Starc shines with bat and ball as Australia nears Gabba victory

Mitchell Starc made a spectacular late-career push for all-rounder status, scoring a half-century and taking two crucial wickets under the Gabba lights to put Australia on the brink of victory at the close of day three of the second Ashes Test on Saturday.

The tailender smashed 77 off 141 balls, helping Australia build a 177-run lead before wreaking havoc with the pink ball. England ended the day at 134 for six, still 43 runs short of forcing Australia to bat again. Ben Stokes and Will Jacks remained unbeaten on four, trying to salvage some pride for a team that struggled both with bat and ball.

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England, who last won a Test in Sydney 15 years ago, may count day three at the Gabba among their most humiliating days on Australian soil. They started the day hoping to contain Australia’s 44-run lead with four wickets in hand but finished demoralised after the hosts scored 511 and tore through their batting line-up with ruthless efficiency.

Stokes’ side now faces a 2-0 series deficit. Historically, only one team — Don Bradman’s Australia in the 1936/37 Ashes — has ever recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win a series.

Night-session collapse

Michael Neser and Scott Boland supported Starc with two wickets each as England lost 6-89 in a disastrous night session before a crowd of 35,574.

The collapse came after openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had put on a promising 45-run partnership in six overs before the dinner break. Boland said: “Great fun. We thought the ball would come alive in the night session, so we focused on hitting the right areas. We bowled pretty well.” Boland dismissed Duckett (15) and Harry Brook (15) caught behind.

Neser missed a caught-and-bowled chance to remove Duckett but then dismissed Crawley (44) and Ollie Pope (26) with loose drives. Joe Root (15) was caught behind off Starc, who later also trapped Jamie Smith for four. Starc now has 18 wickets in two Tests of the series.

Tailend partnerships

Earlier, Starc had dominated with the bat, scoring his 11th Test fifty and fifth against England, complementing his six first-innings wickets. He hit 13 fours and shared a record 75-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Boland (21 not out).

When Starc eventually holed out with a mistimed slog, Brendan Doggett (13) and Boland batted for seven more overs before Doggett was caught off the spin of Will Jacks to end the innings. Australia added 133 runs for the day after resuming on 378 for six, leaving England no chance to bat in safer daylight hours.

Alex Carey, dropped twice on day two, scored 63, one of five half-centuries in Australia’s first innings. Seamer Brydon Carse finished with 4-152 for England, conceding over five runs per over, while Stokes also gave away runs despite taking three wickets.

Mitchell Starc at the Gabba:
⚡ 6-75 with the ball
⚡77 off 141 with the bat in hand

Australia have finally been bowled out for a mammoth 511, with a massive lead of 1️⃣7️⃣7️⃣ runs 🤯 #ashes25 #MitchellStarc pic.twitter.com/cylud7GS6i

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 6, 2025

England coach Marcus Trescothick defended his team’s performance, saying: “Sometimes we get it right and dominate. When we don’t, poor shot selection gets highlighted. It is what it is. You have to find a way to play the game.”