be spoken of up around that but I’ll just try to keep churning a few out.”
Brook was caught at slip slashing outside off stump and falling for 31 from 33 balls to end a 54-run fourth-wicket partnership with Root just as the sun was going down.
Root’s highest test score in 15 previous Ashes tests in Australia was 89, and the local media had taken every chance in recent weeks to remind him of his missing milestone.
Playing his 160th test, Root was 88 not out at the drinks break midway through the night session. He moved into the 90s for the first time in Australia with a boundary off Brendan Doggett. He hit another boundary next ball to go to 96.
The rest is history.
Momentum swings
The first two sessions — in the afternoon and the evening — had an element of symmetry with England scoring 98 and Australia taking two wickets in each.
So the night session started with England at 196-4.
Root and Ben Stokes appeared to be coasting before a brilliant run out by Josh Inglis mixed things up again.
Stokes (19) pushed a ball into the covers and took off for a single, only for Root to send him back as Inglis raced in and threw down the stumps from side on.
Three balls later, Scott Boland bowled Jamie Smith (0) between bat and pad to make it 211-6.
Root was on 79 when he was joined by Will Jacks. The pair put on 40 before Jacks played an expansive shot to Starc and was well caught. Starc (6-71) then picked off Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse in quick time and England, suddenly, was 264-9.
Expectations of Australia batting on Day 1 deteriorated, though, as Root and Archer went on the attack.
Still, Starc believed the day was evenly split.
“If you take the last partnership of the day out, I think we’d sit here and say it was a pretty good day’s bowling,” Starc said. “They blazed away a little bit and probably evened the day out — and Joe batted really well throughout the day.”
No Lyon
The most contentious selection of the series so far was Australia’s choice to recall Neser in a five-man pace attack at the expense of spinner Nathan Lyon, who missed out for only the second time on home soil since his debut in 2011.
The selection committee later described it as a one off because of the conditions expected at the Gabba, but accepted Lyon was disappointed with the decision.
The 38-year-old, 140-test veteran let it be known how he felt, saying he was “filthy” with the tactical call to leave him out.
