Nineteen Wickets Fall as Starc and Stokes Dominate in Perth
Perth, November 21, 2025 – The opening day of the 2025-26 Ashes series at the Optus Stadium delivered one of the most thrilling starts to an Ashes series in recent memory, with a record-equaling 19 wickets tumbling in front of 51,531 passionate fans. By stumps, England held a narrow 49-run lead after a dramatic day that saw pace dominate on both sides. Ashes 2025-26 Day 1 Summary
Match Summary
England: 172 all out (32.5 overs)
Australia: 123/9 (39 overs) – Trail by 49 runs
England’s Batting Collapse
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to set the tone on Australian soil. However, what followed was a dramatic capitulation that saw Mitchell Starc produce a career-defining performance.
Starc struck with the very first ball of his spell, dismissing Zak Crawley for a duck with a 143.6 kph delivery that found the edge and carried to Usman Khawaja at slip. It was the 24th time Starc had taken a wicket in the first over of a Test innings, and it set the tone for what was to come.
Ben Duckett, after briefly counter-attacking with four boundaries off Scott Boland, became Starc’s second victim, trapped LBW by a swinging full delivery. Joe Root, still searching for his first Ashes century in Australia, lasted just seven balls before edging a sharp, seaming delivery to Marnus Labuschagne at third slip. With that wicket, Starc became the first left-arm seamer to reach 100 Ashes wickets, and England had slumped to 39/3.
The middle order showed brief resistance. Ollie Pope compiled a gritty 46 runs, playing some crisp shots down the ground despite early nervy moments. His partnership of 55 with Harry Brook provided England’s only period of stability. Brook, in his first Test innings in Australia, played with characteristic aggression, smashing his way to 52 runs with five fours and a six before falling controversially to a caught-behind appeal.
Jamie Smith provided late entertainment with a breezy 33 off 22 balls, including six boundaries at a strike rate of 150, but England’s tail offered little resistance. Starc finished with extraordinary figures of 7/58, his career-best haul, ripping through the lower order to bowl England out in just 32.5 overs.
Australia’s Response – Stokes Strikes Back
Chasing 172, Australia would have fancied their chances of building a substantial lead. However, England’s pace attack had other ideas.
Jofra Archer, bowling with genuine pace consistently above 141 kph, struck immediately. Jake Weatherald, making his debut as a replacement opener, was dismissed for a second-ball duck, edging behind to leave Australia at 15/1. It was an inauspicious start for the David Warner replacement.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith faced an extreme pace examination from Archer and Mark Wood, who both regularly touched 150 kph. The pair managed just 15 runs in 10 overs as Australia took 28 balls to get off the mark – the longest they had taken in an Ashes Test this century.
Brydon Carse made crucial interventions, dismissing both Smith and Usman Khawaja to leave Australia reeling. Cameron Green took a blow to the helmet from Wood but showed resilience alongside Alex Carey, who top-scored with 26.
Then came the Ben Stokes show. The England captain, bowling just six overs, produced a devastating spell that yielded five wickets. Travis Head became his first victim with a mistimed shot, and Stokes proceeded to dismantle Australia’s middle and lower order with a combination of pace, skill, and experience. Some of the stroke-play from Australian batters will be questioned internally, as they appeared to match England’s aggressive approach with mixed results.
By stumps, Australia had collapsed to 123/9, still trailing by 49 runs, with Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon at the crease.
Key Performances
Mitchell Starc (7/58): A career-defining performance from Australia’s pace spearhead, who became the first left-arm seamer to reach 100 Ashes wickets and the 21st bowler overall to achieve the milestone. His strike rate of 44.8 is the best among all 21 bowlers who have taken 100 or more Ashes wickets.
Ben Stokes (5/24 in 6 overs): The England captain answered Australia’s dominance with a devastating spell of his own, claiming a five-wicket haul that put England marginally ahead despite their modest first-innings total.
Harry Brook (52): England’s lone half-centurion showed courage and aggression in difficult conditions, providing the only substantial resistance to Australia’s pace attack.
Historical Context
The 19 wickets that fell matched an Ashes record of the last 100 years, equaling the carnage seen at Trent Bridge in 2001 and Lord’s in 2005. It also matched the 17 wickets that fell on the opening day of the Perth Test 12 months ago against India, when Australia bowled out the visitors for 150 before losing seven wickets on the first night en route to a heavy defeat.
England’s innings of 32.5 overs was the shortest in an Ashes Test since Trent Bridge 2015, when they bowled Australia out for 60 on the opening day.
Looking Ahead to Day 2
The match remains delicately poised. England will be desperate to wrap up Australia’s innings quickly and establish a first-innings lead, however small. Australia, meanwhile, will hope for some tail-end resistance from Starc and Lyon to avoid the follow-on and keep themselves in the contest.
With the pitch expected to improve for batting on Day 2, whichever side gains the first-innings advantage will be crucial. The weather forecast suggests some showers over the weekend, which could also play a role in determining the outcome of this fascinating contest.
What is certain is that if the opening day is any indication, cricket fans are in for a memorable Ashes series. The pace bowlers have set the tone, and with such an even contest, every session will be fiercely contested as Australia seeks to retain the Ashes for a fifth consecutive series while England strives for just their second win down under in 40 years.
