'Beyond a joke': Australia's slow over-rate cops backlash as 'obvious' Steve Smith tactic called out

Australia's slow over-rate on the first day at the Gabba has come under fire - but the hosts could still escape ICC sanction quite easily.

In a dramatic day one, England took the upper-hand thanks largely to a century from Joe Root - his first on Australian soil in his glittering Test career.

Mitchell Starc got the ball rolling for the Aussies in the first over and ended the day with another five-wicket haul, but the big talking point was around the lack of actual play.

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The omission of Nathan Lyon meant that Australia had no front-line spinner, which made it far more difficult to race through overs at any stage of the day.

Across the three sessions in Brisbane on Thursday, only 74 overs were bowled - 16 below the 90 allotted overs for a regulation day of Test cricket.

The slow proceedings drew the ire of former Australian opener Simon Katich, who was left frustrated by the way things were transpiring during the SEN Radio broadcast.

"That's ridiculous," Katich said.

"To think we are going to get through an extra half an hour of play, so six-and-a-half hours of play today, and this will be 74 overs, is beyond a joke.

"It's an absolute joke. I don't think I ever played in a game where you didn't bowl at least 85 overs in the day. It was unheard of ... and now we are into the 70s."

Co-commentator Damien Fleming quipped that "the penalties don't mean anything" but the truth is, Australia might end up not even being punished.

Players can be fined 15 per cent of their match fees if the required overs are not bowled, while the offending team can also be docked World Test Championship points.

However, penalties don't apply if the batting team is dismissed inside 80 overs and with England already nine wickets down and Australia still having six overs to take that final wicket, there is a very real possibility the slow over-rate won't matter.

"Over-rates are what they are - if we keep taking the wickets, I won't worry about it," Starc said after the close of play.

Things moved towards a glacial pace in the final 30 minutes of play on Thursday night when the England side were spiralling towards being all out and potentially forcing the Aussies to face a brief period of Jofra Archer's rapid bowling under lights.

Steve Smith then opted to take his time setting fields, with helmets coming on and off the field in what former England quick Steven Finn saw as a deliberate tactic.

"He's now changing the field between balls, certainly, strikes me that this is a good time for Australia to be delaying things," Finn said on TNT Sports commentary.

"Smith just delaying things again. Definitely a tactic here, and the umpires should have a word with him. Every second that ticks by, Australia will have fewer seconds to bat.

"[Alex] Carey is now slowly taking his cap off and meandering up to the stumps. It really is obvious. Fielder's being moved three yards to the left, three yards to the right."

During that final period when the Aussies went into protection mode, England put on 61 runs as Root continued to go about his business and Archer whacked it around.

There were question marks over why Ben Stokes didn't call his troops in and declare to give the bowlers an opportunity to take a quick wicket before stumps.

"It makes no sense," says David Warner said on Fox Cricket.

"I'm absolutely baffled. Statistics say it is the hardest time to bat under these lights."

Adam Gilchrist added that he thought England "missed a trick" by opting not to declare, even if the extra runs late on the day could prove the difference later in the Test.

Play will resume at the Gabba at 3pm AEDT on Friday afternoon.