Root remained unbeaten on 135 from 202 deliveries after an aggressive finish with the pink ball under the Gabba lights, with England at 325 for nine following captain Ben Stokes winning the toss and choosing to bat first.

Tailender Jofra Archer contributed a useful 32 not out in an unbroken 61-run partnership for the last wicket, while Zak Crawley recovered from two ducks in Perth to add a valuable 76.

Crawley joined Root in a 117-run stand to revive England after Starc reduced them to five for two in a disastrous start, with openers Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope dismissed for ducks within four balls.

With Root and Crawley in control, England reached tea at 98 for two on a warm, sunny afternoon, and repeated the score in the twilight session to be 196 for four at dinner.

However, their hopes of a big total were dashed by the outstanding Starc, who overtook Wasim Akram as the most successful left-arm seamer in Tests with 415 wickets when he took his third, catching Harry Brook in the slips for 31.

Starc then tore through the lower order to finish with 6-71 for the day. The tall 35-year-old now has 16 wickets in the series after his 10-wicket haul in Perth.

Worryingly for Australia, Starc appeared to be in some discomfort after bowling 19 overs today.

"It’s been a tough day of cricket," he commented.

"Once the ball gets soft, scoring becomes difficult. It's definitely not the easiest to bowl with either."

Australia won the first Test in Perth inside two days but were frustrated for much of day one at the Gabba, losing the toss and dropping two crucial catches that could have sent both Root and Crawley back early.

Australia captain Steve Smith dropped a diving one-handed catch in the slips when Root edged Starc just three balls into his innings.

Crawley was also lucky on 39 when he hit directly at bowler Scott Boland, who failed to hold a waist-high catch that flew through his hands.

Josh Inglis, making his first Test appearance in Australia, made amends with a spectacular run-out to dismiss Stokes for 19.

Inglis quickly fielded from the covers as Root sent Stokes back on a risky single and hit the stumps from a side-on position.

Jamie Smith was then bowled for a duck by Boland in the next over, and England lost five wickets for 54 runs before the late partnership between Root and Archer.

Australia surprised by leaving out veteran spinner Nathan Lyon for his first home Test since 2012, opting for Michael Neser in a four-seamer attack.

With Usman Khawaja injured, captain Smith confirmed Travis Head will open for the hosts after his match-winning 123 in Perth, with Josh Inglis filling the vacant middle order spot.

England abandoned their four-seamer attack, selecting spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks instead of Mark Wood, who may be sidelined until the fourth Test in Melbourne.

Jacks batted well for his 19 before being caught behind by Smith in the slips off a poor shot.

Australia lead the five-match series 1-0 and have not lost to England at the Gabba since 1986.