NEW DELHI: Mitchell Starc struck for a third time on Day 1 of the second Ashes test, swinging the momentum back Australia’s way just as England seemed to be easing into a comfortable rhythm in cricket’s longest format.

After removing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to leave England reeling at 5-2 in the third over on Thursday, Starc returned in the middle session to remove Harry Brook in his opening over.

With his 415th career wicket, the 35-year-old Australian moved past Pakistan great Wasim Akram (414 from 104 tests) to become the most successful left-arm fast bowler in test history.

It was another setback England could have done without, Brook throwing his hands at a ball outside off and edging to slip for 31 off 33 to end a 54-run fourth-wicket partnership with Joe Root as the evening shadows lengthened.

Root then built a 117-run stand with Zac Crawley (76) to push England to 122-3 before stabilising the innings further alongside Brook.

He reached the second interval unbeaten on 68 with skipper Ben Stokes on 14 as England moved to 196-4, their best total of the series after two batting failures in the eight-wicket defeat at Perth.

Starc, who claimed 10 wickets in the Perth test, continued to highlight his influence on the contest.

He remains the most prolific bowler in day-night tests, with 81 wickets using the pink ball in 14 matches heading into this clash.

With the lights settling in and the ball beginning to move, the final session promised plenty.

Early going

Stokes won the toss and opted to bat for the second time in the series, a call he might have questioned when Duckett fell to the sixth ball — marking the 26th instance of Starc taking a wicket in the first over of a test innings — and Pope followed in the third.

Still, Crawley, dismissed for ducks in both innings at Perth, survived Starc’s fiery opening spell and put together a composed half-century as England reached 98-2 at the first break.

He opened with a boundary and, aside from two half-chances when he drove aerially at Starc and Boland before reaching fifty, looked steady.

Recalled pacer Michael Neser eventually ended the 117-run third-wicket stand when Crawley miscued an ambitious pull and under-edged through to the keeper, falling for 76 off 93.

The most talked-about selection move of the series came with Australia bringing back Neser as part of a five-man pace attack, leaving out spinner Nathan Lyon — only the second time he has missed a home test since his debut in 2011.

(With AP Inputs)