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  1. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 07:16 GMT 6 December 2025

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    Have a nasty feeling that this could be another second innings collapse and the match is over today.

    Richard, Norway

    Anyone else got that horrible feeling of Starc ripping through the batters tonight with the pink ball and England losing by an innings?

    Jar, Birmingham

  2. Postpublished at 07:15 GMT 6 December 2025

    Michael Vaughan
    Former England captain on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Soon as Scott Boland went out with Mitchell Starc, it was defend, defend, defend and gift England nothing.

    I keep thinking about what it would have been like if Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse in the same position.

    They would have just tried to launch it out of the ground.

  3. Aus 479-8published at 107 overs

    Mitchell Starc adds a single to his tally.

    He has 66 (126), Scott Boland has 15 (45), and Australia lead by 145 runs.

  4. Postpublished at 07:13 GMT 6 December 2025

    Michael Vaughan
    Former England captain on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    I have to say Australia have played incredible today. It has been real clever cricket and they're just batting for time.

    It has purely been about batting for time and making sure they get that new pink ball in hand when twilight comes around.

  5. Aus 478-8published at 106 overs

    Will Jacks beats Scott Boland's bat a couple of times but he survives another six deliveries. Maiden.

  6. How's stat?!published at 07:10 GMT 6 December 2025

    Srinivas Vijaykumar
    CricViz analyst

    This is the 21st instance of an Australian player to have scored a fifty and take a six-wicket haul in the same Test. Out of them, only five have done it on more than one occasion.

    • Hugh Trumble (Both in 1902 v ENG)
    • Jack Gregory (1920 v ENG, 1921 v SA)
    • Keith Miller (1946 v ENG, 1955 v WI)
    • Shane Warne (1997 v ENG, 2002 v SA)
    • Mitchell Starc (2012 v SA, 2025 - Today)
  7. Aus 478-8published at 105 overs

    Ohhhhhh! Right over the top of middle stump from Gus Atkinson! He holds a hopeful hand up to the umpire, pleading for a possible caught behind. Mitchell Starc doesn't look at all perturbed by that delivery.

    Two balls later, he crunches the ball through mid-off for four before sprinting three off the final delivery to retain the strike.

    Alas, replays show the chasing fielder was touching the rope as they tried to claw it back. Australia get the extra run, Scott Boland will be on strike.

  8. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 07:04 GMT 6 December 2025

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    The way Starc has stepped up this series with Cummins, Hazlewood and even Lyon out has been impressive. He’s always seemed to be the 2nd or 3rd seamer, but to take up the mantle as the leader of the attack, resolve with the bat and dictating this series to his tune is something I didn’t see. We’ve had the Flintoff Ashes, Cook, Johnson and Smith. Is this Starc's Ashes?

    Jay, Buckinghamshire

  9. How's stat?!published at 07:03 GMT 6 December 2025

    Andy Zaltzman
    Test Match Special statistician

    AtkinsonImage source, Reuters

    It is only the fourth time in Ashes history that either side has hit six 50 partnerships in the same innings.

  10. Aus 470-8published at 104 overs

    Mitchell Starc brings up the fifty partnership off 124 balls with a mid-over single.

    Oh ho! Then, Scott Boland drives the penultimate ball through the covers for four. He firmly planted that front foot.

    England look a little clueless.

  11. Postpublished at 07:01 GMT 6 December 2025

    Glenn McGrath
    Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    An inside edge, but it must have been close to the stumps. Some days when it is not your day, things keep going against you.

    England would have thought and hoped that they would have been batting by now. Every run Australia score is an extra little knife in there.

  12. What's happened today...published at 06:59 GMT 6 December 2025

    If you're just rolling out of bed on a Saturday morning and checking the score...Afraid it's not great news from down under from an England perspective.

    Australia resumed their innings on 378-6 this morning and Ben Stokes managed to capture the wicket of Michael Neser, caught by Jamie Smith in the second over of the day.

    Alex Carey managed to hang around long enough to reach a half-century off 52 balls as he and Mitchell Starc put on 33 runs for the eighth wicket.

    England, of course, twice dropped Carey yesterday.

    Gus Atkinson did manage to snare the wicket of Carey for 63 after he expansively slashed at one and Jamie Smith claimed the catch.

    That was Atkinson's first wicket of the series.

    Hopes England might blow away Australia and wrap up their innings quickly have not materialised, however.

    Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland have largely ground it out during a dogged ninth-wicket stand, taking time out of the game and building Australia's lead.

    Starc has just brought his half-century and is currently unbeaten on 56 off 113 balls while Scott Boland is 11 not out off 34.

    Australia are now 131 runs ahead.

  13. Aus 465-8published at 103 overs

    First up... bump ball to a jumping Ollie Pope at point. Crowd catch.

    Second ball, an inside edge past Scott Boland's off stump for four. He's into double figures.

    Dot. Dot. Dot. Dot.

    Cool as you like.

  14. Aus 461-8published at 102 overs

    Will Jacks bowls a maiden, so Gus Atkinson will get a decent look at Scott Boland.

  15. Postpublished at 06:54 GMT 6 December 2025

    Glenn McGrath
    Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    This pitch has no demons in it.

    It looks a very good batting pitch which will be in England's favour when they bat.

  16. Aus 461-8published at 101 overs

    Mitchell Starc tries to mirror the previous over, playing out four dots before pinging a boundary - this one straight down the ground and beating the chasing Jofra Archer.

    Alas, the boundary ball is a front-foot no ball, which ruins the pattern.

    Starc follows it up with a single and Scott Boland dots out the final ball.

    Oh, and Princess Leia has arrived at the Gabba for anyone hoping for an update on the Star Wars contingent in the crowd.

  17. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 06:48 GMT 6 December 2025

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    Let’s be optimistic, the longer Starc bats, the more tired he will be come this evening…

    Joe, terrified for sunset

  18. Postpublished at 06:48 GMT 6 December 2025

    Glenn McGrath
    Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    England have not found a way to break this partnership. Every run, every over they stay out there, it is just frustrating England even more.

  19. Aus 455-8published at 100 overs

    Where is a wicket going to come from?

  20. Postpublished at 06:47 GMT 6 December 2025

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

    StarcImage source, Getty Images

    Mitchell Starc reaches his 50. That's an outstanding innings.

    I can't imagine England playing like this.