Ashes | Twitter stunned as Brook responds to English chaos by going full Bazball against disbelieving Starc

Australia lasted a mere 45.2 overs after being put in to bat first on a lush green Melbourne Cricket Ground deck in the Boxing Day Test before being bowled out for 152, with Michael Neser the only batter to surpass 30. The Kookaburra seamed around voraciously after hitting blades of grass to make life extremely difficult for batters, enabling Josh Tongue to scalp five including getting one through the gate of Steve Smith. However, the hosts brought themselves surging back into the game with four quick wickets of their own, the English top four combining for eight runs to leave them reeling at 16/4. Both Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser were spitting venom with the new ball, and with demise inevitable Harry Brook chose to die by the sword.

The English vice-captain made his intentions clear as soon as he walked out by haring down the track first-ball against Starc only to be beaten all hands up by a short pitched delivery. Brook swung for the fences a couple ore times therafter to introduce further jeopardy, and the moment he sought arrived in all its glory soon enough in the ninth over of the innings. Starc, bowling his fifth over of the new ball spell, steamed in from around the stumps and pitched a full and wide delivery to lure Brook into a big shot, and the 26-year-old accepted the invitation with both hands. Brook opened up his stance and with an astonishing swing through the line swatted the ball with breakneck force over covers for a resounding maximum, sending Barmy Army into a frenzy. Starc did not even wait around to see where the ball ended up as he began the walk back to his mark laughing in disbelief, the smirk on his face betraying some level of admiration for the shot.

The Barmy Armya went into overdrive after the shot, adn Twitterati joined in.

Brave

Incredible

What a dance

Mental

Crazy

Slapped

Is he?

Unreal

Take a bow

Still!