Once again, a thrilling contest started between Australia and England in the Ashes 2025-26 Gabba Test. England won the toss and chose to bat first, but the result remained unchanged. Their top order collapsed immediately as Ben Duckett departed for a golden duck, falling to an impressive delivery from Mitchell Starc. With this, Australia never lost the momentum and eventually won the game by 8 wickets on the fourth day.
Key Moments of Ashes 2025–26 Gabba Test:
Joe Root scored his 39th international Test century, his first in Australia. This was long considered his only kryptonite, which he now seems to have dominated. However, Mitchell Starc became the highest wicket-taker, breaking the record of swing master Wasim Akram.
England’s batting woes continued, so did Starc’s brilliance
Mitchell Starc once again showed his talent and picked up the wickets of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope on golden ducks. Then Joe Root joined Zak Crawley and did the remedial work, but Zak got out after an impressive 76 runs. After him, no other batter could help Root in brewing a partnership.
Harry Brook departed for 31, while skipper Ben Stokes scored 19. Wicket-keeper Jamie Smith was out without scoring, while Will Jacks made 19. Besides the string of low scores from the lower order, only Jofra Archer’s 38-run knock, which made him the top run-scorer after Crawley and Root, remains worth mentioning. Leading run-scorer Joe Root remained not out on 138, with this English side bowled out for 334.
From the Kangaroos’ side, Mitchell Starc picked up 6 wickets while Michael Neser, Scott Boland, and Brendan Doggett got 1 wicket each.
Also read: When PCB Forgot the Cricket Balls – November 28, 1996, Rawalpindi
For Australia, the start was entirely opposite. Travis Head and Jake Weatherald took great control over the English bowlers. T. Head got out on 33, and J. Weatherald departed on 72. Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith added 65 and 61 runs each. Moreover, Cameron Green was bowled for 45, wicket-keeper Alex Carey scored 63, Josh Inglis scored 23, and Michael Neser scored 16. But Mitchell Starc once again stayed brilliant and scored 77 runs. Brendan Doggett was out on 13, while Scott Boland remained not out on 21.
Australia was eventually bowled out for 511, taking a lead of 177 runs.
Australia too good for baffled England:
In the second inning, the top order of the English side showed some resilience, but Ben Duckett once again failed and was bowled on 15 runs. Similarly, Joe Root and Harry Brook departed on 15 runs each. Ollie Pope scored 26, and Zak Crawley made 44. This time, skipper Ben Stokes and Will Jacks looked pretty good, but Jacks got out on 41 and the skipper on a half-century. Wicket-keeper Jamie Smith scored 4, while Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse added just 3 and 7 runs each. Jofra Archer remained not out on 5 runs.
With this, England were bowled out for 241, with a lead of just 64. From the Aussie side, Michael Neser became the leading wicket-taker as he hauled 5 wickets. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland hunted 2 batters each. Brendan Doggett also added 1 wicket to his account.
At the end, Australia chased down 64 runs comfortably for the loss of 2 wickets. T. Head scored 22, and M. Labuschagne departed on 3. However, J. Weatherald and Steve Smith remained not out on 17 and 23 runs each. Smith hit the winning runs with a boundary to take Australia home in the Ashes 2025-26 Gabba Test.
Next Match:
The next Test will be played from December 17–21 at the Adelaide Oval, where the Kangaroos will come in with a 2–0 lead.
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