Sublime Starc is last man standing after Australia’s mystifying call to leave out Lyon | Geoff Lemon

In the end it was Mitchell Starc saving the day in the second Ashes Test as he did the first. In a series supposed to be defined by Australia’s fast-bowling Big Three, he has done the work as the sole member to make the starting line. With one English wicket left to fall and his tally on six for 46, he was on the brink of the remarkable feat of recording career-best figures for the fourth time in less than 12 months. Joe Root and Jofra Archer swung a few runs away to void that statistical note, but it was still another day (and night) of heavy lifting for the man who so far in this series has carried Australia’s burden.Having passed Harbhajan Singh’s 417 Test wickets in the process Starc, who ended day one with figures of six for 71, is now in the top 15 wicket-takers on the Test all-time list, but the more significant milestone from the overtaking lane was the 414 of Wasim Akram, making Starc the most prolific left-arm quick of all

Zak Crawley’s handsome drives steady England ship and show power of perseverance | Simon Burnton

Anthems over, Zak Crawley left the field and took the water handed to him by Matt Potts. If he was a little dry of mouth it would hardly be a surprise – even without the burden of the brace of ducks he took from the first Test, the situation he was about to walk into might have verged awkwardly close to terrifying. He downed half the bottle, donned his helmet and turned back around.Mitchell Starc, the bowler who dismissed him in the opening over of each innings in Perth and is even more effective in these day-night games, dried his hands on the sun-baked turf as Crawley made his way to the middle, and picked up the new pink ball.Three slips set themselves for some catching practice

Australia v England: Ashes second Test, day one – as it happened

Simon Burnton on Zak CrawleyAnd that’s day one done and dusted. England go into Friday on top, runs in the bag and the last wicket stand aflame. Joe Root has his deserved and long-awaited hundred in Australia. and the rest of us have the promise of a Test match going into a third day. Should be fun! Thanks for all your emails, apologies that I wasn’t able to get to so many of them

Root finally makes century in Australia and late burst gives England edge after Starc salvo

It was one of the most intense opening days to a Test match in recent memory. The Gabba was like a cauldron, the air as thick as soup, and with the pink ball zipping around for Mitchell Starc as he continued his bulldozing start to the series, the pressure on England felt relentless.And yet at 8.38pm local time all this melted away as Joe Root tickled Scott Boland fine for four to seal his 40th Test century and – far more notably – his first on Australian soil at the 30th time of asking. Root insisted this tour was never about addressing the gap in his otherwise stellar CV but, even with a cheeky shrug upon doing so, the sense of relief was palpable

Oh Duckett. I was fearing for Crawley when I should have been worrying about Ben | Max Rushden

“Must be amazing to be in Australia for the Ashes, what’s the atmosphere like?” It’s an understandable, if slightly daft question. Brett Lee isn’t in my house. I don’t wake up next to a furious Jonathan Agnew. “WHY AREN’T YOU IN CANBERRA, MAX?” I’m 850 miles from Brisbane.Apart from me the atmosphere is one of wild indifference amongst the family

Jaxson Dart says the NFL ‘isn’t soccer’. The Giants need him to start acting like a quarterback

The rookie plays like a linebacker at quarterback. His reckless style is costing his teammates and coaches as well as himselfJaxson Dart wants you to know something: this is real football. It’s not soccer or flag. It’s tackle football, the kind where quarterbacks go airborne. After taking the latest in a growing compilation of bone-crushing hits, Dart brushed himself off and delivered a post-game sermon on toughness