Mitchell Starc delivered a match-defining performance with both bat and ball to put Australia firmly in control of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba. On day three, the left-arm pacer scored a brilliant 77 and picked up key wickets under the Gabba floodlights, leaving England staring at a 2-0 series deficit in the five-match series.
Starc’s Batting Heroics Put Australia in Command
Australia resumed day three on 378 for six, already holding a slender 44-run lead. Starc, however, turned the game decisively with a sparkling 141-ball innings, his 11th Test fifty and fifth against England. He struck 13 boundaries and combined with tailender Scott Boland (21 not out) in a record 75-run ninth-wicket partnership at the Gabba.
Brendan Doggett (13) and Boland extended the partnership further before England finally wrapped up Australia’s innings at 511. The late flourish pushed Australia to a 177-run lead, denying England the opportunity to bat in safer daylight hours. Alex Carey, despite being dropped twice on day two, contributed 63, making it one of five half-centuries in Australia’s first innings.
England Collapse in Night Session
England’s night session collapse was a dramatic sight. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had started brightly, adding an unbroken 45-run partnership in six overs before dinner. But Australia’s bowlers quickly reversed the momentum. Starc claimed two crucial wickets, including Joe Root (15) caught behind off a poor drive, and Jamie Smith for four.
Michael Neser and Scott Boland also grabbed two wickets apiece as England lost six wickets for 89 runs under the lights, finishing the day on 134 for six—still 43 runs short of making Australia bat again. Only Ben Stokes and Will Jacks remained not out on four, tasked with salvaging some dignity for a demoralised side.
Scott Boland credited disciplined bowling under lights: “We thought the ball was going to come alive in the night session, and we just wanted to put as many balls as we could in the right areas. We bowled pretty well,” he said.
England’s Struggles and Series Outlook
England’s misjudged shots and poor shot selection continued to haunt them. Coach Marcus Trescothick acknowledged the inconsistencies, saying, “We get it right sometimes, and when we do, we dominate opposition. And when we don’t… we play bad shots and that gets highlighted.”
Seamer Brydon Carse ended with 4-152, conceding more than five runs per over, while Stokes was similarly expensive. England now face an uphill battle, staring at a historic 2-0 deficit. Only once in Test history has a team recovered from 2-0 down in an Ashes series—Don Bradman’s 1936/37 Australia.
Starc’s all-round heroics—77 runs and 18 wickets in just two Tests of this series—have cemented his status as a game-changer, leaving Australia on the brink of a commanding win at the Gabba.
