Australia Vs England, 2nd Ashes Test, Day 1 Highlights: Root-Archer 10th-Wicket Stand Gives ENG Edge| ENG 325/9 (74)

Ready for some Pink ball action? It's day/night time for the 2nd Ashes Test match between Australia and England at the iconic Gabba stadium in Brisbane. The Three Lions are

England's last victory in a Test match at the Gabba came way back during 1986 series under the leadership of Mike Gatting. The Three Lions had received a target of 75 after bowling out the Aussies for 248 and 282 across innings.

Gatting and co had posted 456 in the 1st innings and chased down 75 runs in the 2nd to win that Test match by 7 wickets.

Mark Wood was ruled out of the 2nd Test a couple of days ago due to injury. Will Jacks has been named in the English XI as Wood's replacement.

ENG Playing XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer

It's a semi-green top at the Gabba for the 2nd Ashes Test and Mitchell Starc will be licking his lips already. It will be a good toss to win and bowl first as there will be plenty of swing on offer. There will be lateral movement and bit of variable bounce as well.

It will be very tough for the batters under the light, especially if the new ball is used under the lights.

England's Ben Stokes won the toss and surprisingly chose to bat first at the Gabba. He says he is not sure about how the surface is going to behave, and that his side did everything they could to utilize the time given for preparation.

Only one change for the Aussies as well - Usman Khawaja makes way for Josh Inglis.

Australia Playing XI: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey(w), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett

Steve Smith is all set to don anti-glare black tape under his eyes to prevent the extra lights from distracting him while batting.

Smith himself confirmed yesterday that he had a chat with former West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul on how to use the anti-glare patches correctly.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett are at the crease and it's the Picasso with the Pink ball - Mitchell Starc who bowls the first over. He had removed Crawley in the twice in the 1st over across both innings at Perth. With the new ball in-hand, he might as well can get another first over wicket.

First boundary for England and first 4 for Zak Crawley in the 2025-26 Ashes Test series. He will be relived to send the ball down the ground for a four.

He does it again! Mitchell Starc registers yet another first over wicket in this Ashes Test series and this time - it's Ben Duckett, who has to depart for a golden duck. What a start for the Australians.

It was a full length 140+ ks delivery that curled away from Duckett, who was invited to play the drive and pays the price with his wicket off the very ball.

That's why we called Mitchell Starc, the Picasso with the Pink ball. He paints his own picture on the 22-yard canvas. After getting Ben Duckett for a golden duck, Starc led to the departure of Ollie Pope, who comes and goes for a 3-ball duck.

The ball was supposed to be left by Ollie Pope. It was an outside off-stump delivery that made no movement at all. The England batter chops the ball on to his own stumps.

Absolutely lethal stuff from Starc.

Before this match: 81 wickets in 14 day/night Tests with five 5-wicket hauls at an average of 17.08. He is by far the best Pink ball bowler in the world. No one has taken more wickets than him since the format was renovated.

Scott Boland has been introduced to the attack, replacing Michael Neser, who was brought in for Nathan Lyon for the Pink ball Test. The number 1 Test batter Joe Root has come out to bat as well and a lot will depend on how he bats today.

2nd bowling change for the Australians as Brian Doggett comes into the attack. The first 10 overs have passed by and England have steadied themselves after the early dismissals of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks. Joe Root and Zak Crawley's partnership seems to be building up nicely.

The first drinks break has been taken in the 2nd Ashes Test. Zak Crawley and Joe Root have steadied the ship for England with their 53-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. The duo are batting with a lot sensibility and calm, that's what England need at the moment.

Zak Crawley and Joe Root are taking a real test of the Aussie bowlers at the moment. The partnership seems to have settled in and Root, in particular, is looking good as he is able to play his natural game while Crawly is playing a rather more attacking style.

Zak Crawley has shown immense composure as he scores his first half-century of the Ashes 2025-26. He gets to his 20th fifty off 67 balls and he is really some weaving some partnership with Joe Root, who is playing at 31 off 54.

An evenly contested 1st session in the 2nd Ashes Test comes to an end as the Umpires have called for Tea after 24 overs. Mitchell Starc's twin wickets in his first two overs got the game off to a cracking start, but then Zak Crawley (61* off 80) and Joe Root (32* off 60) settled in and haven't left the crease yet.

Crawley and Root, both have played some sensible shots and avoided doing anything rash or out of the box. They have been leaving the outside off deliveries whenever needed and have also punished the bad line-length deliveries.

The 2nd session quite positively for England as Crawley hammered Doggett for 2 boundaries in a over straight after the break to get England underway.

Michael Neser breaks the partnership as Jak Crawley (76), who was hitting boundaries for fun suddenly gets caught behind against the run of play. Harry Brook join Root on the crease.

Harry Brook came to the crease and looked positive from the get go charging on anything which is too short or too full.

Joe Root gets to his fifty. Both Root and Brook are scoring swiftly in the session, getting occasional boundaries with ease. Worrying signs for Australia as Brook's aggressive style of play could take England to a big 1st innings total in no time.

Joe Root takes Cameron Green for 7 runs in the over to take England t 166. The Root-Brook partnership is solidifying that too at a brisk pace which are dangerous signs for Australia.

Mitchell Starc is at it again, comes to the attack and straight away breaks the partnership. Harry Brook who was looking good till now pushed at a wide full length ball only to get caught at 2nd slips by Steve Smith. England loses their 4th.

A small partnership is building between Ben Stokes and Joe Root for the 5th wicket but the danger is still there as the ball is moving under lights and Mitchell is on the surge for Australia.

Ben Stokes lets the last ball of the 47th over to the keeper and it marks the end of the 2nd session of Day 1 of 2nd Ashes Test. The players are walking off for the break. Though England had an aggressive start to the session, the wickets of Zak Crawley and Harry Brook have given the upper hand to Australia in this session.

The players have made their way in the ground for the final session of Day 1 of 2nd Ashes Test. Mitchell Starc has the ball in hand and Joe Root is all set to take the strike.

England are off to a watchful start to the last session under lights. Both Stokes and Root managed to counter Mitchell Starc's first burst under night conditions and would like to stitch a big partnership from here.

Struck on the pads by Boland, Australia players go up, but the umpire refuses. Steve Smith goes for a review straight away but it clearly shows the impact was way outside off in DRS. AUS lose their review and Joe Root survives.

That's a big moment in the game, Inglis takes a shy at the stumps with a direct hit and manages to run-out England's skipper Ben Stokes for 19. That's what the doctor ordered for Australia.

Bowled him! Scott Boland delivers a perfect in-swinger that castles Jamie Smith for a duck. One brings two for Australia and the Lions are in a spot of bother now.

The runs have dried up under lights as the ball is talking more than it was in daylight. The onus now lies on Joe Root (83*) who's eyeing his maiden hundred on Australian shores.

A partnership is brewing between Will Jack and Joe Root, who is gradually approaching towards his much-awaited century in Australia.

Joe Root is on the cusp of his first hundred in Australia but Mitchell Starc is wreaking havoc on the other end as he gets Will Jacks caught in the slips off a full-length delivery wide outside the stumps.

The wait is finally over for Joe Root as he slams his first hundred on Australian shores. The wickets kept falling on the other hand but the veteran Englishmen kept standing at one end and delivered a masterclass when his team needed it the most.

That's a spectacular take by Alex Carey to dismiss Gus Atkinson. It went high into the night sky after taking Atkinson's top edge. Alex Carey ran all the way back and kept his eyes on the ball to pull off a stunner. Mitchell Starc gets his fifth wicket of the innings.

Mitchell Starc gets the 2nd wicket of the over. Brydon Carse pushed on an outside off delivery only to get an edge into the safe hands of Alex Carey.

The English batters are putting on a show for the 10th wicket. Jofra Archer and Root have added 50 runs for the last wicket stand their England to 314 runs. It's insane hitting by both the batters- reverse sweeps, slogs, drives, the partnership has everything you could ask for.

The ongoing 61-run stand for the 10th wicket between Joe Root and Jofra Archer has given England an edge over Australia after the first day's play. Joe Root first hundred down under and Mitchell Starc's 6-for were the top highlights of the day among many others.

That's a wrap from our end, we'll back tomorrow with the live coverage of the Day 2 of the 2nd Ashes Test, until then, bye bye.