Vince makes name for himself with fighting half-century

Cricket - Ashes test match - Australia v England - GABBA Ground, Brisbane, Australia, November 23, 2017. England's James Vince avoids a bouncer bowled by Australia's Mitchell Starc during the first day of the first Ashes cricket test match. REUTERS/David Gray

BRISBANE (Reuters) - Among a band of rookie batsmen in a team mocked as the "un-name-ables" by a dismissive Australian media, England number three James Vince did his best to garner recognition on Thursday with a defiant half-century on the opening day of the Ashes.

Vince fell short of a potentially career-defining century on day one of the first test at the Gabba, with Nathan Lyon running him out after tea, but the Sussex man's composed 83 was a strong riposte to critics who questioned his place in the squad.