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England make quick start after Australia take big lead at Gabba / Photo: © AFP
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England make quick start after Australia take big lead at Gabba
England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett got the visitors off to a rapid start to their second innings in the day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane on Saturday after nemesis Mitchell Starc scored a superb 77 to put Australia firmly on top.
With the hosts enjoying a big lead of 177 on the first innings, England were 45-0 at dinner off just six overs in a second Test they dare not lose.
With the lights on at the Gabba, Crawley was on 26 off 23 balls with Duckett 13 from 13.
England, 1-0 down in the series after losing the first Test at Perth inside two days, are up against it once again.
And once more Starc was their tormentor, frustrating the visitors when they were looking for quick wickets.
His 77 was a record score by a number nine batsman at the Gabba before Australia were eventually dismissed for 511 about 40 minutes before the break.
Starc, who took 16 wickets in the first two Tests so far, enjoyed a 75-run partnership with Scott Boland, who made his highest Test score of 21 not out.
The ninth-wicket pair kept England in the field on a blisteringly hot Brisbane day.
The time the Australians used up batting ensured that when England eventually did bat, they faced the new pink ball under the Gabba lights and not in the brilliant sunshine earlier in the day.
But batting in the twilight didn't worry the two openers, who were particularly harsh on Starc, whose three overs leaked 25 runs.
When Australia resumed the third day on 378-6 with a lead of 44 England would have been hoping to take the last four wickets quickly and not face too large a deficit.
Michael Neser only added one run to his overnight 15 before edging England captain Ben Stokes to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Australian keeper Alex Carey brought up his half-century but on 63 he tried to cut Gus Atkinson, only to get an edge to Smith with just over an hour of the session remaining.
But any England hopes of wrapping up the innings began to fade as Starc and Boland saw off an increasingly frustrated attack.
Starc farmed the strike throughout the partnership, ensuring Boland only faced one or two balls an over, and the two looked in no real trouble against an England attack short of ideas.
Starc eventually holed out to Stokes at deep mid-off off the bowling of Brydon Carse.
Boland and number 11 Brendan Doggett added further frustration, putting on another 20 runs before Doggett edged spinner Will Jacks to first slip.
I. Johansson--BTZ
