The Ashes Day 1 report – Ben Stokes leads England fightback as 19 wickets fall on remarkable opening day in Perth
Updated 21/11/2025 at 14:01 GMT
Re-live Day 1 of the first 2025/26 Ashes Test between England and Australia in Perth. England slumped to 172 all out in just 32.5 overs, with Mitchell Starc taking 7-58. But the drama continued as Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse removed the Aussie top order, before Ben Stokes starred with 5-29. Watch and stream every ball of the NRMA Insurance men's Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Highlights: England roar back on extraordinary Day 1 of Ashes
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The story of Day 1: Australia (123-9) trail England (172 all out) by 49 runs
The Ashes got underway with an extraordinary day of Test cricket as 19 wickets fell in a drama-packed start to the series in Perth, with Ben Stokes delivering a captain’s performance for England with figures of 5-23.
It was Stokes who won the toss and chose to bat first, but the tourists fell victim to the brilliance of Mitchell Starc, who rattled through the England top order and finished with career-best numbers of 7-58.
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Nightmare start for England as Crawley out in first over
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Harry Brook top-scored with a sparkling, counter-attacking 58, but England’s lower-order added little to the total as the tourists repeatedly looked to clear the ropes, with Australia expecting such an approach and gratefully taking a string of catches in the deep.
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Watch: All ten England wickets as Starc runs through tourists in Perth
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It looked like England were facing another disastrous tone-setting opening day of an away Ashes series when their five-strong bowling attack was called into action before tea following a first-innings total of just 172 all out.
But England’s bowlers had other ideas, and had Australia in serious bother throughout as they bowled with sustained heat and accuracy.
The outstanding Jofra Archer (2-11 from 9 overs) set the tone right from the start, trapping Jake Weatherald in front for a duck off just the second ball of the day. And the new-ball pair of Archer and Gus Atkinson heaped on the pressure early on, with Australia taking five overs to get off the mark.
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Watch: England fire back as Archer traps Weatherald second ball
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The home side played in a far more circumspect manner, but England’s relentless quality with the ball paid off, with Marnus Labuschagne (9) playing on to his own stumps off Archer before Brydon Carse got the big wicket of Steven Smith, who had been struck repeatedly on the body by England pacers before departing for 17.
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Watch: Joy for England as Smith goes to leave Australia 'wobbling'
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Usman Khawaja (2) came in at number four after being off the field for too long in the first innings to be permitted to open the batting, but he did not stick around for long as he gloved a snorter from Carse behind.
Atkinson was outstanding in his nine overs, bowling four maidens in total, while Mark Wood bowled with serious heat, hitting mid-90mph on multiple occasions.
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Watch: Hostile Wood delivery clatters into Green's helmet
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But it was the England captain who ensured that the day ended in the tourists' favour, coming into the attack midway through the final session and bagging a five-for as he rattled through the Australian middle and lower order.
Stokes got the big wickets of Travis Head (21) and Cameron Green (23) to end a dangerous-looking partnership, and he struck again to prise out Starc (12), the free-scoring Alex Carey (26) and Scott Boland (0), finishing the day with figures of 5-23.
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WATCH: Stokes takes magical five-wicket haul on Day 1 of Ashes
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Australia’s final-wicket pair will return at the start of day two with the home side still trailing by 49 runs, but have been put on notice – this England bowling attack is a serious proposition.
Australia 123-9 at stumps (Lyon 3, Doggett 0) Overs: 39
Australia trail by 49 runs
Brendan Doggett is in on debut at No. 11, but it’s Nathan Lyon on strike to face Jofra Archer in what could well be the final over of the day.
Archer has Lyon ducking and weaving with short stuff, bowling with serious heat once again on a day in which he has been outstanding with the ball in hand for England, spearheading this five-strong pace attack.
He looks to clean Lyon up with a full and straight ball to close out the day’s play, but the batter clips it away for a couple of runs and Australia’s final-wicket pair will return to the middle at the start of day two, with their side still trailing by 49 runs.
DOUBLE WICKET OVER! Australia 121-9 (Lyon 1) Overs: 38
Alex Carey, c Carse b Stokes, 26
Scott Boland, c Brook b Stokes, 0
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Watch: Five-for for Stokes! England skipper stars with ball as tourists ROAR back
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Ben Stokes has a five-for and England have turned this first day on its head with a brilliant display of pace bowling.
The key wicket of Carey is the first to fall, as he looks to pick up some cheap runs and ramps a short ball straight to Carse in the deep.
Scott Boland is the new batter and he lasts just two balls, edging to Brook at slip. The umpires check to see if it’s carried, but it only takes one replay to see that it’s absolutely fine and England are one wicket away form a first-innings lead. Extraordinary!
Australia 120-7 (Carey 26, Lyon 1) Overs: 37
Australia trail by 52 runs
Archer was going to come into the attack in any case, but he does so now with a new batter at the crease, with Nathan Lyon out in the middle.
The Aussie No. 9 manages to get off strike first up, but a single off the final ball of the over means he’ll be facing at the start of the next.
Can England grab more wickets at the end of this astonishing opening day of the series.
WICKET! Australia 118-7 (Carey 25) Overs: 36
Mitchell Starc, c Carse b Stokes, 12
Australia trail by 54 runs
The runs were starting to flow a bit for Australia, with the partnership rattling along at far better than a run-a-ball. But nothing last long in this Test…
Stokes almost gets Starc off the penultimate ball of the over as a leading edge flicks the pad and pops up, but it was always going to drop before Stokes could get there on his follow-through, and the England skipper gives a wry smile.
But Stokes’ smile is far broader after the last ball of the over as a wild swipe from Starc sends the ball plopping straight into the hands of Brydon Carse to leave Australia seven down and end the partnership.
Australia 112-6 (Carey 22, Starc 9) Overs: 35
Australia trail by 60 runs
Starc has both batters in trouble, crashing one into the pads of Carey to prompt a half-hearted appeal. That didn’t look right at all though and England opt not to review, correctly so.
And Starc continues to live dangerously, sending an out-of-control thick edge past gully.
Carey finishes the over with a lovely shot, hit back down the ground. It’s important for England that they don’t let the Australian No. 7 take the late momentum in the day.
Australia 104-6 (Carey 16, Starc 7) Overs: 34
Australia trail by 68 runs
Stokes continues, looking for more inspiration for his team. Carey’s looking pretty good out there, and it feels like maybe it could be time for a short burst from Archer before the close.
Australia 100-6 (Carey 16, Starc 4) Overs: 33
Australia trail by 72 runs
England are so close to bagging their seventh wicket of the innings as Carse rushes Starc, whose false shot lofts over the ring and out of the reach of Archer. That wasn’t a chance, but it offers even more encouragement.
Carey ends the over with a crashing four through the covers – a counter-attacking sort of approach, Bazball-lite you could even say.
That brings up the hundred for the hosts and Australia have now batted for longer than England did in their first innings.
WICKET! Australia 91-6 (Carey 11, Starc 1) Overs: 32
Cameron Green, c Smith b Stokes, 24
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Watch: 'He's got his man!' - Stokes nabs big wicket of dangerous Green
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It’s another wicket for Ben Stokes and once again it’s off the first ball of the over.
He moves the field around, leaving some gaps to tempt Green into the drive, and the Australian obliges, wafting a flat-footed shot into the corridor and nicking it through to Smith behind the stumps. It’s a poor shot and England are delighted – Green looked in serious touch prior to that brain fade.
Stokes almost gets another as Carey glances one down leg that only narrowly evades the desperate dive of Smith.
It’s Mitchell Starc who’s in at No. 7 for Australia, already batting again on a day when he took a career-best 7-58 with the ball.
Australia 83-5 (Green 24, Carey 4) Overs: 31
England all out for 172 in first innings
Carse takes a tumble in his follow-through and a defensive drive from Carey strikes his prone body. The batter apologises, not that it was his fault, and Carse picks himself off the turf while the England slip cordon snigger at his misfortune.
It’s been a really amazing day of cricket, but it’s been played in the right spirit in the main.
WICKET! Australia 79-5 (Green 23, Carey 1) Overs: 30
Travis Head, c Carse b Stokes, 21
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Watch: Stokes to the rescue as England skipper removes Head
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The England captain breaks the partnership and Travis Head bows his head after a loose shot undoes his hard work to get himself in.
It’s not the best ball of the day by any means, but Head clips it straight to Carse at mid-on and England have a fifth wicket.
Alex Carey is the new batter and a few boos come from the Barmy Army as he heads out to the middle.
Australia 76-4 (Head 21, Green 21) Overs: 29
England all out for 172 in first innings
Carse continues and four runs come from the over. This partnership is starting to really do its job here, setting up a proper platform for the home team.
Australia 72-4 (Head 20, Green 18) Overs: 28
England all out for 172 in first innings
It’s a decent first over from Stokes, who beats Green first up. But the Aussie all-rounder responds with a classy drive that yields three runs as it pulls up short of the rope.
Australia trail by 100 and it feels like England really need a wicket here.
Australia 69-4 (Head 20, Green 15) Overs: 27
England all out for 172 in first innings
It’s Atkinson again and it’s yet another maiden. He’s been so good today, but has yet to pick up a wicket, and will still be thinking about that return catch chance that he put down.
Ben Stokes is about to bring himself into the attack for the first time…
Australia 69-4 (Head 20, Green 15) Overs: 26
England all out for 172 in first innings
Green is looking pretty comfortable and he keeps things ticking over. And he ends the latest over with a glorious cover drive, underlining the feeling that momentum is beginning to swing back in Australia’s favour.
This could well be the end of Mark Wood’s spell you’d wager, with his speeds starting to drop.
Australia 61-4 (Head 20, Green 7) Overs: 25
England all out for 172 in first innings
England will be extremely keen to break this partnership, with the game starting to drift towards something that feels like normal Test cricket as runs begin to tick over and the crowd break into a low murmur.
Head’s the more vulnerable of the two, and he edges Atkinson just short of a deep fly slip.
Green is hit! Australia 53-4 (Head 12, Green 7) Overs: 24
England all out for 172 in first innings
A flicked single brings up the fifty for Australia, but it’s been a really hard-earned one, coming at a rate of 2.14 and for the loss of four wickets. The contrast in approach to England is remarkable – they’ve really dug in and ground it out, whereas the tourists went for the counter-attacking option earlier. We know what the purists think is the right approach, but we’ll have to wait and see which one turns out to be the winning approach here.
We’re going to have a pause in play here too, because Wood has just clocked Green with an absolute rip-snorter of a bouncer that climbed straight into the grill of the Australian all-rounder, who did well to avoid falling back onto his own stumps.
Wood goes to check on the batter, who seems to be okay but will be checked for concussion just in case.
Watch: Hostile Wood delivery clatters into Green's helmet
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The camera pans to a paper snake that’s winding its way around the stands in Perth – just a bit more entertainment to add to the stunning scenes out in the middle.
DROP! Australia 49-4 (Head 9, Green 6) Overs: 23
England all out for 172 in first innings
Atkinson is agonisingly close to getting the wicket that he so richly deserves, luring Green into a false shot that offers up a tough but makeable return catch. Atkinson gets his fingertips to it, but the ball drops on him and he can’t cling on to the chance.
There’s a hint of a run-out opportunity midway through the over too, as Green goes for a sharp single and Wood has a shy at the stumps. He might have just been safe even if it had hit, but that was risky.
Australia’s batters are rattled here. The pressure is intense.
Australia 48-4 (Head 9, Green 5) Overs: 22
England all out for 172 in first innings
All of England’s bowlers are sending it down at serious pace today, and they bring the quickest of the lot back into the attack, with Mark Wood ready to unleash some fire after pushing up towards 95mph in his first spell of the day.
Head flicks at the first ball of Wood’s spell and sends it dangerously fine, evading the grasp of the keeper and running it away fortuitously to the boundary.
There’s a big appeal from the keeper and slips later in the over as one climbs down the leg side, but Stokes isn’t having it and the replay shows that it flicked the hip rather than anything more significant on the way through.
Australia 42-4 (Head 8, Green 4) Overs: 21
England all out for 172 in first innings
Atkinson continues to probe and he very nearly gets the wicket of Head, who inside-edges just past his own stumps. The Australian No. 5 looks all over the place at the moment.
Australia 41-4 (Head 7, Green 4) Overs: 20
England all out for 172 in first innings
It’s another great over from Carse. Three runs come from the first delivery, but he keeps it tight for the rest of the over as England’s all-pace attack continues to pin Australia down.
We’ve had 14 wickets already on this fascinating day one… and it looks like we’re set for a sensational series if this first day of action is anything to go by.
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Why is it called 'The Ashes'? Cricket's oldest rivalry explained
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Australia 38-4 (Head 4, Green 4) Overs: 19
England all out for 172 in first innings
Atkinson comes back into the attack and he picks up right where he left off with his relentless new-ball spell.
Travis Head is squared up by each of the first two deliveries of the over and is lucky to escape on both occasions, squirting an edge over the head of a diving Pope at gully before edging again in the same direction, this time with it dropping short.
He fends away a single to get off strike and celebrates, prompting a smile from Atkinson. These two know each other well.
Green shows his class with a glorious punched drive to the rope to give Australia something to cheer after what has been a tough session so far.
WICKET! Australia 31-4 (Head 1, Green 0) Overs: 18
Usman Khawaja, c Smith b Carse, 2
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Watch: Carse gets Khawaja with 'absolute brute' as Australia go FOUR down
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England are rampant, and suddenly their 172 all out doesn’t look too shabby after all.
It’s Brydon Carse who strikes this time, and it’s one of the balls of the day, pitching short of a length and snorting up at Khawaja, who can only glove it through to the keeper. That would have got almost every batter out and England are ripping through Australia’s top order. It’s brilliant cricket.
The Barmy Army are making plenty of noise in Perth, taunting a suddenly silent home crowd.
Replays suggest that if Khawaja had reviewed it there may have been a lengthy look from the television umpire, with the glove maybe off the bat at the point of impact, although it may also have grazed the top edge on its way through. He didn’t review it though.
It’s a wicket maiden for Carse.
Australia 31-3 (Khawaja 2, Head 1) Overs: 17
England all out for 172 in first innings
Archer bowled just a three-over spell at the start of the innings as England looked to utilise their pace armoury before tea, but he gets a slightly longer spell this time, with two left-handers out there for him to line up.
He grimaces as Head plays all around another beauty, and it’s a maiden from England’s bowler of the day so far.
WICKET! Australia 31-3 (Khawaja 2, Head 1) Overs: 16
Steven Smith, c Brook b Carse, 17
Watch: Joy for England as Smith goes to leave Australia 'wobbling'
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That’s the big one! Brydon Carse gets one to lift on Steve Smith and the Australian captain’s streaky stay in the middle finally comes to an end as he edges to second slip, where Harry Brook takes a smart catch.
England are bowling themselves right back into this Test match and it’s thrilling to watch. Get TNT Sports 1 on your screens right now, this is must-watch cricket.
WICKET! Australia 29-2 (Smith 17, Khawaja 1) Overs: 15
Marnus Labuschagne, b Archer, 9
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Watch: Archer knocks over Labuschagne as England get critical breakthrough
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It’s Jofra Archer again! England get the second wicket they’ve been striving for, with Labuschagne not getting out of the way of another terrific, climbing Archer delivery and playing onto his own stumps.
Usman Khawaja walks out at number four, having been unable to take up his usual position as opener due to time off the field in the first innings.
Archer has a wonderful record against left handers and he has the new man probing first up, before beating the bat of Smith with another peach off the penultimate ball of the over.
Australia 28-1 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 17) Overs: 14
England all out for 172 in first innings
Carse has been the one England bowler who’s given Australia the odd pressure-relieving loose delivery today, and Smith takes advantage of a couple more, cutting to the rope before hooking four more.
It’s comfortably the most expensive over of the innings and it’s concerning for England… although a wild waft from Smith later in the over will give them hope that he’s not completely in the groove just yet.
Australia 20-1 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 9) Overs: 13
England all out for 172 in first innings
Oh Archer, this is wonderful bowling.
After a wild waft from Smith that finds only fresh air, England opt to bring in the short leg and they very nearly get their man first ball, as Smith fends one just wide of the new fielder.
Archer has Labuschagne swaying and ducking for the rest of the over with some glorious bowling – pace, movement, accuracy… it’s top, top stuff. But still this pair survive
Not out! Australia 19-1 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 8) Overs: 12
England all out for 172 in first innings
Carse continues after his single over before tea and England launch a huge appeal for a caught behind.
The finger stays down and Stokes opts not to review… and it’s another excellent call from the England skipper, as replays show that it flicked off the top of the pad after fractionally going past the edge.
Another replay shows Smith comically urging England to take the review.
But England think they’ve got Labuschagne later in the over. Once again the finger stays down, but Stokes comes in and talks to his fielders, saying ‘great noise’ before going for the review.
Unfortunately for the tourists there’s no evidence of bat involved on the review and the not-out decision stands.
England have a quick chat with the umpire as there was a very, very slight bit of movement on the line, but not enough for a decision and the fourth umpire says he could see a gap between bat and ball in any case.
Some words are exchanged between the teams as the heat out in the middle rises in Perth.
Australia 15-1 (Labuschagne 6, Smith 7) Overs: 11
England all out for 172 in first innings
Here we go then, it’s the final session of the day and it’s a massive one in the context of both this Test and the series as a whole. If England can fight back and make sure they’re not well behind in the game then that will be a huge statement after struggling with the bat.
It’s Archer who takes the ball after the interval, fresh from his outstanding burst at the start the innings, and he has Smith in massive trouble straight away.
A lifter pings the Australian captain on his already-sore elbow first up, and then he slams Smith on the hand with another one that climbs on the batter and prompts him to rip off his glove and call for the physios.
Smith is in serious discomfort, but he’s still out in the middle, and that’s what matters most to him.
Jofra starts the session with a maiden.
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Watch: Smith takes BATTERING from England's bowlers
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Day 1 Tea Report
Two sessions of high drama saw England blown away for 172 in the first NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes Test of the series.
Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat, but saw his top order ripped apart as Mitchell Starc removed Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Joe Root - the latter two for ducks - to bring up his 100th wicket in Ashes Tests.
Brendan Doggett struck after lunch on his debut, but the Starc show continued as he took four more victims for career-best figures of 7-58 as England were shot out for 172 in 32.5 overs.
But back came England straightaway, as Jake Weatherald’s Test debut with the bat lasted two balls, trapped LBW by the searing pace of Jofra Archer.
The Perth Stadium pitch had some spice to it, with Mark Wood steaming in at over 90mph, but Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne dug in to take the home side to 15-1 at tea.
Watch: All ten England wickets as Starc runs through tourists in Perth
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Watch: England fire back as Archer traps Weatherald second ball
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Australia 15-1 at Tea (Labuschagne 6, Smith 7) Overs: 10
England all out for 172 in first innings
Brydon Carse gets the final over before tea and it’s a nice one as he beats the edge of Labuschagne.
The players head off with Australia having done well to lose just one wicket from that testing new-ball spell.
Australia 12-1 (Labuschagne 6, Smith 4) Overs: 9
England all out for 172 in first innings
Wood is firing on all cylinders here, topping 94mph in the over. All that exertion leads to him overstepping off the sixth ball of the over, so has to send down another and he has Labuschagne in a bit of bother with it, as the ball squirts off a thick outside edge.
England are bowling beautifully, but Australia are content to bed in and try and see out this new ball, knowing that they are in the ascendency in the match having already bowled England out on day one.
Australia 9-1 (Labuschagne 5, Smith 3) Overs: 8
England all out for 172 in first innings
Gus Atkinson concedes his first runs of the session, but it’s another superb over as he continues to probe away on a tight line with the new ball.
Two singles come from the over, and such control is just what England need with the blistering pace assault from Archer and now Wood at the other end (not that Atkinson’s exactly slow either).
Australia's scoring rate climbs to 1 run an over. In stark contrast to England 5.23 earlier on today. Forget all the wickets, run rate is the real quiz.
Australia 7-1 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 2) Overs: 7
England all out for 172 in first innings
With five quicks in the attack England opt not to over-use their pace men and Archer’s excellent new-ball spell comes to an end, with Mark Wood brought into the attack.
And it’s almost a wicket first ball as Labuschagne calls for a quick single and would have been well short of his ground had Pope thrown down the stumps at the keeper’s end. The England fielder throws his head to the sky in frustration at the missed shy.
Wood hits his pace right from the first over and beats Labuschagne with a snorter midway through the over. Just that one risky single comes from Wood’s first six deliveries in this match.
Australia 6-1 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 1) Overs: 6
England all out for 172 in first innings
Gus Atkinson has been outstanding with this new ball and he has Smith in trouble with one that climbs on the Australian skipper and strikes him right on the point of the elbow. The physios are straight out to see what the damage is.
After a brief delay Smith is okay to resume, and Atkinson test him straight away with another bumper that Smith flails at.
And England are all up off the last ball of the over as Atkinson strikes Smith on the pads, with the batters sneaking a leg bye. It’s a big appeal, but the umpire keeps his finger down. Stokes immediately gestures that he thinks it’s too high… and the television replay says he was spot on in that assessment.
Australia 5-1 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 1) Overs: 5
England all out for 172 in first innings
Archer is bowling some serious fire here, but Australia do finally get off the mark as they scamper a single, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Archer hits Labuschagne on the body with a ripper, but the Aussie responds with a lovely straight drive that uses the pace and runs away to the rope.
Four consecutive maidens! Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Overs: 4
England all out for 172 in first innings
England are bowling absolutely beautifully here and Gus Atkinson sends down yet another maiden, getting a thick edge and beating the outside of Labuschagne’s bat twice in the over.
It’s sensational new-ball stuff, but England will want wickets to make the most of it and get themselves back in this contest after mustering just 172 with the bat.
Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Overs: 3
England all out for 172 in first innings
Archer is in the groove here and it’s another maiden, so Australia are yet to score so far in this second innings.
The average pace of the over is in excess of 90mph and he has Smith feeling for a couple.
Excellent bowling and England’s spirits are being lifted by their pace men after that batting collapse earlier on.
Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Overs: 2
England all out for 172 in first innings
Gus Atkinson is right on the money first up with the new ball, and it’s a maiden for the England quick.
Remember that England opted for an all-pace attack here in Perth, so Brydon Carse, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes are waiting in the wings after this new-ball pair do their thing.
WICKET! Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Overs: 1
England all out for 172 in first innings
Jake Weatherald, lbw b Archer, 0
Watch: England fire back as Archer traps Weatherald second ball
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Australia are forced into a reshuffle as Usman Khawaja has a problem, was off the field for too much of the England innings, and was not back on the field long enough to open the batting.
It’s Jofra Archer with the new ball for England and he picks up a wicket with just his second ball in Ashes cricket down under, trapping the debutant Jake Weatherald lbw for a duck.
It was a brave review as there was a worry it wasn’t pitching in line, but Stokes went for it, and the moment ball-tracking showed that it was pitching straight then England could start celebrating. That’s as plumb as you like.
Smith is in at first drop and Archer, after a wayward first delivery to the Aussie skipper, cuts Smith in half with an absolute gem.
What a start to this second innings!
A nightmare start to the series for England
England won the toss, opted to bat and are already bowling on day one… that’s a pretty horrendous start to this Ashes series and some of those late dismissals were messy.
But don’t despair just yet, India were bowled out for 150 at this ground last year and ended up with a first-innings lead as 17 wickets fell on the opening day of that match.
ENGLAND BOWLED OUT FOR 172
Jamie Smith, c Green b Starc, 33
Mark Wood, c †Carey b Starc, 0
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Watch: 'All going south for England!' - Tourists lose last four wickets in three overs
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England try to get some low-order runs, but it’s not very clever batting as Smith looks to find the stands and picks out the outfield at this huge Perth ground. Sixes aren’t easy to come by on these grounds, and it’s pretty brainless stuff.
And Starc finishes with remarkable figures of 7-58 as the number eleven Mark Wood goes after a short one and top-edges a catch that Alex Carey takes behind the stumps.
WICKET! England 168-8 (Smith 29, Archer 0) Overs: 32
Brydon Carse, c Labuschagne b Doggett, 6
Doggett continues with the short-pitched approach and he catches Carse on the helmet with a snorter.
Carse looks to respond, but a pull towards the rope doesn’t carry to the huge backward square boundary, with Labuschagne taking the catch in the deep.
That isn’t very smart cricket and England are slipping towards a very disappointing first-innings total here.
WICKET! England 167-7 (Smith 28, Carse 6) Overs: 31
Gus Atkinson, c Smith b Starc, 1
It’s a five-wicket haul for Mitchell Starc and he raises the ball as the Perth crowd stand to applaud his brilliant performance.
This one’s a bit of a gift, with new-batter Gus Atkinson feeling for a wide one and edging to second slip to leave England seven down.
Brydon Carse is the new batter and he gets off the mark with a slightly streaky four.
WICKET! England 161-6 (Smith 28, Atkinson 1) Overs: 30
Harry Brook, c Carey b Doggett, 52
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Brook walks before review as Doggett takes first Test wicket
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Wow, Australia have another out of nowhere!
Doggett is into the attack and Australia go with a short-pitched approach to Brook. It works as well, with a half-hearted appeal for a glove behind leading to a review from Smith. And the celebrations start the moment after the Australian skipper makes the signal to send it upstairs, with Brook walking straight off, knowing that he had indeed gloved it behind.
That’s a huge moment and a frustrating way for Brook to depart after what had been a sparkling half-century. You can rest assured that he’ll get plenty more short-pitched stuff as this series continues.
FIFTY! England 152-5 (Brook 50, Smith 22) Overs: 29
England may be in trouble, but Harry Brook is playing an impressive counter-attacking knock here and he brings up his half-century off just 58 deliveries.
It’s an expensive over from Starc as 14 runs come from it in all, with Smith picking up three boundaries.
His classic straight drive gets the ball rolling, and he pulls square for a second boundary of the over, followed by the back-to-back singles that see Brook bring up his fifty.
The over ends with another boundary, this time courtesy of a messy bit of fielding in the deep from Boland, who gets his knee caught in the turf and heads straight off the field to make sure there’s no damage done.
England 138-5 (Brook 49, Smith 9) Overs: 28
Boland continues and England continue to look to go after him. It’s Smith who gets in on the action now, driving him back down the ground for a well-timed four that runs away to the rope.
And England show their fitness and intent with an all-run four later in the over, as the ball holds up in the outfield and the pair hustle hard between the wickets. You won't see that in many parts of the world, but these big Australian venues leave plenty of space for the field to cover.
England 129-5 (Brook 45, Smith 4) Overs: 27
You know what you’re going to get with Harry Brook, especially in this sort of scenario, and that’s counter-attacking cricket… and he does just that, charging at Starc and banging him for back-to-back boundaries in the over.
The second ball of Starc’s over is flicked fine to the rope, before Brook absolutely belts a drive back past Starc off the next ball for four more.
England 121-5 (Brook 37, Smith 4) Overs: 26
England are down to the last of their out-and-out batters, and Australia, keen to keep up their momentum, opt to review a slightly optimistic lbw shout against new man Jamie Smith.
Boland wasn’t particularly interested, but Steve Smith went for it, and loses a review with ball-tracking showing that it was comfortably missing the stumps.
The over finishes with a thick edge that runs away for four off the bat of Smith – every run help right now for England!
WICKET! England 115-5 (Brook 36, Smith 0) Overs: 25
Ben Stokes, b Starc, 6
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Skipper Stokes clean bowled by Starc
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It’s been Mitchell Starc’s day in Perth so far and he has Australia cock-a-hoop as he removes the England captain with an absolute peach early in this afternoon session.
After four that moved away from Stokes, one darts back in at him, angled in perfectly to zip through the gate and castle the left-hander’s stumps. Outrageous bowling and England’s rebuild job is in big trouble.
England 113-4 (Brook 36, Stokes 4) Overs: 24
Scott Boland starts the afternoon session and England, as they did in the morning session, look to go after him. It’s a statement first over after lunch, with Harry Brook taking a step towards him and absolutely pummelling him over extra cover for the first six of this Ashes series.
Just two more runs come from the over as England look to rebuild after losing four wickets in the first session.
The score at Lunch: England 105-4 after Starc’s heroics
England won the toss in Perth and went against their normal formula, opting to bat first and picking the expected XI – which means an all-pace attack, with Shoaib Bashir the man to miss out from the pre-named 12.
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England win toss, will bat first in opening Test
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Australia may have been without two of their legendary bowling attack, with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing out through injury, but their remaining pace stalwart stepped up in style in the first session, with Mitchell Starc running through England’s top order in a remarkable spell of bowling.
Starc struck off the final ball of the very first over as Zak Crawley edged to first slip to leave England 0-1.
Nightmare start for England as Crawley out in first over
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And it was Starc who struck again to remove the other opener, ending a promising run-a-ball counterattack from Ben Duckett, pinging him in front for 21.
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Starc strikes again as Duckett out lbw
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The big wicket came next for Starc as Joe Root started his series with a duck, edging to third slip after being tested by a brilliant Starc over, earning the left-arm quick his 100th Ashes dismissal. Still searching for his first Ashes ton, this dismissal will do little to quieten the noise from the Australian press about Root’s capabilities to dominate down under, and left England in big trouble at 39-3.
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Root's Australian pain continues with duck
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And it got worse for England as they were left four down at lunch when an encouraging rebuilding partnership was ended when Ollie Pope missed a straight one in Cameron Green’s first over to leave England 105/4 after an eventful first session.
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England lose fourth wicket before lunch as Pope falls to Green
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The wait is over, the Ashes are finally here
The build-up has been intense at times, comical at others, but the talking is over and the most-anticipated away Ashes series in more than a decade has arrived.
And you can Watch and stream every ball of the 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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