Mitchell Starc claimed 6/71 — a spell that made him the most successful left-arm fast bowler in Test cricket — but Root dominated the day-night encounter with a sublime unbeaten 135.
No. 11 Jofra Archer added late fireworks, blasting a career-best 32* off 26 balls, including two sixes, to delight England’s travelling supporters. His unbeaten 61-run stand with Root was England’s highest 10th-wicket partnership at the Gabba.
Root, the world’s top-ranked batter and second on the all-time Test runs list behind Sachin Tendulkar, had never reached three figures in Australia despite three previous Ashes tours. On Thursday, he buried that narrative. Walking in during the third over with Starc swinging the pink ball under lights, he produced a near-flawless innings and reached his century with a gentle leg glance off Scott Boland.
Starc’s six wickets pushed his tally to 418, overtaking Wasim Akram’s 414.
“Wasim’s still the pinnacle. I think he’s still better than me,” Starc said after achieving the milestone.
The left-armer struck immediately, removing Ben Duckett in his first over and Ollie Pope in his second to leave England reeling. But unlike their collapse in Perth, England fought back through a crucial 117-run stand between Root and Zak Crawley, who made a composed 76.