Root hits 40th Test century and first in Australia - day one report
Starc picks up another six wickets with pink ball
Duckett (0) caught at first slip in opening over; Pope chops on
Second Test, day one, Brisbane
Image source, Getty ImagesMichael Neser has hands on his heads after Joe Root steps across his stumps and works him into the leg side for a single.
With Alex Carey standing up to the stumps to prevent Zak Crawley from using his feet, the England opener punches a on-drive off Neser for four.
A couple of balls later and Zak Crawley unfurls that trademark booming off drive of his and smears Brendan Doggett through the covers for four.
One for the highlights package.
Andy Zaltzman
Test Match Special statistician
The 100 partnership between Zak Crawley and Joe Root in 22.3 overs.
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
A strange one, but well played by Zak Crawley. He shoveled it into the leg side. It is almost like Brendan Doggett has bowled the wrong delivery to the wrong batter.
A littler shorter from Brendan Doggett and Zak Crawley connects with a pull. It's not the most aesthetic of shots, the truth be told, but it races to the boundary.
Gasps from the crowd as Zak Crawley attempts to whip a delivery from Brendan Doggett that's outside off stump into the leg side.
Calm down, Zak...
Brendan Doggett will bowl the first over after the interval. Joe Root on strike.
Field set back, so looks like it's going to a barrage of short balls.
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Joe Root and Zak Crawley to get a nice 200-run third wicket partnership. England to be still batting at close of play. Positiveness.
Dave W, Liverpool
Now would be a fine time for Root's first century in Australia.
Alan N, Norwich
In other news, lost a portion of my biscuit when dunking it in a cup of tea (vanilla chai to be precise) during the interval.
It was a particularly durable brand of biscuit so a little shocked. Game's gone.
Anyway, Australia's players have made their way back out on to the field, with Zak Crawley and Joe Root following shortly behind.
Strap yourselves in.
Andy Zaltzman
Test Match Special statistician
The partnership between Zak Crawley and Joe Root is the first one of the series that has lasted more than 20 overs
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Great deal of respect due to Zak Crawley, the pressure on him when he watched the two wickets fall early, but he found a way and fought through.
Martin, Skye
Yes, Dave.
Zak Crawley, in particular, has played with real maturity in Brisbane en route to an unbeaten half-century.
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Credit where credit's due. This is proper, grown up, aggressive Test match batting rather than the mindless nonsense of Perth. Dare we dream?
Dave, Auckland
Srinivas Vijaykumar
CricViz analyst
England's attacking shot percentage versus pace bowling today (after 20 overs) is 32% and their second lowest after the Lord's Test v India, 2025 at 24%. Their overall average in 17 innings since May 2022 is 42%.
Their leave percentage today is 24% which is the sixth highest overall since Brendon McCullum took over as coach and the highest ever post September 2022. By comparison it was 19% in the Perth Test and 13% overall.
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Just starting to relax a little bit. Keep it quiet! England to get 350 in 70 overs then have Australia 30-4 by close of play. A man can dream for a while.
Kevin, Yorkshire
Here's how England opener Zak Crawley reached his first Test fifty in Australia.
Andy Zaltzman
Test Match Special statistician
England's 98-2 is the highest amount of runs in the first session of a day-night Test in Australia in the 14 games that we have ball-by-ball detail for.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Test Match Special team are reflecting on the life of former England batter Robin Smith, who passed away earlier this week.
Should you wish to read more about a player affectionately known as 'The Judge' I'd point you in the direction of an excellent obituary by my colleague Mark Mitchener, a dyed-in-the-wool Hampshire man who doubtless witnessed a fair few great Smith moments.
Glenn McGrath
Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special
To get to the first break only two down, almost at a hundred, it will bring this England team a lot of confidence.
Image source, Getty Images
Simon Mann
BBC Test Match Special commentator
Zak Crawley's had a serious haircut, maybe it was for a change of luck? This has been an excellent fightback from Crawley and Joe Root.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,caught Carey, bowled Neser Crawley, caught Carey, bowled Neser | 76 | 93 | 58 | 11 | 0 | 138 | 81.72 |
Duckett,caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc Duckett, caught Labuschagne, bowled Starc | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.00 |
Pope,bowled Starc Pope, bowled Starc | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.00 |
Root,not out Root, not out | 138 | 206 | 131 | 15 | 1 | 379 | 66.99 |
Brook,caught Smith, bowled Starc Brook, caught Smith, bowled Starc | 31 | 33 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 93.94 |
Stokes,run out Inglis Stokes, run out Inglis | 19 | 49 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 76 | 38.78 |
Smith,bowled Boland Smith, bowled Boland | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Jacks,caught Smith, bowled Starc Jacks, caught Smith, bowled Starc | 19 | 31 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 61.29 |
Atkinson,caught Carey, bowled Starc Atkinson, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 133.33 |
Carse,caught Carey, bowled Starc Carse, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Archer,caught Labuschagne, bowled Doggett Archer, caught Labuschagne, bowled Doggett | 38 | 36 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 105.56 |
Extras, no balls 1, wides 3, byes 4, leg byes 1, total 9 Extras, no balls 1, wides 3, byes 4, leg byes 1, total 9 | |||||||
Total,334 all out 76.2 overs Total,334 all out 76.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 20.0 | 0 | 75 | 6 | 79 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3.75 |
Neser | 14.0 | 3 | 43 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3.07 |
Boland | 19.0 | 1 | 87 | 1 | 77 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 4.57 |
Doggett | 15.2 | 1 | 81 | 1 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5.28 |
Green | 8.0 | 1 | 43 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5.37 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
5 for 1 (0.6 overs) | Duckett |
5 for 2 (2.3 overs) | Pope |
122 for 3 (27.5 overs) | Crawley |
176 for 4 (39.2 overs) | Brook |
210 for 5 (54.6 overs) | Stokes |
211 for 6 (55.3 overs) | Smith |
251 for 7 (64.5 overs) | Jacks |
264 for 8 (66.2 overs) | Atkinson |
264 for 9 (66.4 overs) | Carse |
334 for 10 (76.2 overs) | Archer |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,caught Atkinson, bowled Carse Head, caught Atkinson, bowled Carse | 33 | 43 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 59 | 76.74 |
Weatherald,leg before wicket, bowled Archer Weatherald, leg before wicket, bowled Archer | 72 | 78 | 48 | 12 | 1 | 121 | 92.31 |
Labuschagne,caught Smith, bowled Stokes Labuschagne, caught Smith, bowled Stokes | 65 | 78 | 52 | 9 | 1 | 116 | 83.33 |
Smith,caught Jacks, bowled Carse Smith, caught Jacks, bowled Carse | 61 | 85 | 59 | 5 | 2 | 157 | 71.76 |
Green,bowled Carse Green, bowled Carse | 45 | 57 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 97 | 78.95 |
Carey,caught Smith, bowled Atkinson Carey, caught Smith, bowled Atkinson | 63 | 69 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 128 | 91.30 |
Inglis,bowled Stokes Inglis, bowled Stokes | 23 | 25 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 92.00 |
Neser,caught Smith, bowled Stokes Neser, caught Smith, bowled Stokes | 16 | 41 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 39.02 |
Starc,caught Stokes, bowled Carse Starc, caught Stokes, bowled Carse | 77 | 141 | 106 | 13 | 0 | 154 | 54.61 |
Boland,not out Boland, not out | 21 | 72 | 61 | 3 | 0 | 152 | 29.17 |
Doggett,caught Brook, bowled Jacks Doggett, caught Brook, bowled Jacks | 13 | 21 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 61.90 |
Extras, no balls 5, wides 6, byes 4, leg byes 7, total 22 Extras, no balls 5, wides 6, byes 4, leg byes 7, total 22 | |||||||
Total,511 all out 117.3 overs Total,511 all out 117.3 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Archer | 25.0 | 3 | 87 | 1 | 109 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 3.48 |
Atkinson | 28.0 | 6 | 114 | 1 | 120 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 4.07 |
Carse | 29.0 | 3 | 152 | 4 | 115 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 5.24 |
Stokes | 24.0 | 0 | 113 | 3 | 93 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 4.70 |
Jacks | 11.3 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.95 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
77 for 1 (13.1 overs) | Head |
146 for 2 (25.5 overs) | Weatherald |
196 for 3 (37.1 overs) | Labuschagne |
291 for 4 (56.1 overs) | Green |
292 for 5 (56.4 overs) | Smith |
329 for 6 (63.5 overs) | Inglis |
383 for 7 (75.6 overs) | Neser |
416 for 8 (82.6 overs) | Carey |
491 for 9 (110.2 overs) | Starc |
511 for 10 (117.3 overs) | Doggett |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crawley,caught and bowled Neser Crawley, caught and bowled Neser | 44 | 59 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 104 | 74.58 |
Duckett,bowled Boland Duckett, bowled Boland | 15 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 83.33 |
Pope,caught and bowled Neser Pope, caught and bowled Neser | 26 | 32 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 81.25 |
Root,caught Carey, bowled Starc Root, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 15 | 36 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 41.67 |
Brook,caught Carey, bowled Boland Brook, caught Carey, bowled Boland | 15 | 21 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 71.43 |
Stokes,caught Carey, bowled Neser Stokes, caught Carey, bowled Neser | 50 | 152 | 120 | 4 | 0 | 229 | 32.89 |
Smith,caught Carey, bowled Starc Smith, caught Carey, bowled Starc | 4 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 36.36 |
Jacks,caught Smith, bowled Neser Jacks, caught Smith, bowled Neser | 41 | 92 | 59 | 2 | 0 | 183 | 44.57 |
Atkinson,caught Smith, bowled Doggett Atkinson, caught Smith, bowled Doggett | 3 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 23.08 |
Carse,caught Smith, bowled Neser Carse, caught Smith, bowled Neser | 7 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 70.00 |
Archer,not out Archer, not out | 5 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 55.56 |
Extras, no balls 1, wides 2, byes 8, leg byes 5, total 16 Extras, no balls 1, wides 2, byes 8, leg byes 5, total 16 | |||||||
Total,241 all out 75.2 overs Total,241 all out 75.2 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starc | 18.0 | 2 | 64 | 2 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3.55 |
Neser | 16.2 | 2 | 42 | 5 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.57 |
Doggett | 17.0 | 2 | 56 | 1 | 71 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3.29 |
Boland | 17.0 | 4 | 47 | 2 | 79 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2.76 |
Green | 5.0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
Head | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Labuschagne | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
48 for 1 (7.4 overs) | Duckett |
90 for 2 (17.1 overs) | Pope |
97 for 3 (21.2 overs) | Crawley |
121 for 4 (26.3 overs) | Root |
123 for 5 (29.3 overs) | Brook |
128 for 6 (32.3 overs) | Smith |
224 for 7 (69.1 overs) | Jacks |
227 for 8 (71.5 overs) | Stokes |
231 for 9 (72.3 overs) | Atkinson |
241 for 10 (75.2 overs) | Carse |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head,bowled Atkinson Head, bowled Atkinson | 22 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 100.00 |
Weatherald,not out Weatherald, not out | 17 | 23 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 73.91 |
Labuschagne,caught Smith, bowled Atkinson Labuschagne, caught Smith, bowled Atkinson | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 50.00 |
Smith,not out Smith, not out | 23 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 255.56 |
Extras, no balls 0, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 0, total 4 Extras, no balls 0, wides 0, byes 4, leg byes 0, total 4 | |||||||
Total,69 for 2 10.0 overs Total,69 for 2 10.0 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Archer | 5.0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5.60 |
Atkinson | 5.0 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7.40 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
37 for 1 (5.5 overs) | Head |
41 for 2 (7.3 overs) | Labuschagne |