England suffered early damage at 11/2 in just three overs, but could easily have been three down had Australia held on to a sharp opportunity offered by Joe Root at the Gabba on Thursday.
Facing Mitchell Starc, Root pushed at a 142.6kph delivery that straightened off a length and caught the outside edge. The ball flew quickly towards the slip cordon, where stand-in captain Steve Smith launched himself to his left in front of first slip, attempting a one-handed take.
Despite an excellent dive, the ball did not stick, instead deflecting off Smith’s glove and rolling away to the boundary for four.
The chance came just after Root had played and missed the previous delivery, highlighting a nervy start for England’s premier batter as Starc continued his fiery opening spell.
England’s top order once again left Root exposed early, but the former captain survived — narrowly — to continue rebuilding after the early setbacks.
