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New Delhi: Australia tightened their grip on the second Ashes Test after England lost six wickets in the second innings, trailing by 50 runs at stumps on day 3 in Brisbane. Earlier in the day, Australia scored 511 runs in the first innings, taking a lead of 177 runs.
Alex Carey scored a brisk fifty, while Mitchell Starc also held firm to complete his 12th Test half-century, helping Australia to extend their lead and dominate the game. England started their reply with a 48-run partnership between openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.
But after the lights took full effect, batting became difficult with extra movement from the surface. Duckett was first to get out when a ball from Scott Boland stayed low and hit the bottom of his bat before crashing into the stumps.
Ollie Pope looked scratchy, riding his luck on several occasions before trying to drive a ball and hitting a brilliant return catch to Michael Neser. England were 90-2, and still trailing by 87 runs. Just seven runs later, Neser took his second return catch in almost the same manner when Crawley played the same shot as Pope.
First-innings centurion Joe Root steadied the ship with Harry Brook, but the no.1-ranked Test batter was removed by Starc for 15 runs, while Brook was removed by Boland. At stumps, England captain Ben Stokes and Will Jacks were holding on for the visitors, both unbeaten on four runs apiece.
Mitchell Starc again delivered a sensational performance with the bat and ball on the crucial day. He frustrated England when they were looking for quick wickets. He scored 77 runs off 141 balls, which was the highest by a number 9 batter at the Gabba before the hosts were eventually dismissed before the dinner break.
Starc, who has picked up 18 wickets in the first two Test matches so far, forged a 75-run partnership with Boland, who made his highest Test score of an unbeaten 21 runs. The ninth-wicket pair kept the visitors in the field under the blazing sun, before their batters crumbled under the lights.
