Day one of the first Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth delivered raw, old-school drama as 19 wickets tumbled on a lively surface dominated by fast bowlers from both sides.
Under bright Western Australian skies and in front of a record Perth crowd of 51,531, the match swung violently from one end to the other, leaving the contest perfectly poised heading into day two.
Starc’s Destruction: England Blown Away
After choosing to bat first, England were dismantled by a furious spell from Mitchell Starc, who produced one of the finest Ashes bowling performances of his career.
The left-armer ripped through England’s top and middle order with figures of 7 for 58 in 32.5 overs, bowling them out for 172 at an explosive rate of 5.24 an over — the fastest any visiting team has scored in a completed first innings in Australia since 1932.
England’s collapse began early.
Starc removed Zak Crawley for a sixth-ball duck, trapped Ben Duckett lbw for 21, and then squared up Joe Root for a seventh-ball duck, reducing England to 39/3 and sending shockwaves through the dressing room.
Amid the wreckage, Harry Brook counterattacked brilliantly. He smashed a 61-ball 52, launching Australia’s quicks over the ropes and adding 55 with Ollie Pope (46) to briefly steady the innings.
But just as England looked to rebuild, Starc and debutant Brendan Doggett (2-27) triggered another collapse, 5 wickets for 12 runs in 19 balls, crushing England’s resistance.
I mean, it’s always the plan, isn’t it? But it doesn’t always happen that way… I’ve never been one to worry about economy rates. My role is to go looking for wickets, especially with the new ball, and hopefully make inroads into the opposition.
England Hit Back: Stokes Leads the Counter-Attack
What looked like an Australian bowling masterclass soon turned into an England fightback of equal ferocity.
With the ball zipping around and bounce uneven, England’s all-pace attack ripped through Australia’s top and middle order. The hosts slumped to 123/9 by stumps, still 49 runs behind.
The chief destroyer: Ben Stokes. The England captain produced a devastating spell of 5 for 23 from six overs, dismantling Australia’s lower order after early damage from Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse.
Stokesy kept it really simple. We had 45–50 minutes before tea, and he said to the lads with the ball, just give everything. The way Gus Atkinson and Jofra started was phenomenal. After tea, the message was similar, just do it for longer.
Stokes removed Travis Head (21), Cameron Green (24), Mitchell Starc (12), Alex Carey (26) and Josh Hazlewood/Scott Boland (0) in a brutal tear-through.
Australia Collapse: No Room to Breathe
Australia’s innings never gained rhythm. With Usman Khawaja unavailable to open due to back spasms, debutant Jake Weatherald was thrown in at the deep end, and dismissed second ball by Archer.
Archer also removed Marnus Labuschagne for 9, before Carse struck twice to send back Steve Smith (17) and Khawaja (2). When Stokes arrived, the collapse accelerated rapidly. By stumps, only Nathan Lyon (3)* and debutant Doggett (0)* survived.
Two pretty good bowling attacks. Credit to both… I thought we bowled pretty well, and I thought they bowled pretty nicely. So I think it’s just one of those days where you get two attacks that are on the money for the whole day.
Looking Ahead: England Eye Control on Day Two
With just one Australian wicket left to take, England will start day two aiming to extend their narrow lead. Carse believes the pitch may settle slightly, allowing batters more freedom.
The first thing tomorrow is to knock over the last wicket. We’ve seen batting can get easier… Our batters will know the game plan for the second innings.
It set the stage for what promises to be a gripping second day in a Test already etched into Ashes folklore.
Brief Scores: England 172 (32.5 overs) Harry Brook 52, Ollie Pope 46, Mitchell Starc 7–58, Brendan Doggett 2–27; Australia 123/9 (39 overs) Alex Carey 26, Cameron Green 24, Ben Stokes 5–23, Jofra Archer 2–11. England lead by 49 runs
