Photo: photosport

England's Joe Root conquered his final frontier with a first Ashes century in Australia as the tourists pushed past 300 on day one of the second test in Brisbane despite a six-wicket haul from pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.

Root marched off unbeaten on 135 off 202 balls, his 40th test ton helping England to 325 for nine at stumps, the tourists marginally in front after their captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first in the day-night match.

Number 11 batter Jofra Archer chipped in a handy 32 not out in an unbroken 61-run partnership for the final wicket, while Zak Crawley shrugged off a pair of ducks from Perth to score a valuable 76.

Crawley combined with Root in a 117-run stand to rally England after Starc reduced them to five for two in a shocking start, with

πŸ“°

Continue Reading on RNZ

This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.

Read Full Article β†’