Ashes 2025 opener: England rocked early as Australia’s Starc strikes

PERTH: The Ashes burst back into life in dramatic fashion as Australia seized early control of the first Test in Perth, reducing England to 111-4 by the second session on day one. Under clear skies at Optus Stadium, England’s decision to bat first quickly came under scrutiny as Mitchell Starc tore through the top order.

Starc, leading Australia’s attack in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, delivered a blistering opening spell. He removed Zak Crawley for a duck in the first over, pinned Ben Duckett lbw for 21, and then claimed the massive wicket of Joe Root, also for nought, to reach his 100th Ashes scalp. England slumped to 39-3, continuing a grim trend in Australia where they have won just six of their last 46 Tests and lost the past three series 13-0 combined.

Ollie Pope offered some resistance with a punchy 46 before falling lbw to Cameron Green after a 55-run stand with Harry Brook. At 105-4 at lunch, England looked fragile, but Brook resumed with intent, cracking Scott Boland for a towering six as he moved into the 30s. Captain Ben Stokes (4) joined him in steadying the innings as the tourists tried to stem the early damage.

Australia’s debutant Brendan Doggett impressed with pace and bounce during a probing maiden first over, while Boland and Starc kept England’s batters cautious with movement through the air and off the pitch.

With Jamie Smith next in and England’s long tail waiting, the visitors will need a major partnership to post a competitive first-innings score, especially with day-night conditions looming in the second Brisbane Test and a full tour featuring Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney ahead.

For now, all eyes remain on Brook and Stokes as England try to wrestle back momentum on a bruising opening day of the 2025/26 Ashes.

Latest in the game is Mitchell Starc extending his dominance over Ben Stokes by dismissing the England captain for the 10th time. Starc had previously been tied with teammate Nathan Lyon on nine dismissals of Stokes, but now stands alone behind only India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, who has removed Stokes 13 times in Tests. With the rivalry showing no signs of slowing, attention will turn to whether Starc can close in on Ashwin’s mark as the series unfolds.