Ashes: Mitchell Starc turns Joe Root into his bunny again as Australia put England through wringer in Gabba Test

Australia’s left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has become biggest nightmare for England's veteran batter Joe Root in the ongoing Ashes 2025-2026 series. The right-handed batter has been dismissed by the veteran fast bowler in all three of his appearances at the crease so far, despite scoring an unbeaten century in the first innings of the Gabba Test.

England had gotten off to a steady start in their second innings, with openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett adding 45 runs before dinner on Day 3 (Saturday, December 6). However, the visiting team experienced a significant collapse, tumbling from 90/1 to 128/6 within just 32.3 overs. In this period, the Australian bowlers shared the success, with Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, and Michael Neser each claiming two wickets.

Mitchell Starc makes Joe Root his bunny

Mitchell Starc was responsible for removing Joe Root after Australia successfully overturned a caught-behind appeal via review. Root attempted to drive a full delivery from Starc, who was bowling around the wicket. The batter got a faint outside edge, though his bat appeared to hit the ground simultaneously. While the on-field umpire gave the decision as 'not out,' wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Steve Smith were convinced and pressed for the review, which proved successful.

The successful review confirmed Root's dismissal when UltraEdge showed a clear spike, verifying the outside edge and sending him back to the pavilion after scoring 15 runs.

The Australian players were visibly fired up after claiming the biggest wicket in England's lineup. This scalp was Mitchell Starc's first of the innings and provided Australia with a crucial breakthrough at an important stage of the game.

Mitchell Starc has firmly established himself as one of Joe Root's greatest challengers in Test cricket. In their encounters, Root has faced 694 deliveries from Starc, accumulating 378 runs, but has been dismissed by the left-arm pacer 11 times, giving Starc an average of 34.36 against him.

Who has dismissed Joe Root most times in Tests?

Starc is now one of three bowlers who have dismissed Root the most frequently in Tests, tied with Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah, with each claiming 11 dismissals. Josh Hazlewood and Ravindra Jadeja follow closely, while Nathan Lyon, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Trent Boult have also troubled the English batter regularly.Across all formats of international cricket, Bumrah leads the list, having dismissed the former England captain 15 times. Ravindra Jadeja, Cummins, and Starc are next with 14 dismissals each, with Hazlewood and Boult also featuring prominently among the bowlers who have troubled Root.

Talking about the match, Australia left England reeling at 134/6 by the close of Day 3. Australia are still leading England by 43 runs.