On the first day’s opening overs at the Gabba, MitchellStarc once again proved why he’s earned a fearsome reputation as a “first-over specialist.” His left-arm seamers swung viciously under pink-ball lights and it yielded instant rewards.
With the very last ball of his first over, Starc uprooted Duckett for a golden duck, inducing an outside edge that flew to slip.
With England just two overs down, pressure mounted even higher and Starc struck again in his second over. This time, it was Pope’s turn to falter. Attempting a loose shot outside off, Pope edged onto his stumps. Suddenly, England were reeling at 5-2, with their top order in tatters.
These two early wickets weren’t just short-term blows, they dramatically altered England’s entire top-order strategy. With both openers and the number-three gone for ducks, the pressure shifted heavily onto the middle order and forced the England batting lineup into an immediate crisis. At a venue where conditions favour seamers under lights, the impact was even more severe.
Starc’s performance once again demonstrated his mastery of early swing conditions, reinforcing his status as one of the most dangerous fast bowlers in modern Test cricket, especially in day-night matches with the pink ball. For Australia, it was a statement: their bowling attack remains brutally effective even in the absence of some frontline seamers.
Ashes 2025: Steve Smith Experiments With ‘Eye Black’ Strips Ahead Of AUS vs ENG 2nd Test
Australia’s star batter Steve Smith looks set to follow in the footsteps of former West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul by wearing ‘eye black’ strips on his cheeks during the second Ashes Test at the Gabba. Smith trialled the small black adhesive strips during a floodlit training session on Sunday evening, preparing for Thursday’s highly anticipated day-night, pink-ball fixture in Brisbane.
Smith, who has played 13 of Australia’s 14 previous pink-ball Tests, has historically struggled to replicate his red-ball dominance under lights. In day-night Tests, he has managed just one century in 24 innings, averaging 37.04, while his record in traditional daytime Tests remains exceptional, with 35 hundreds from 190 innings at an average of 58.31.
With the Gabba set to host the series’ first day-night encounter, all eyes will be on Smith and his eye black strips as he attempts to tackle one of the toughest challenges in modern cricket: mastering the pink ball under lights.