'We're positive': Zak Crawley hails England's performance in latter stages of day 1 of Brisbane clash
Star England batter Zak Crawley came forward and heaped praise on England's performance in the latter stages of day 1 of the second Ashes 2025-26 Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, where Joe Root and Jofra Archer's 10th wicket stand took England past 300 runs.
The second Ashes 2025-26 Test between Australia and England kicked off with the two sides locking horns at The Gabba in Brisbane from December 4. The clash began with England coming in to bat first, and after a humiliating loss in the first Test, it is safe to say that the visitors did well in the second Test.
After a pair in Perth, Zak Crawley improved heavily, scoring 76 runs in 93 deliveries. Furthermore, Joe Root hit his first Test ton in Australia, ending the day on a score of 135 with England’s score reading 325/9.
One of the most notable aspects of England’s innings on day 1 was the partnership between Root and ace pacer Jofra Archer. The two players maintained a 10th wicket stand of 61 runs as the day ended, and Crawley could not help but sing praises on his side’s performance in the latter stages of the day.
"We definitely won that last hour. We're positive going into tomorrow. "There was no talk of a declaration. We were just saying, 'Go really hard,' and it was a win-win: if it comes off, then we'll get 50 runs like we did, or if you got out, then we could have a crack at them under lights,” Crawley was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Mitchell Starc expressed his thoughts on the day as well
Furthermore, star Australia pacer Mitchell Starc was once again on fire for the Aussies. Bowling 19 overs on day 1, Starc conceded a total of 71 runs and took six wickets in the process as well.
"If you have a look at that ball, it's basically bowling with a tennis ball. They chanced their arm, there were a few that dropped short. I think there's a little bit of tactical nous in there as well,” Starc told SEN Radio.
"Hopefully, we take that tenth one early tomorrow and get batting with the sun out. We saw that it [the ball] didn't do a whole lot, and day two is generally a good day to bat on. If we can get stuck into batting early tomorrow when there's sun on the wicket - and their balls go soft as well - it could be a good day's cricket,” he added.
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