The opening day of the Ashes in Perth, Australia produced one of the most dramatic starts in recent memory, with an incredible 19 wickets falling and both teams battling fiercely on a fast, bouncy pitch.
What began as a worrying day for England ended with the visitors in control and holding a 49-run lead.
England won the toss and made the bold choice to bat first, but things went wrong almost immediately.
Zak Crawley was out for a duck in the very first over, setting the tone for a shaky inning.
Despite this, Harry Brook played boldly for his 52 runs, and Ollie Pope added a steady 46.
Their efforts looked promising, but the rest of the batting collapsed quickly.
England lost their last five wickets for just 12 runs, finishing all out for 172 in only 32.5 overs — their shortest first innings in Australia for more than a century.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc was unstoppable, taking an incredible 7 wickets for 58 runs, making life extremely difficult for England’s top and middle order.
However, England came out firing with the ball, delivering their fastest collective bowling display since records began 18 years ago.
Returning to the Ashes stage, Jofra Archer bowled with electric pace and deserved more than the two wickets he collected.
England’s five-man pace attack worked like a relay team — whenever one bowler tired, another came charging in fresh.
Brydon Carse grabbed the key wicket of Australia’s captain, Steve Smith, breaking any early hopes the hosts had of building a strong reply.
But the main story of the day was England’s Ben Stokes, who not only captained but bowled brilliantly himself. Playing his first test since recovering from a shoulder injury, Stokes first halted any hint of an Australian comeback and then tore through the tail. His five-wicket haul — his second in as many tests — showed once again why he’s considered one of cricket’s top all-rounders.
Australia were left struggling at 123-9 at stumps, still trailing England by 49 runs.
The day had everything — speed, drama, tension, and incredible skill from both sides. With England now in front after a rollercoaster opening, they have a golden chance to take a 1-0 lead in this highly anticipated Ashes series.
