Brisbane, December 9
Travis Head smashed a T20-style century to put Australia firmly in control of the first Ashes Test today as England were hit by an injury crisis during a miserable Day 2 in the field at the Gabba.
David Warner fell six runs short of what would have been a fortuitous century but Head kept the blowtorch on with an unbeaten 112 from 95 balls that pushed Australia to 343/7, a commanding 196-run lead over England’s paltry first innings 147.
Tail-ender Mitchell Starc was 10 not out at the end of a day of sapping heat and humidity in which the problems piled up for Joe Root’s England.
Talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes was all but scratched from the attack by an apparent knee strain in the morning while paceman Ollie Robinson came off the ground after barely getting through one of his overs after tea.
England bowling coach Jon Lewis would not be drawn on whether Stokes would be able to bowl for the rest of the match. “Obviously Ben has hurt himself on the field today,” he said of Stokes, who was playing his first competitive match since July after taking a mental health break. “We’ll assess him overnight and see how he pulls up in the morning.”
The burden of the attack fell heavily on seamers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes late in the day, while spinner Jack Leach and part-timer Root were feasted on by Head.
Leach conceded 95 runs from 11 overs and was lucky to pick up a wicket when Marnus Labuschagne fell for 74 slicing straight to point.
Brief scores: England 147; Australia: 343/7 (Head 112 not out, Warner 94, Labuschagne 74; Robinson 3/48). — Reuters
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