The Ashes 2025-26 Kick-off with high drama in Perth Australialed the pace pack Mitchell StarcKeep England Under immense pressure on the opening day of the first test. England opted to bat under clear skies, favoring their aggressive ‘baseball’ template, but soon discovered that Perth’s extra pace and bounce coupled with Starc’s left-arm angle were a different challenge altogether. By the middle of the second session, the visitors were tottering at 127/5 in 27 overs, with the score at 4.89, but wickets began to fall at crucial times.
Ashes 2025-26: Mitchell Starc uproots Ben Stokes’ stumps on the first day of Perth Test
The highlight of the day, and potential highlight of the series, came in 24.5 overs, when Starc produced a complete jaffa to remove the England captain. ben stokesalready knocked down jack crawley For a duck, trapped ben duckett sent out LBW Joe Root Back at 0, Starc reached Stokes and raised alarm bells. Rubbing the seam over the wicket, he went a touch fuller and a little closer to the off stump, pulling Stokes into a tentative forward press. Expecting the familiar outswinger, Stokes played away, only for the ball to quickly retreat through the gaping gate and crash into the stumps, cartwheeling through middle and off.
Stokes, who managed just 6 runs from 12 balls, could only turn to look at the debris as Starc walked off in celebration, surrounded by his teammates, while Perth erupted. The dismissal summed up the duality perfectly: a fast bowler read the batsman’s setup, varied the angle and length by a small margin, and was rewarded with a delivery that would have challenged even the most in-form batsman. By then, Starc’s figures were 4 for 34, a spell that shook up England’s much-vaunted top order and set the stage for Australia’s Ashes defence.
Here is the video:
Mitch Starc saw it! Which ball to bowl out Ben Stokes? #ash , #PlayoftheDay , @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/PehDst540x
– cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) 21 November 2025
Harry Brook is fighting alone and is in charge of Australia in the opening match of Ashes 2025-26 in Perth.
Despite the degradation that surrounds him, harry brook He continued to embrace England’s new-age batting philosophy, counter-attacking and scoring an unbeaten 45 off 54 balls with five fours and a six. He was the first to join Ollie Pope Making 39 for 3 and helping engineer a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket, it was one of the few times when England looked settled. Pope, compact and busy at the crease, scored 46 runs from 58 balls before falling LBW. cameron green The on-field call was upheld after DRS review.
At lunch, England were 105 for 4, the run rate was good but the situation was critical, Brook was on 28 and Stokes was trying to rebuild. However, Starc’s strike after intermission left Stokes at 115 for 5, tilting the match decisively in Australia’s favour. Jamie Smith added a quick 8* off 8 balls, but only with the lower order, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer And mark wood – To follow, the responsibility for pulling England towards respectability remained firmly on Brooke.
Australia’s support cast ensured constant pressure from the other end. Scott BolandDespite taking 0 for 57 in 9.1 overs, there was constant probing at the tight line, while Brendan Doggett And nathan lyon Controlled scoring in short spells. Green taking Pope’s only wicket brought vital balance to the attack. The pattern of wicket fall, 1/0 (Crawley), 2/33 (Dockett), 3/39 (Root), 4/94 (Pope), 5/115 (Stokes), underlined how often Australia struck while England were trying to build partnerships.
With England’s five wickets down for 127 runs and plenty of overs left on the first day, Australia have a firm grip on the Ashes opener. Starc’s blistering spell, capped by an unbeaten Jaffa for Stokes, has already given this series its first iconic moment and left England’s batting blueprint under early scrutiny in Perth.
