By Chris Stocks at the Gabba
AMONG the many things England learned on the first day of this Ashes series is that the performances of Mark Stoneman and James Vince prove compelling evidence of the strength of the county game.
Both batsmen came into this series branded by the Australians as “no-name” players. But while Alastair Cook and Joe Root both failed at the Gabba, it was the two men the hosts knew little about, and were unwilling to afford any respect to, who stole the show.
Stoneman has had a terrific Ashes tour so far, his career-best Test score of 53 the fifth successive...