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How to tune into Sport NationAustralia collapse as quicks dominate Ashes opening day
Oliver Caffrey, AAP • November 21st, 2025 11:15 pm
Australia's Mitchell Starc bagged a career-best seven wickets to open the Ashes in Perth | Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP
Australia have blown a career-best spell from Mitchell Starc as England fired back in a frenetic 19-wicket opening day of the Ashes in front of a record crowd at Perth Stadium.
The battle for the urn began with a masterclass of fast bowling, on both sides, as Australia crashed to 123/9 at stumps on day one.
After Starc's 7-for-58 dismantled England for 172 in only 33 overs, Australia still trail by 49 runs after being rocked by express quick Jofra Archer and captain Ben Stokes.
Only Nathan Lyon and debutant Brendan Doggett remain in England's way of a handy first innings lead.
Archer (2/11) consistently pushed 150kms/h, rattling Australia's brittle top order in similar fashion to the 2019 Ashes.
After Mitchell Starc's seven wickets, England captain Ben Stokes fired back with five of his own | Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP
His flawless seven overs swung momentum back towards the tourists in a way English teams haven't done in Australia during the last 15 years.
Stokes then ripped through the middle and lower order in a stunning spell late in the day for the sixth five-wicket haul of his Test career.
Archer steamed in to dismiss Jake Weatherald for a second-ball duck, Australia's debutant opener falling over to be trapped lbw.
Weatherald opened with the recalled Marnus Labuschagne, after Usman Khawaja was off the field "stretching" for too long to be allowed to bat immediately after England's innings ended.
Smith (17) then had to bat at No. 3, with Weatherald's instant dismissal meaning regular opener Khawaja (2) had to wait to come in at No. 4.
Australia's innings capitulated from there, losing 3 wickets for 13 runs in 18 balls to fall to 31/4.
Cameron Green (24) and Travis Head (21) briefly steadied the hosts, before England captain Ben Stokes (5-23) claimed them both, as well as Starc, late in the day.
England took confidence out of last year's Perth Test when India made just 150 on day one, before rattling Australia before stumps to go on and comfortably win the match.
Bazball's debut innings in Australia was an abject failure, the big hitting no match for Starc's lethal pace and movement as he starred in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
England continued to attack and play aggressive shots, even as wickets regularly tumbled and Starc was bowling superbly.
With 52, Harry Brook is set to be the top scorer across both sides after the first innings | Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP
The tourists collapsed twice in their innings - first to 39/3, then lost 5 for 17 runs in 18 balls to finish.
England's aggressive No. 5 Harry Brook looked threatening, hitting an out-of-sorts Scott Boland all around Perth Stadium.
But Brook (52) fell to debutant Brendan Doggett (2/27), who claimed his first Test wicket after Australia reviewed an Alex Carey catch given not out.
Before the TV umpire could even adjudicate, Brook was walking off the ground because the ball touched his glove.
For the second-straight time, Starc made a famous start to an Ashes series, striking in the first over to send England into a familiar spin.
Four years after his iconic first-ball dismissal of Rory Burns at the Gabba, Australia's left-arm spearhead finished the opening over of this series with the wicket of Zak Crawley (0).
Starc wasn't done there, claiming Crawley's opening partner Ben Duckett (21), and most importantly, star batter Joe Root (0) before drinks.
A Perth record crowd of 43,591 - later getting up to 51,531 - was already in the stadium to see Starc claim a wicket in the first over of a Test for the 24th time.
His figures surpassed his previous best of 6/9, which came in the last Test he played back in July against West Indies.
Doggett and Weatherald are on international debut, making it the first time Australia have blooded two debutants in the same Test since January 2019.
Tune into Sport Nation for live ball-by-ball commentary of the first Ashes Test at Perth Stadium, available on the Sport Nation app via SEN.
The Ashes series opener | SEN Cricket
