Ashes 2nd Test Highlights, AUS vs ENG: Root's 135* takes England to 325/9 at stumps, Starc bags six-wicket haul

Dec 4, 2025, 17:08:48 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 Highlights, Australia vs England: Joe Root was in imperious form on Day 1, as he remained unbeaten at 135* off 202 balls, taking England to 325/9 in 74 overs at Stumps. Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc took six wickets for the Aussies.

Key Events

5:02 PM IST, December 4STUMPS!
4:59 PM IST, December 4ENG - 322/9 (73)
4:47 PM IST, December 4300 up for ENG!
4:42 PM IST, December 4ENG - 292/9 (70)
4:35 PM IST, December 4ENG - 273/9 (69)
4:27 PM IST, December 4FOUR! SHOT!
4:20 PM IST, December 4Sixth wicket for Starc!
4:12 PM IST, December 4Root gets his 40th Test ton!
4:06 PM IST, December 4OUT! STARC REMOVES JACKS!
3:55 PM IST, December 4Root enters 90s!
3:53 PM IST, December 4FOUR! PULLED THROUGH SQUARE LEG!
3:44 PM IST, December 4ENG - 235/6 (61)
3:39 PM IST, December 4DRIVEN THROUGH EXTRA COVER!
3:28 PM IST, December 4FOUR!!! A LATE CUT!
3:19 PM IST, December 4Boland removes Smith!
3:14 PM IST, December 4OUT! STOKES DEPARTS!
3:03 PM IST, December 4Stokes looking a lot more solid
2:47 PM IST, December 4Stokes brings 200 up with a remarkable drive!
2:37 PM IST, December 4Back for the last session of the day
2:15 PM IST, December 4DINNER BREAK – England are 196/4
2:01 PM IST, December 4Quiet period of play from both fronts as lights come into effect
1:37 PM IST, December 4BIG MOMENT! Brook out, Mitchell Starc the man!
1:30 PM IST, December 4Fifty partnership for Root-Brook
1:13 PM IST, December 4Shot! Root becoming more proactive
12:59 PM IST, December 4Half-century for Joe Root!
12:48 PM IST, December 4Brook dances down and gets going!
12:35 PM IST, December 4GONE! Crawley falls, Neser takes the scalp
12:27 PM IST, December 4Australia turn to short ball tactic from one end
12:17 PM IST, December 4Welcome back from the break, Crawley starts well!
11:34 AM IST, December 4TEA BREAK, England are 98/2
11:17 AM IST, December 4FIFTY FOR ZAK CRAWLEY!
11:01 AM IST, December 4Runs just ticking along
10:41 AM IST, December 4Root into the 20s as well
10:31 AM IST, December 450 up for England
10:17 AM IST, December 4Risky from Crawley! Straight down the ground but uppish
10:03 AM IST, December 4Crawley ticking the runs along against Neser
9:51 AM IST, December 4Starc nearly gets Root! Smith can't hold on to a stunner
9:44 AM IST, December 4STARC AGAIN! Pope chops on!
9:36 AM IST, December 4EDGE AND GONE! Ben Duckett with a golden duck!
9:34 AM IST, December 4Two early nibbles from Crawley!
9:31 AM IST, December 4Ready to begin! Starc stretches and stares down Crawley…
9:20 AM IST, December 4Ashes 2nd Test playing XIs
9:03 AM IST, December 4Ben Stokes wins the toss and opts to BAT FIRST
8:45 AM IST, December 415 mins from the toss – team news
8:30 AM IST, December 4Australia's dominance in pink ball Tests
8:20 AM IST, December 4Shaky batting, unpredictable pink ball combines for brutal mixture
8:00 AM IST, December 4Endless chatter in the build-up
7:50 AM IST, December 4Australia up 1-0
7:28 AM IST, December 4HELLO AND WELCOME!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 Highlights, Australia vs England: England's Joe Root celebrates after completing his century.

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 Highlights, Australia vs England: Joe Root (135*) took England to 325/9 in 74 overs at Stumps on Day 1 of the second Test against Australia, in Brisbane. It was Root's 40th Test ton, as he and Jofra Archer (32*) remained unbeaten, frustrating Australia further more. Mitchell Starc did create some chaos with a streak of wickets towards the end as he completed his six-wicket haul. Meanwhile, Scott Boland removed Jamie Smith for a two-ball duck. Earlier, it was a dream start for Australia once again after England opt to bat first at the Gabba. This time it isn't Crawley, but rather Ben Duckett who is undone by a first-ball beauty from Mitchell Starc. An easy edge carries through to the slips and Australia on top early. An over later, Starc strikes again, picking up Ollie Pope as he chops onto the stumps. Early signs of trouble....Read More

It has been a while since the truly frantic scenes at the Perth Stadium in Western Australia saw Australia somehow win a Test inside two days despite starting massively behind the eight-ball on that second day. What is sure to be an all-time memorable Ashes opener, as Test cricket was injected with some caffeine and just bounced off the walls before Travis Head – a player moulded by that chaos – rose above it all to win it for his team with another sublime performance.

2nd Ashes Test playing XI Australia vs England

Usman Khawaja hasn't recovered in time from his injury sustained before the first Test, and that makes Australia's tough decision a fairly easy one: they can go back to the Travis Head and Jake Weatherald combo which worked in Perth, with reports indicating Josh Inglis could slot into the middle order in Head's role. Beau Webster remains an interesting proposition. The bowling should look the same.

England have already announced their sole change – Mark Wood keeps him out of this Test, not too far from expected lines, and an extra spinner is brought into play. Will Jacks will provide a slower option but also some added batting lower down the order to shore up England in that department.

Australia Playing XI: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer

Follow all the updates here:

Dec 4, 2025, 17:02:21 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: STUMPS!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: IT IS STUMPS! ROOT AND ARCHER SURVIVE! Partnership is 61 off 44!

Root (135*) remains unbeaten and Archer is also at (32*)!

ENG - 325/9 (74) | STUMPS

Dec 4, 2025, 16:59:06 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: ENG - 322/9 (73)

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Six runs from this over as Root (133*) is growing here and Archer (31*) is playing the support role with ease. England are frustrated!

ENG - 322/9 (73)

Dec 4, 2025, 16:47:45 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: 300 up for ENG!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Starc pitches it up, and Root clatters it over Starc for a four! 300 up for the visitors!

Dec 4, 2025, 16:42:08 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: ENG - 292/9 (70)

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: A short delivery by Boland and Archer slams it to the deep midwicket boundary for a four! It was almost a flat six! Then its a single and Root ends the over with a four to deep midwicket boundary!

ENG - 292/9 (70)

Dec 4, 2025, 16:35:30 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: ENG - 273/9 (69)

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Root to tries to reverse scoop Starc in the first ball of this over, it hits the toe-end and goes to cover, one run. Two more singles. The over ends with back-to-back dots, and then a single.

ENG - 273/9 (69)

Dec 4, 2025, 16:27:40 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: FOUR! SHOT!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: A short delivery by Boland and Root glances it to the third man boundary! It goes past the fielder in the deep, who dives to his left. FOUR!

Dec 4, 2025, 16:20:31 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Sixth wicket for Starc!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Atkinson top edges this! Carey takes the catch! It is a five-wicket haul for Starc! Starc signals the ball to the crowd!

Atkinson c Carey b Starc 4 (3)

Starc responds with a dot, and then removes carse! He gets a thick outside edge to the wicketkeeper!

Carse c Carey b Starc 0 (2)

Dec 4, 2025, 16:12:21 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Root gets his 40th Test ton!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: FOUR! Root gets his 40th Test ton! He directs this delivery by Boland to fine leg boundary for a four! The Brisbane crowd goes wild and he gets a standing ovation from his teammates.

Dec 4, 2025, 16:06:32 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: OUT! STARC REMOVES JACKS!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: OUT!!! STARC strikes now! A full delivery by Starc, wide outside off. Jacks goes a drive, but outside edges it straight to Steve Smith in the slip cordon! OUT!

Jacks c Smith b Starc 19 (31)

Dec 4, 2025, 15:55:42 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Root enters 90s!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Root enters 90s now! A short delivery by Doggett, and down the leg side. Root glances it away to the fine leg boundary for a four! SHOT! Then he gets a short delivery, which he pulls to the deep square leg for another four! Ends the over with a dot.

ENG - 248/6 (63)

Dec 4, 2025, 15:53:01 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: FOUR! PULLED THROUGH SQUARE LEG!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: A short delivery by Doggett and Jacks pulls it through square leg, goes past fielders in the deep for a four!

Dec 4, 2025, 15:48:17 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Maiden over

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Maiden over! Green keeps it tight. Root (88*) and Jacks (12*) are building a partnership here!

ENG - 235/6 (62)

Dec 4, 2025, 15:44:35 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: ENG - 235/6 (61)

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Doggett floats it full, on middle. Jacks directs it wide of mid-on for a four! SHOT! Ends the over with a dot.

ENG - 235/6 (61)

Dec 4, 2025, 15:39:06 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: DRIVEN THROUGH EXTRA COVER!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: A poor delivery by Green, and Jacks guides his drive through extra cover for a shot! FOUR! Head races back from mid-off, but fails to stop the boundary! FOUR!

Dec 4, 2025, 15:28:35 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: FOUR!!! A LATE CUT!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: FOUR!! A short delivery by Doggett, outside off. Root goes for a late cut and it goes between gully and backward point.

Dec 4, 2025, 15:19:00 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Boland removes Smith!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: ANOTHER ONE! IN THE NEXT OVER!

A good length delivery by Boland. Smith goes forward to defend. It goes between his bat and pad, and hits the middle stump!

Smith b Boland 0 (2)

Dec 4, 2025, 15:14:20 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: OUT! STOKES DEPARTS!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: A length delivery by Doggett, and Stokes guides it to the right of cover point and goes for a single, which wasn't there. Root sends him back, and Inglis delivers with the direct hit!

Stokes run out Inglis 19 (49)

Dec 4, 2025, 15:03:28 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Stokes looking a lot more solid

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Stokes is looking a lot more comfortable in this innings post dinner than he did before. Leaving much more emphatically and with more intention, and playing the ball nice and late under his eyes. Speaks to a good batting track, but also positive signs for the English captain.

Dec 4, 2025, 14:47:46 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Stokes brings 200 up with a remarkable drive!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: What a shot that is! He's had his problems with Starc but that is pure confidence. Somewhat on the up, but with such excellent balance, and played right under his eyes. Lets timing and his forearms generate all the power to punch that down the ground – and that brings up 200 for the visitors.

Dec 4, 2025, 14:37:01 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Back for the last session of the day

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Starc gets us going. First night session of the Test, and it could be a definitive one. Joe Root 32 runs short of a first Test century on Australian soil… hope we didn't jinx him.

Dec 4, 2025, 14:15:31 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: DINNER BREAK – England are 196/4

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: A very similar session to the first once – in fact, identical. 98/2 in each of the two sessions we have had today. These wickets were crucial, so you could say this is a shared session. England just a touch ahead of the game thanks to having a set Root at the crease, but Australia hunting for wickets and close to cracking the match wide open. Really interesting first innings thus far.

Dec 4, 2025, 14:01:35 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Quiet period of play from both fronts as lights come into effect

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Batters becoming just a little watchful as the darkness descends in Brisbane. Australia trying to generate some energy, they know if they can go Root here all the momentum is with them…

Dec 4, 2025, 13:37:48 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: BIG MOMENT! Brook out, Mitchell Starc the man!

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Always had to be him! Brought back for the first time in this session, and he makes it count immediately! He's been a wicket-taking machine, and Smith can turn to him and almost be guaranteed a wicket at the moment. It's against the run of play, and a little loose from Brook. Pushed across him, full, and Brook tries to drive. Thick edge flies high and fast to Smith at second slip, who reacts well to take a good catch above his head.

Stokes in – and Starc is a bad matchup for him. Can they get another?

Dec 4, 2025, 13:30:01 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Fifty partnership for Root-Brook

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: England's middle order stars showing why they hold that mantle. They've had some massive partnerships with each other in the past, and this is promising to be another as the balls softens up. Australia playing for the lights at this moment.

Dec 4, 2025, 13:13:19 IST

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: Shot! Root becoming more proactive

Ashes 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE Score, Australia vs England: He's looking well set now. Moving around in his crease and trying to create angles. That's a sublime straight drive, beats Starc and just trickles into the fence. Excellent shot, England 163/3 now and 35 overs through. The Kookaburra will be getting a little easier to handle as well.