Starc burst rocks England as Aussies dominate again: 2nd Test, Day 3 (Gabba)

On Day 3 of the second The Ashes Test at the Gabba, Australia put on a commanding display that left England staring down the barrel of a likely defeat.

Resuming their innings at 378/6, the hosts — led by Mitchell Starc — piled on a total of 511, giving them a 177-run lead. Starc’s gritty 77 from number nine, ably supported by a tail-end 75-run stand with Scott Boland, soaked up crucial overs and turned the momentum decisively in Australia’s favour.

With the pink ball under lights, England began their second innings promisingly but crumbled — losing six wickets for 86 runs — to finish the day at 134/6, still 43 runs in arrears.

By stumps, Australia held almost complete control, with England’s hopes of saving the Test — let alone the series — looking extremely slim.

England 334 & 134 for 6 (Crawley 44, Neser 2-27, Boland 2-33, Starc 2-48) trail Australia 511 (Starc 77, Weatherald 72, Labuschagne 65, Carse 4-152) by 43 runs.

Dec 2025.