Day one of the first Ashes Test at Perth Stadium was an extraordinary display of fast bowling, with 19 wickets falling and leaving the match in a thrillingly uncertain state. A bouncy pitch proved a stern test for batsmen on both sides.
By the end of the day’s play, Australia was struggling at 123/9, trailing England by 49 runs. The defining bowling performance came from England captain Ben Stokes, who produced a sensational spell of 5 wickets for 23 runs in six overs, tearing through Australia’s lower order. This followed aggressive spells from Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse. The day’s high wicket count echoed the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar opener at the same venue, where 17 wickets fell on the first day.
Earlier, Mitchell Starc had been the architect of England’s downfall, claiming a career-best Ashes haul of 7 wickets for 58 runs. He skittled England out for 172 in just 32.5 overs, much to the delight of the record 51,531 crowd. Harry Brook’s counter-attacking 52 was the highlight of England’s innings, which featured a rapid scoring rate of 5.24 runs per over. This was the fastest first-innings bowling out of a visiting side in Australia since 1932.
Starc’s early dominance saw him dismiss Zak Crawley for a duck and Ben Duckett lbw for 21. He then trapped Joe Root lbw for a second-ball duck, leaving England in trouble at 39/3.
Harry Brook remained unfazed, launching a blistering counter-attack, hitting a 89-meter six and sharing a 55-run partnership with Ollie Pope, who scored 46 before being given out lbw to Cameron Green. A quick succession of wickets followed as Starc and debutant Brendan Doggett (2-27) took 5 wickets for just 12 runs in 19 balls, including Brook for 52.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith chipped in with a quick 33 off 22 balls before being caught, completing Starc’s seven-wicket haul.
Australia’s pursuit of England’s total was hampered from the outset, with Usman Khawaja unable to open due to back spasms. Debutant Jake Weatherald joined Marnus Labuschagne, but the partnership was immediately broken by Archer, who had Weatherald caught for a second-ball duck after a successful review. Archer then took the wicket of Labuschagne for 9, the ball cannoning onto the stumps off his elbow. Brydon Carse added two crucial wickets, dismissing Steve Smith for 17 and Khawaja for 2. The final rites were performed by Ben Stokes, who took 5 wickets for 23 runs, removing Travis Head (21), Cameron Green (24), Mitchell Starc (12), Alex Carey (26), and Scott Boland (0). Nathan Lyon (3 not out) and Brendan Doggett (0 not out) saw out the remainder of the day.
Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald were presented with their baggy green caps. England opted for an all-pace attack for this Test. The 19 wickets taken on day one are the most in an Ashes Test opening day since 1909, setting up a compelling second day in Perth.