On the opening day of the first Ashes Test against Australia in Perth on Friday, England were dismissed for just 172 thanks to a vicious Mitchell Starc’s 7-58, leaving them with a mountain to climb.
On a beautiful day at a crowded Perth Stadium, skipper Ben Stokes won the toss, and the visitors had few ways to counter the 35-year-old wreaking ball. Starc’s haul came off 12.5 overs as debutant Brendan Doggett contributed with 2-27.
After lunch, England fell apart, with the sole opposition coming from Ollie Pope (46) and Harry Brook (52).
In a frightening opening spell, Starc took three wickets, including Joe Root for a duck. After the break, he returned to send Stokes packing in his first over.
The team batting first has won all five of the previous Test matches at the venue, although England made every effort to contest that.
After Starc was given the new ball in his 101st Test, they were rocked in the first over. As he has done countless times before, the seasoned strike weapon delivered, luring a thick edge from Zak Crawley that Usman Khawaja skillfully collected down low at slip, rendering the opening worthless.
Starc has now claimed a wicket 24 times in an innings’ opening over.
Ben Duckett, on the other hand, calmed his jitters by banking the first four of the series with a perfect drive off Scott Boland. He then followed it up with another in the same over.
However, Starc struck again just as the left-hander was getting going, trapping him leg before wicket for 21, leaving England at 33-2.
It led Root to the crease in his latest attempt at an elusive first century in Australia. However, he only lasted seven balls, he edged a seaming delivery into Marnus Labuschagne’s safe hands at third slip.
Before Cameron Green entered the attack and was out lbw, Pope had withstood the inferno and remained calm, putting them at 105-4 at lunch.
After the interval, Brook struck Boland for a six in the opening over before Starc once more performed his magic, using an inswinger to remove Stokes’s stumps when the captain was on six.
Unfazed, a courageous Brook reached his 14th Test half-century off 58 balls before giving Doggett his first Test wicket on debut by feathering a short ball to Alex Carey.
Starc then dismissed Gus Atkinson for one, with Steve Smith snapping up the catch at slip—securing the pacer the 17th five-wicket haul of his career. Doggett and Starc sliced through the tail with ruthless efficiency, meeting almost no resistance.
England, who haven’t won a series in Australia for 15 years, went with an all-pace attack, leaving spinner Shoaib Bashir out of the XI.
