Mitchell Starc once again proved why he is the king of pink-ball cricket. The Australian fast bowler delivered a deadly opening spell on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba. His early strikes pushed England on the back foot. He also created several major records during his spell.
England won the toss and chose to bat first in the day-night Test. Australia went with an all-pace attack. Nathan Lyon was left out. Pat Cummins also missed the match. It was only the second time since 2012 that Australia played a home Test without a specialist spinner.
Starc wasted no time. He struck on the very last ball of his first over. Ben Duckett was dismissed for a golden duck. Starc bowled a full outswinger. Duckett edged it. Marnus Labuschagne took a sharp catch at slip.
Starc’s Pink-Ball Magic Leaves England Stunned at Gabba as Records Tumble
In his very next over, Starc struck again. Ollie Pope was also out for a duck. The England batter chopped the ball onto his stumps. England were suddenly in deep trouble.
With these wickets, Starc created history. He now has 83 wickets in Day-Night Tests. This is the most by any bowler in the world. He is 40 wickets ahead of Pat Cummins, who has 43. Starc also became the first player to take 20 wickets against a single team in pink-ball Tests. That team is England.
Starc also equaled the great Wasim Akram’s record. Both now have 414 Test wickets. Starc reached this mark in 102 Tests. Akram took 104 matches to reach the same number. Starc is now the joint-highest wicket-taker among left-arm pacers in Test cricket.
England Recover After Early Damage
After the early collapse, England tried to rebuild. Zak Crawley and Joe Root showed patience. They played carefully against the fast bowlers. The pair added an important partnership. By the Tea break, England reached 98 for 2. But the damage had already been done by Starc’s fiery start.
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