PERTH: Australia found themselves struggling at 123-9, trailing England by 49 runs, after a chaotic opening day of the Ashes at Perth Stadium on Friday—a day in which bowlers seized total control and an extraordinary 19 wickets tumbled.
Mitchell Starc lit up the first session with a career-best 7-58, leading the hosts in the absence of injured duo Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. His fiery spell bundled England out for 172 before tea, sparking hopes of early Australian dominance.
But the momentum flipped sharply as England captain Ben Stokes produced a sensational response with the ball. Charging in with trademark aggression, Stokes dismantled Australia’s top and middle order to return exceptional figures of 5-23, silencing the home fans and lifting the travelling English contingent among the 51,531 spectators.
Australia’s collapse left them nine down by stumps, with only Nathan Lyon (3*) and debutant Brendan Doggett yet to score left to resume on day two in an attempt to trim the deficit.
England seamer Brydon Carse praised his side’s disciplined execution: “We discussed that to a couple of their right-handed batters—try and use the crease, go close to the stumps, and slightly wider at times. A really nice feeling to get them out with a plan that we put in place.”
The wicket-laden day was the most dramatic opening to an Ashes Test since 1909 and drew comparisons to last year’s Australia–India clash at the same venue, when 17 wickets fell on day one. Here in Perth, history repeated itself—with even greater intensity.
