Fiery Ashes Kickoff: Starc and Stokes Shine as 19 Wickets Tumble on Day One

On a turbulent opening day of the Ashes 2025 series, Ben Stokes won the toss and saw his team bowled out for 172 before claiming a five-wicket haul to give England a first-innings lead in the first Test on Friday.

The much-anticipated Day 1 did not disappoint, with pace bowlers dominating in sunny conditions in front of over 51,000 spectators at Perth Stadium.

Mitchell Starc delivered a career-best performance with figures of seven for 58, which saw Australia reduce England by the second session. However, Jofra Archer struck in the opening over of Australia’s innings, underscoring the potency of England’s five-man pace attack.

At stumps, Australia was teetering at 123 for nine, trailing by 49 runs.

With 19 wickets falling in just 72 overs, the Test is already nearly halfway concluded, even though four days remain.

England, though frequently losing wickets, batted aggressively, maintaining a scoring rate of 5.23 runs per over. In contrast, Australia’s batting lineup adopted a defensive approach but continued to lose wickets regularly, without maintaining a flow of runs.

Several batsmen from both teams were struck by sharp short deliveries. Notably, Cameron Green was unsettled by a 147 kph (91 mph) bouncer from Mark Wood that almost had him fall on his stumps during the 24th over of Australia’s innings.

England’s bowlers exhibited a level of intensity typically seen from Australian pacers against visiting teams.

England’s abrupt batting collapse was unexpected for Usman Khawaja, who was in the dressing room at the time. Consequently, due to the time he spent off the field, Khawaja wasn’t permitted to open the innings, resulting in Marnus Labuschagne stepping up the order.

Furthermore, Khawaja was not allowed to bat at No. 3 following Jake Weatherald’s lbw dismissal to Archer, compelling Steve Smith to take the crease early.

Archer took the initial two wickets, and Brydon Carse followed with the next two, putting Australia in a precarious situation at 31 for four.

Travis Head and Green mounted a 45-run partnership to stabilize the innings before Stokes intervened. He dismissed Head (21), Green (24), Alex Carey (26), and Starc (12) to dismantle the middle order, adding Scott Boland (0) to his tally, ending the day with five for 23 from six overs.

Stokes, who entered the series determined to end England’s 15-Test winless streak in Australia, currently holds the advantage.

Starc, aged 35, set the tone by taking a wicket in the first over of a Test for the 24th time, dismissing Zac Crawley caught by Khawaja without a run scored. He claimed three wickets in his opening five overs, including Ben Duckett (21) and Joe Root (0), leaving England at 39 for three.

Starc continued his onslaught post-lunch, pivotal in removing Stokes and was instrumental in England losing six wickets for 67 runs after lunch with the last five wickets falling for just 12 runs.

He concluded the innings brilliantly, taking two consecutive wickets to dismiss Jamie Smith (33) and Mark Wood (0), setting himself up for a hat-trick in the next innings.

“Nice way to start a series,” Starc remarked, highlighting the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and the responsibility he felt as the experienced bowler.

For England, a 55-run partnership between Ollie Pope (46) and Harry Brook (52) marked the largest of the day, continuing the “Bazball” strategy under coach Brendon McCullum to score swiftly and exert pressure on bowlers.

Stokes’ decision to bat first was influenced by the fact that teams batting first have won all five Tests at Perth Stadium, despite his usual preference to bowl first.

Regular captain Cummins and Hazlewood missed the Test due to injuries, allowing Brendan Doggett (2/27) to debut and become the third Indigenous Australian man to play Test cricket.

Doggett, alongside Scott Boland, marked the first occurrence of two Indigenous Australians appearing in the same Test team lineup. Notably, he made key dismissals, including having Brook caught behind and later taking Carse’s wicket with aggressive short-pitch bowling.

Published on Nov 21, 2025.