By Joel Dubber
PERTH (Reuters) -England reached 59-1 at lunch on day two of the first Ashes test in Perth to extend their lead to 99 runs on Saturday as Australia’s pacemen failed to make significant inroads early in the third innings.
The home side, who ended 132 all out, could add only nine runs to their overnight score with tailender Brendan Doggett unbeaten as seamer Brydon Carse, who claimed 3-45, had Nathan Lyon out for four chipping to Ben Duckett at gully.
On an extraordinary day one where fast bowlers took a combined 19 wickets, Australia’s Mitchell Starc registered 7-58 to help skittle England for 172 before visiting skipper Ben Stokes emphatically responded with 5-23 to shock the hosts.
England’s Zak Crawley fell to Starc for a duck in the first over for the second time in as many days, with the Australian pace spearhead pulling off a spectacular left-handed diving catch during his follow-through.
Starc, 35, has shouldered extra responsibility with fellow quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood sidelined due to injury, and with the usually-reliable Scott Boland unable to make any breakthroughs.
Duckett had a stroke of luck when he found the boundary after a thick Starc edge went through the gap between slips and gully. The opener was on 28 not out while number three Ollie Pope compiled 24 not out.
Barring a close leg-before appeal by Boland on the stroke of lunch, which Duckett had overturned on review, the two batsmen found it smooth sailing and rotated the strike aggressively to maintain a breezy run-rate of nearly four an over.
(Reporting by Joel Dubber in Perth; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
