Mitchell Starc’s career-best haul wasn’t enough to put Australia in a strong position at stumps on day one of the First Ashes Test on Friday — a day that will live long in batting infamy.
An incredible 19 wickets fell in Perth on Friday, eclipsing the most wickets taken on the first day of an Ashes Test – the 17 recorded back in 1909.
An injury calamity forced the Aussies into a top order reshuffle that they never recovered from against England. And Ben Stokes tore through the “shell-shocked” home side in one of the most remarkable days of Ashes action.
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Here are the big talking points from day one of the First Ashes Test.
EVERY WICKET! Starc’s career-best haul | 05:35
AUSSIES ROCKED BY ‘NEED FOR SPEED’
It was just last week New South Wales captain Steve Smith questioned whether England’s fast bowlers were suited to Australia’s seam-friendly Test wickets.
“Sometimes the slower guys are almost harder to play on those wickets,” he declared.
“Those sort of nibblers can be quite tricky, so they might have got things the wrong way around.”
The English only needed one day to prove him wrong and it was their captain Ben Stokes who proved the hero for England.
His five-wicket haul amid a relentless attack of pace and precision ensured the Aussies enter day two trailing by 49 runs with just one wicket in the sheds.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said the English bowling performance was remarkable given the hole the tourists found themselves in when earlier rolled for 172.
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‘Bit of feeling here!’ Carse v Marnus | 01:25
“I don’t think you can bowl any better than that,” he said.
“The pitch was a little bit juicy, but they just bowled with so much pace consistency, and they had the Aussies jumping around. I mean, it didn’t look easy to bat. They bruised the Aussies.
“Sometimes, when you see a bowling performance like that, you wonder if it is going to have an effect going down the series, because this Australian attack will have to face it on a regular basis.”
As Smith acknowledged, England touched down in Australia this month with one of the fastest pace cartels in Ashes history. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, both capable of exceeding 150km/h, have been accompanied by speedsters Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue, with Gus Atkinson rounding out a rapid quintet.
Having decided not to announce a starting XI until the toss, England pulled the trigger and unleashed an all-pace attack for the Ashes series opener in Perth, leaving spinner Shoaib Bashir to carry the drinks.
And it proved a masterstroke.
England’s fast bowlers continued where Indian weapon Jasprit Bumrah left off last summer, terrorising Australia’s top order on Friday afternoon as the hosts collapsed to 4-31 on a seaming, bouncy deck.
Archer, playing his first Ashes Test in over six years, made Australian debutant Jake Weatherald look foolish. After beating his outside edge on the first delivery of the innings, the Englishman cannoned the next ball into the Tasmanian opener’s pads, with Weatherald flopping onto the deck having lost his footwork, comprehensively beaten for pace.
It was a brutal introduction to Test cricket for the left-hander, who departed for a second-ball duck.
Having played and missed on 14 occasions, Marnus Labuschagne became Archer’s second victim after failing to get his arm out of the way of an attempted leave, with the Kookaburra ricocheting off his elbow into the stumps.
Starc on 19 wkts & Khawaja injury update | 09:48
Carse joined the party shortly after, getting a rip-snorter to explode off the pitch and kiss Usman Khawaja’s glove on the way through to the wicketkeeper. The 38-year-old seemingly had no time to react, shaking his head as he trudged off the field.
“It was obviously an unbelievable day of Test cricket. I think everyone who came to watch today was thoroughly entertained,” Carse said.
“I think at the halfway mark, Stokesy kept it quite simple and he said, ‘We’ve got 50 minutes before tea’. And I thought the way that Gus and Jofra started was phenomenal and we carried that into the afternoon session.
“I thought we were quite relentless as a group of seamers and Ben rotated us well.”
Even Smith, arguably the greatest Test batter since Sir Donald Bradman, struggled to tame England’s speedsters.
The right-hander had a false shot percentage of 48.9 per cent, the highest figure in a Test innings when he has faced at least 30 deliveries.
The New South Welshman was struck on the elbow twice – at one stage needing medical attention on the field – while all-rounder Cameron Green narrowly avoided trodding on his own stumps after Wood struck him on the grill with a vicious bumper.
From there, Stokes stepped up to almost clean up the Aussie line up.
According to CricViz, England’s average speed on day one in Perth was 141km/h, the highest the nation has managed in a Test since records began in 2006.
“Australia just haven’t coped with the pace and bounce of England,” former Test batter Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket.
“They’ve got firepower, and no-one likes raw pace.”
Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee was similarly impressed, declaring “It’s been one of the better attacks I’ve ever seen on Australian soil.”
It was world-class bowling from the English, which wreaked havoc in the Western Australian capital. The team’s ‘need for speed’ ploy worked but as Mitch Starc said later, there is still a long way to go in both this Test and also the series.
SACRIFICE PAYS OFF FOR AUSSIE STAR
When Starc entered his early 30s, his thoughts began to turn to retirement, but with a caveat. The Australian star was determined to play Test cricket for as long as possible.
As a result he has opted out of playing in the Indian Premier League in recent years, a decision that has conservatively cost him many millions given his nous in the T20 discipline.
But as former great Mike Hussey noted on Friday after Starc claimed a career-best 7-58 when skittling England’s top and lower order, he is reaping the rewards in Test cricket.
Stokes left stunned by Starc special | 00:55
In a defining moment of a career which saw him on track to overtake Wasim Akram this series to become the most prolific left-armed pace wicket taker, Starc was superb.
“Definitely. It all just goes to show where his priorities are and he’s obviously put his focus into Test cricket. That’s his number one priority and he is reaping the rewards for it,” Hussey told foxsports.com.au.
“He’s had great longevity in the game. He’s got enormous respect from his peers in the game and he is still producing. He’s still fit. He’s still strong. He looks after himself so well.”
While Pat Cummins is absent as he recovers from a back problem and Josh Hazlewood has endured soft tissue issues in recent seasons, Starc has been remarkably resilient.
The 35-year-old has not missed a Test since breaking a finger in the Boxing Day Test in 2022, a streak that Hussey attributes to his preparation and focus on what matters.
“I think what they’re very good at doing now is mapping out programs and asking ‘Okay, what’s your focus? Okay, let’s get ready for the Ashes now,’” he said.
“Let’s work a year back, or, let’s work two years back, and let’s map it all out. He just knows his body so well now as well and knows when he can push himself a bit. He knows when he needs to pull back. It’s all credit to him, really.”
‘Only one innings’ Starc stays focused | 01:28
Starc’s former teammate David Warner has no doubt the New South Welshman’s preparation is a factor, but he says there is more to it than that.
Starc, who has now taken 409 Test crickets, is a gutsy cricketer who knows how to play through pain.
Even on Friday, in the midst of a career-best effort, he was forced to leave the field briefly after appearing to twist an ankle but returned to clean up the English tail.
“The most important thing about Starc (is) his resilience and tenacity has been there through his whole career,” Warner said.
“Not many people would know he’s bowled through a lot of pain. I don’t think he’s ever been 100 per cent fit. But his character and the way he carries himself out there, he may look grumpy, but that’s just his intensity and the way he goes about things.
“He works hard on his line and length and I think he’s done it very, very well. Without the two main quicks, he’s stepped up and that’s exactly what Australia has needed.”
While Starc was superb, Brendan Doggett also showed signs on debut, and Cameron Green produced an encouraging cameo when snaring Ollie Pope for 46.
Doggett settled into Test cricket as though he had been playing for a decade, with his first over described by ex-Aussie great Mark Waugh as the best of the day to that point.
He snared the dangerous Harry Brook when cramping him for room with a bouncer, which the English No.5 gloved to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
It will be interesting to see if this is a tactic the Aussies deploy against the middle-order star. Doggett also snared the wicket of Brydon Carse late in the English innings.
Doggett gets first ever test wicket | 01:22
The only disappointment from an Australia perspective was the ease with which England was able to handle Scott Boland, who was far from his miserly best.
Statistics show that the Victorian performs far better in the Test arena when used as first change, rather than opening the bowling, and his deeds on Friday will further that query.
His bowling average when taking the new ball is 44.66 compared to 14.92 when introduced into the attack after the initial salvo from his teammates.
Waugh was stunned by how imprecise Boland was early on, stating on Fox Cricket it was “the loosest three overs I’ve seen him bowl in his whole career.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan, meanwhile, said that he had never seen the star “bowl so many half-volleys”.
KERFUFFLE KICKSTARTS AUSSIE COLLAPSE
How Australia’s top order shaped up was a massive talking point heading into the First Ashes Test in Perth.
And once it was determined debutant Jake Weatherald would partner Usman Khawaja at the top, Marnus Labuschagne got his preferred number three.
But that’s not what eventuated in Perth on Friday as an injury calamity saw Khawaja ineligible to open – or come in at first drop moments later – after he spent too long off the field with a back issue.
And that off-field disarray, which was described by former Test star Tom Moody as “beyond a joke”, followed the Aussies out to bat as the top order crumbled.
Weatherald fell for a second ball duck only one minute into Khawaja’s time penalty on the sidelines.
So with the Queenslander still unable to stride out to the crease, it was Steve Smith who joined Labuschagne in the middle.
While the duo put up a 14-over fight – for just 28 runs – Labuschagne’s wicket sparked a collapse. The home side lost 3-3 in just three overs with that trio of Labuschagne, Smith and Khawaja all exiting.
Marnus out after disappointing spell! | 00:42
Kayo Sports expert analyst Mike Hussey said it was a unusual situation as Khawaja, who suffered a back spasm, tried to rectify the issue but ran out of time.
“I haven’t been in that situation where the opener is not there, not that I can remember,” former Aussie star Mike Hussey said.
“Maybe it’s happened, but I don’t remember, and the rules are clear. When they get sort of seven down, you sort of better get back out there. But no, I don’t know. I was surprised.
“It was a quirky one. It was quite funny because all the talk was ‘Will Marnus open? Will Weatherald open?’ And Weatherald ended up opening but so did Marnus. It was a bit of a strange one in the end.”
But it is not the first time Khawaja has been caught up in a time penalty situation.
Former Aussie opener David Warner recalled the moment he was stuck in a day-night Test against South Africa with Khawaja the man sent in instead.
“They were nine down and Faf (Proteas skipper du Plessis) noticed I’d been off the field for a loo break,” he shared on Fox Cricket.
“Steve Smith decided not to bowl Nathan Lyon again – decided to put one of the quicks on. And then I was stuck! I had two minutes to go!
“Faf just ran off the field and said we’re declaring! So I couldn’t open the batting. Uzzie ended up opening the batting and scoring a hundred!”
But that luck wouldn’t extend for a second time – with Khawaja coming out at four and making just two off six.
Weatherald OUT for a Duck! | 01:37
‘BOX OFFICE’ STAR … BUT HIS WEAKNESS EXPOSED
He’s the audacious England star described by Aussie great Adam Gilchrist as “box office”.
And that’s exactly what we got in Harry Brook’s whirlwind 52 that righted England’s sinking ship.
Coming out at 3-39 after skipper Joe Root’s first Test duck on Australian soil, Brook went on the attack immediately.
He charged the on-fire Mitchell Starc to get off the mark, and didn’t curtail his flamboyant style from there.
“It was an important innings for him because this is the one place that he hasn’t really scored any runs in,” Michael Hussey, a commentator for Kayo Sports which is broadcasting the Ashes series, said.
“To get an early score and to feel good and play some beautiful shots will really help his confidence to think, ‘Okay, I can score runs here in Australia.’ But if he had have got out cheaply in the first, say, two Test matches, or four innings, then that would be starting to play on his mind.
“But I think in an innings where he performed really will give him enormous confidence going forward, just knowing that you can score runs once against that attack, and to get in on those faster, bouncy conditions, because he’s scored so many runs around the world, but on flatter, lower pitches. But you come here (and there is a) bit of extra bounce, and he still looked like class, didn’t he?”
Mark Waugh described Brook as a “Kevin Pietersen type” player, while Kerry O’Keeffe said the 30-Test batsman showed no fear.
“(England coach) Brendon McCullum has said – be brave,” O’Keeffe said.
“Brook says I’m going to have a piece of you regardless with where you’re at.”
Brook was so confident, he went on the attack twice in the final over before lunch against Starc.
“He’s going to live by the sword,” Hussey said.
Smith urges Uzzie to get on the field | 00:57
“(He has) unbelievable confidence. They’ve got no fear. (They put) no price on their wicket. They don’t care about getting out. It’s all about scoring runs.”
Former Aussie opener David Warner was full of praise for Brook, who finished the top scorer on day one.
“I love what I see from him,” he said.
“He’s averaging 55, he’s scored some brilliant hundreds and he takes the game away from you. The way that he plays is exciting.”
But that excitement proved Brook’s downfall as he was caught trying to pull out of a Brendan Doggett bouncer.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan had called it moments earlier – Brook can’t help himself under a short ball.
“He will take it on. If you get it high enough, you can see the top edges and the chances come for Australia,” he warned.
And that’s what eventuated as Brook was caught behind.
“There’s an indication of potentially how Australia can bowl to Harry Brook for the rest of this series,” Vaughan said.
“That is the first time of asking where Australia have gone the short ball to Harry Brook in the first innings of a big series (and) I think we’ll see that tactic once again.”
BAZBALL ‘WITHOUT BRAINS’
That is the way flabbergasted the former English captain, with Vaughan describing the self-destruction of the tourists after lunch on the opening day as a period which could yet cost them the match should Australia fight back on Saturday.
After Ollie Pope and Harry Brook steadied the tide for England following Starc’s initial onslaught, a score of 250 appeared within realm had they held their heads.
But that is not what happened as the English middle and lower order fell to a range of poor shots, with a number of catches taken in the outfield.
There was great discussion following the thrilling series against India in the northern summer that England had learnt to throttle down when required, to adjust to the circumstances.
On the evidence on Friday, England still has some work to do on that front.
While they scored at a rapid 5.23 per over, they were also bowled out in just 32.5 overs, which is the smallest number of overs they have faced under Brendon McCullum.
“Bazball with brains. Well, Bazball has arrived. They forgot the other bit,” Vaughan said on the Kayo Sports coverage.
A topic of discussion leading into the series was whether England’s aggressive approach to batting would fall short, literally, given the longer boundaries on Australian soil.
The evidence to date suggests it could be a problem.
Hussey said that while it is hard to break a habit, it is something England clearly should be aware of.
“It is hard, and especially with the (hook) shot, because it’s an instinctive shot, but you can practice it and you should be prepared for that coming in,” he said.
Stokes ignites with fiery 5-wicket haul | 04:36
“The ground size hasn’t changed for 400 years. They’ve always been the same size. So you need to be aware of that and prepare for that. So if that means you have to work on letting some go, or picking the right ball to play, then you should do that. I’m sure they would do that work on it.
“But there were a few easy dismissals there for Australia where they have just given their wickets away, which I don’t know how many runs it cost them in the end, but it could have been a fair few and it could have meant the Australian bowlers would have to stay out for another spell each. There were a few dismissals I think they would be disappointed with for sure.”
Vaughan said England was taught a lesson as to how hard it is to clear the boundary in Australia.
“If I’m England and I’m trying to take on the boundary riders over 82 metres, and they’re only got three quarters of the way back, it tells you everything,” Vaughan said.
“At home that goes into the stands at Trent Bridge, Edgebaston, Headingley. It’s quite small. But here in Australia, England will have to find a way. If they’re going to play in that fashion, they’re probably going to give Australia some cheap wickets, like they did today, and they’ve just got to learn the lesson.
“They’ll carry on playing their way but I’ve seen them play over the last year where they’ve played Bazball, but with a smartness. There was times today where Bazball was great, but then the smartness was missing towards the back end.
“I’m intrigued to see if that lack of smartness, if they carry on with it, costs them in the second innings. If they play in a similar fashion, they might bring Australia back into the game.
“I’m intrigued. You’ve got an attritional batting line-up in Australia and you’ve got an expansive batting line-up for England. Let’s see what plays out over the course of the next seven weeks.”