The Ashes | Gabba Test, Day 1: Australian pace trio demolish English top order inside first hour

England suffered the worst possible start to their Ashes campaign as Australian pacers ripped the heart out of their batting line up inside the first hours of the first day of the first Test at the Gabba. 

Mitchell Starc, who was under pressure at the start of the series, bowled Rory Burns behind his legs on the very first ball of the series to give Australia a dream start.

Josh Hazlewood took the mantle for him quickly and put the tourists on the mat with two big wickets of Dawid Malan and Joe Root. Malan was done in by the length around off stump but he was guilty of playing at one he could have left and Alex Carey was happy to get his first dismissal at Test level as a wicketkeeper.

The script was somewhat similar to Joe Root, who got a perfect length delivery at the off-stump that he could not do anything but edge to David Warner at slip. He was set up beautifully by Hazlewood with a barrage of the back of length balls before a fuller delivery made him helpless and took the edge of his bat.

Losing three wickets in quick succession brought Ben Stokes back to action and he had to bring his best with the bat to rescue England. However, he was done in by a delivery that got big on him from Pat Cummins, who was bowling from round the wicket angle and the left-hander could not drop his wrist down while playing the ball. Marnus Labuschagne pouched the catch safely at the third slip.

Earlier at the start of the game, England skipper Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat first on a greenish surface. The downfall of four top-order wickets to some unplayable deliveries will compel Root to contemplate if bowling first would have been a better option while sitting in the dressing room.