Heading into the second day-night Test of the Ashes 2025/26 at the Gabba in Brisbane, the talks were again on the England batting line-up and how they would tackle the left-arm pacer, Mitchell Starc, especially with the pink-ball, who had 81 wickets in just 27 innings in the day-night Tests and picked up three wickets in his opening over last time he turned up in this tradition. 

Mitchell Starc was smashed for a lovely boundary to settle the nerves for the visitors by Zak Crawley, who leaned forward to play the cover drive with no real feet movement and caressed it through the extra cover region for a sweet boundary. But Starc had the last laugh on the last ball of the over.

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For the third time in as many innings, Starc made the breakthrough in the very first over. It was a full delivery that curled away late outside of, and the southpaw went for a small drive to get the outside edge into the hands of the slip region to give the hosts a perfect start.

Watch: Mitchell Starc sends back Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in 2nd D/N Ashes 2025/26 Test

On the third ball of his second over, Starc pocketed the wicket of Ollie Pope. The right-handed batter looked to stand on the top of the bounce of the short delivery and shuffled across to flay it through the off-side with an angled blade and ended up hitting the stumps to go back to the hut for a three-ball duck.

Another first over wicket for Mitchell Starc, it's the routine for this bloke to take wickets in First Over, Duckett departs for a DUCK. pic.twitter.com/YuGPdM6311

— U' (@toxifyxe) December 4, 2025

Since the 2021/22 season in Australia, England have struggled in their top-order batting. Their highest opening partnership remained 22, which came in the second day-night Adelaide Test in the last time around. In this series, they have got 2, 0, and 5 on the board.

Look How Mitchell Starc owning Ollie Pope pic.twitter.com/5aZ8QfGODJ

— 𝘚𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘈 𝟿𝟿𝟿 (@RarshitHana) December 4, 2025

However, since those two wickets, England batters have looked to be more aggressive, creaming three boundaries in the next couple of overs of the innings. England reached 24/2 at the end of the fifth over.