A new venue brought the same old chaos as the second Ashes Test began with another burst of mayhem. After England’s two-day defeat in Perth, Brisbane delivered four overs of panic, mistakes and missed chances. Australia surprised many by leaving out Nathan Lyon, but the real drama unfolded under lights in a wild opening 20 minutes.
Starc Strikes Twice Again
Mitchell Starc continued his domination, removing Ben Duckett for a first-ball duck and then dismissing Ollie Pope with a chopped-on error. England’s top order again folded early, with Duckett’s dismissal marking a rare sequence — three ducks by England openers across the first two Tests of an Ashes series.
Root Dropped, Crawley Survives Review Scare
Joe Root escaped a sharp chance when Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith collided at slip, allowing an edge off Starc to fall safely. Zak Crawley also survived a moment of doubt against Michael Neser when a faint mark showed on replays, but not enough for a conclusive overturned decision.
Starc’s Numbers Reach Elite Territory
Starc’s new-ball burst lifted him to 414 Test wickets, equalling Pakistan legend Wasim Akram as the most prolific left-arm fast bowler in history. It was also the 26th time he has struck in the first over of a Test innings, including three times in this series. His pink-ball dominance continued too, as his tally rose beyond 83 wickets in day-night Tests — far ahead of any rival.
England Escape Further Damage
England survived Starc’s opening spell at 21-2, but the early collapse echoed their struggles in Perth. With 12 wickets already in the series, Starc has drawn comparisons to Mitchell Johnson’s destructive 2013–14 campaign. Former England spinner Phil Tufnell summed it up simply: “You can tell who’s world-class by how they eat breakfast. I bet he’s calm.”
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