Live Report - Stokes bags five, England in front after 19-wicket day

Ben Stokes has taken five wickets to put England on top after a record-breaking 19-wicket day. England had earlier looked to butcher a good batting opportunity as Mitchell Starc's career-best seven wicket haul helped bowl them out for 172. But England and Stokes hit back. Jofra Archer provided a stunning opening burst. Brydon Carse took two huge wickets of Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja. Stokes then ripped through Australia's middle to lower order although some of the stroke-play from Australia will be questioned internally.

Mitchell Starc's wild swipe to mid-on hands Ben Stokes his third and registers the 17th wicket of the opening day. It is the same number that fell on day one in the Perth Test 12 months ago and it equals an Ashes record of the last 100 years, alongside Trent Bridge in 2001 and Lord's in 2005. It's hard to blame the surface for all of them. Two of Australia's last three wickets have been hole outs to mid-on. Cameron Green nicked a deliver he easily could have left. England too played a stack of loose shots that might have been unnecessary. The surface is not unplayable. The bowling has been very good though. Sustained pressure at high pace for most of the day has certainly contributed to some of the batting errors.

Ben Stokes is doing Ben Stokes things. Cameron Green is aspiring to reach Stokes' level as a match-winner for his country but he is well short right now. Green looked the most assured of Australia's batters so far, even with a dropped return catch and a hit on the head from Mark Wood. In between times he had moved well and played some confident drives. But he committed a cardinal sin in Perth, driving on the up through cover to a ball that wasn't a half-volley. Stokes lured him in with a tempter and Green fell to the trap, scratching a nick to Jamie Smith. England are into the tail. Sixteen wickets have fallen in the day so far. The parallels to last year's Perth Test continue.

Ben Stokes had his head in his hands at Lilac Hill last week when a heap of nothing drag downs yielded six wickets in the first innings of England's practice match. There was no such reaction at Perth Stadium when another chest high short ball, without much venom, was chipped straight to Brydon Carse at mid-on from the bat of Travis Head. England's tormentor four years ago was setting a platform to counterattack again. But he has gifted his wicket away and his frustration was evident as he trudged off. England will be very relieved to see the back of him.

This Test is currently tracking as a carbon copy of the Australia-India contest in Perth last year. The evidence is clear that batting will become a lot easier when the ball gets softer late into the evening and on the morning of day two. Australia were eight down after 28 overs in their first innings against India last year. Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood batted for 23 overs after that without too much trouble against a 30-plus over ball. But the damage was done. India then piled up 487 for 6 declared. Australia are currently four down after 28 overs. Batting appears to be getting easier for Travis Head and Cameron Green with the zip in the surface dissipating as the ball gets softer.

Usman Khawaja has a problem. It was well-known coming into the series. He had been dismissed by right-arm pace from around the wicket in each of his last eight Test innings. Brydon Carse, riding high after knocking over Steven Smith, went straight around the wicket and produced a brutish delivery to make it nine out of nine. It leapt at Khawaja from a length as he sat deep in the crease. He fended and removed his bottom hand and reared his head back, the ball kissed the bat handle on the way through to Jamie Smith. England's all-out pace attack has worked so far. Australia's 38-year-old opener, who had to bat No.4 because he spent too much of England's 32.5 over batting innings off the field due to "toilet breaks" and "stretching" could not handle it. He has not been alone in this innings so far. But the trend is far more worrying for him than others. Ten of his 13 dismissals in Tests in 2025 have come via quicks from around the wicket. He will face nothing else in this series.

Brydon Carse wheeled away to the Barmy Army on the eastern side of Perth Stadium. He had just claimed Australia's best player and stand-in captain Steve Smith with a beauty. Another hostile lifter that climbed from a length and seamed away. Smith was squared up trying to stand tall on the back foot to defend. He nicked it straight to Harry Brook at second slip. England's all-out pace attack is causing Australia some pain both physically and psychologically so far.

Day one is following the same blueprint as last year's Perth Test between Australia and India when 17 wickets fell on the opening day. There is two hours of cricket remaining.

And *that* is exactly what England have been desperate for; Marnus Labuschagne bowled as Jofra Archer gets yet another delivery to rear up and canon off the back elbow. Smith suffered two of those blows but remains.

In the 12th over, from Brydon Carse, Stokes burned two reviews trying to rid both. Carse had found his length, that patch where a batter's got to decide whether to go back or forward, and hope they've made the right call. He's also getting it to nip. However the first flicked Smith's front pad, and the second missed Labuschagne's by a whisker, with a murmur on UltraEdge not tallying with the daylight visible between bat and ball.

A torturous innings comes to an end, as Usman Khawaja finally makes it out to the middle after "toilet breaks" and "stretching". Presumably not at the same time.

Another remarkable session. Harry Brook plundered a 58-ball half-century but England lost 5 for 20 in 23 deliveries to be bowled out for 172 after winning the toss. Mitchell Starc was phenomenal, taking 7 for 58. He has taken 13 for 67 in his last two Test bowling innings. Brendan Doggett finished with two wickets on debut England the key scalp of Brook. But the most extraordinary moment came just before the collapse. Usman Khawaja had left the field several times in the first three hours. He walked off again just before Brook was dismissed and did not return as England crumbled. It meant he could not open the batting. Jake Weatherald fell for a second-ball duck to Jofra Archer with Marnus Labuschagne watching as his makeshift opening partner at the other. It brought Steve Smith out at No.3 third ball. Labuschagne and Smith have scored just 15 runs in 10 overs against the extreme pace of Wood and Archer. Australia will look to wear England down. But they will be wary of what happened 12 months ago against India when they bowled the visitors out for 150 on day one and then lost seven wickets on the first night on their way to a heavy defeat.

England lost 10 wickets in 32.5 overs but they rattled along at 5.23 an over to post 172. Australia are grinding by comparison. Eighteen balls at Adelaide 2021 was the previous longest Australia took to get off the mark in an Ashes Test in this century. They took 28 balls today.

Batting has looked difficult against the high pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood and the accuracy of Gus Atkinson. Archer and Wood have nudged 150kph. It's clear Australia are going to try and put miles in the legs of England's quicks like they did in 2023. But it requires they do need to score at some point.

Chaos to start Australia's innings. Jake Weatherald was pinned on the pad second ball by a quick straight delivery that didn't shape away. Weatherald slipped on all fours as England pleaded with umpire Adrian Holdstock. He kept his finger down. England reviewed. Three reds popped. With Marnus Labuschagne at the other end because Usman Khawaja was not allowed to open due to spending too much time off the field at the end of England's innings, Steve Smith had to walk out at No.3 to a mix of cheers and boos.

Jake Weatherald joins Nathan McSweeney in making a duck on Test debut. He also fell in Perth in 2024 against India. This is the first ever Ashes Test match where both Australia and England lost their first wicket without a run on board in the first innings.

Mitchell Starc has taken career-best figures for the second straight innings in Test cricket, finishing with 7 for 58 as England fold for 172 in 32.5 overs. England have only had one shorter innings in Ashes cricket back in 1887.

England collapsed so quickly that Usman Khawaja was off the field for too long and can't open the batting in Australia's first innings. Marnus Labuschagne has been forced to open alongside Jake Weatherald. Apparently Khawaja is fit to bat but will have to wait the appropriate amount of time to bat.

Mitchell Starc raised the ball to the crowd after picking up his 17th Test five-wicket haul in Tests and his fifth in Ashes cricket. It came with arguably his least threatening delivery, a back of a length ball angled across Gus Atkinson who meekly nicked it to Steve Smith at second slip. But it has been a magnificent display of fast bowling. Hardly a delivery under 140kph. He has been using the three-quarter seam grip to nip the ball away from the right-handers and into the left-handers. It's worked to all comers. Crawley, Root and Atkinson nicked balls angling across, Duckett and Stokes were beaten on the inside by balls angling in. Starc now has 11 wickets in his last 20 overs in Test cricket, after taking 6 for 9 in his most recent Test.

Matt Roller writes:

Steve Smith has had a man out on the pull for Harry Brook ever since he walked out to bat in the ninth over but Australia had hardly bowled a short ball to him before his dismissal. He ducked under one from Mitchell Starc that flew down the leg side and knocked one on its head to reach a 58-ball 50, but the nature of his dismissal to Brendan Doggett – gloving behind while pulling out of a hook – will surely mean a change of plans next time he walks out to bat.

Ben Stokes dropped to one knee, fist on the ground for balance, staring at the pitch infront of him daring not to look back at his splayed stumps behind him. Mitchell Starc had snaked a ball back through his gate at 140.9kph to spark another almighty roar from the Perth fans. Starc has four for the day. He has now dismissed Stokes 10 times in Test cricket in 22 meetings for a cost of just 190 runs. Starc is making a staggering statement on the opening day of this series. Hard to believe he could add to his extraordinary legacy. But he's writing another chapter.

Australia's injured skipper Pat Cummins has told Channel Seven he is a chance to play in Brisbane after ramping up his bowling loads in Perth.

"Probably on track, if not, probably better than I would've thought say a month or so ago," Cummins said during a lunch break interview on day one. "A lot can go wrong when you go from nothing to trying to build up, but fortunately so far everything's felt great. I've been pulling up really well and probably surprised myself if anything. So yeah, obviously you do bit more work this week bowling then having a couple of days off, but all going pretty well so far."

Cummins looked supreme in an eight-over spell in the nets on Monday in Perth. He backed it up with another spell on match eve.

"I'm going on three-day cycles at the moment," Cummins said. "I've been bowling up to 10 overs and then have two full rest days. Let the bone and the body recover and then go again and tick that box and you move onto the next session and it's been really good. We'll see. Obviously Brisbane's about two weeks away, so have a few more sessions and see. That's a chance.

When Ben Stokes made the uncharacteristic call to bat first after the coin fell his way, a lunch score of 105 for 4 would not have been his preferred outcome. Mitchell Starc has been the stand-out on the first morning of the Ashes. While many on both sides looked nervous, Starc slipped into beast mode and ripped out three of England's top four in a devastating opening six-over burst. Scott Boland did not bowl well. Brendan Doggett looked good on debut but was unable to break through. Ollie Pope and Harry Brook steadied, albeit with some skittish but aggressive batting. Pope made his highest Ashes score but then missed a full straight ball from Cameron Green. Brook and Ben Stokes now hold the key for England to post a big score. The pitch will only get better to bat on this afternoon and tomorrow. Brook has been wild, borderline reckless with his approach but he's still there. Australia will be wary of letting him get away after lunch.

Cameron Green's last bowl in Test cricket was March 10, 2024. It was also the last time he took a wicket in Test cricket. Some Australian fans have queried whether Green should be playing ahead of Beau Webster as the lone allrounder coming off his back surgery. But he has already had an impact on his home ground. With a very full straight delivery he pinned Ollie Pope lbw, England's top-scorer so far. Pope reviewed in hope but it was was hitting a fair chunk of leg stump despite being umpire's call. Green now has Pope three times in Test cricket. He also has Crawley three times and Root and Stokes twice each. Green also has 23 Test wickets at 24.95 in Australian conditions. He looms a key plank in Australia's attack across the series and he will be used to strategically. He only bowled six balls and was pulled off, as Nathan Lyon replaced him to bowl to Ben Stokes.

Matt Roller has kept at eye on Ollie Pope's start:

Ollie Pope’s spot at No. 3 has been under huge scrutiny over the past 12 months but he has been England’s most assured batter this morning. There have been a few nervy moments early on – squeezing his first ball past gully for three, chopping his third to second slip on the bounce, and being worked over in Brendan Doggett’s first over – but he has also played several crisp punches down the ground, and a couple of strong cuts. This is already his highest score in Australia (previously 35 on the first day of the 2021-22 series) and he looks well-placed for a first Ashes half-century at the 11th attempt.

Sampath Bandarupalli has dug out the wickets in the opening over of an Ashes series:

Stan Worthington off Ernie McCormick, Brisbane, 1936 (1st ball)

Jack Moroney off Trevor Bailey, Brisbane, 1950 (4th ball)

Gary Cosier - Run Out, Brisbane, 1978 (5th ball)

Andrew Strauss off Ben Hilfenhaus, Brisbane, 2010 (3rd ball)

Rory Burns off Mitchell Starc, Brisbane, 2021 (1st ball)

Zak Crawley off Mitchell Starc, Perth, 2025 (6th ball)

Starc bowled the first over of an Ashes series for the fourth time today, the most by any bowler. Jack Gregory and Dennis Lillee done it three times each.

Mitchell Starc is a marvel. Australia's ironman continues to prove he is indefatigable. The only one of the big three fit and standing at the start of the series, with 100 Tests and 400 wickets to his name, edging towards his 36th birthday, all the predictions of age finally catching up with him continue to get left in a wake of 140kph wicket-taking rockets. He now has 100 of his 400 against England. His 100th and his third wicket of the morning was easily his best. After removing Crawley and Duckett via the help of some batter error, he bowled a peach to England's best player Joe Root. 142.8kph, pitching on leg and nipping across, he turned Root around like a pretzel as he tried to push onside only to edge it to the safe hands of Marnus Labuschagne at third slip. Starc is making a statement in the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood. He is the man England need to see off and they have failed to do so thus far.

Ben Duckett looked sharp. He looms as a key player for England given how important England's openers were to their last Ashes victory in Australia in 2010-11. His movements against Scott Boland were particularly impressive. Boland missed his lengths but Duckett never missed, driving him down the ground consistently. But he looked far less assured against Mitchell Starc and paid the price, missing a relatively straight half-volley on leg to be trapped lbw. Duckett took a review with him for good measure. England's start has been skittish. The pitch looks good for batting. They wouldn't want to waste it.

Former England captain Michael Atherton wrote pre-series that Scott Boland will hold no fears for England based off what they did to him in 2023. Australia felt his record in Australia meant he would be a different proposition. But he has never played first-class cricket at Perth Stadium and he has got his lengths horribly wrong in the opening spell. Ben Duckett has driven him time and again when he has strayed full. Boland has only beaten the bat a handful of times and has switched from around the wicket to over multiple times. He's conceded 23 runs from his first 18 deliveries.

Deja vu anyone? It wasn't quite first ball but Mitchell Starc strikes in the opening over of a home Ashes again. First ball Zak Crawley defended in an anticlimax. He played a wild drive and missed a half volley. Sixth ball of the over he flashed again on the up and nicked to Usman Khawaja who clutched it to his abdomen after initially juggling it. It was an excellent delivery from Starc, gripping it with the angled seam to get the angle away and the length was perfect. But driving that length in Perth is just not a high percentage play.

Starc adds another first over strike to his collection.

Matt Roller notes the stark contrast in the Starc versus Crawley match-up to 2023.

Starc to Crawley in 2023: 125 balls, 114 runs, 1 dismissal Starc to Crawley in 2025-26: 6 balls, 0 runs, 1 dismissal

Ben Stokes pulls a surprise and elects to bat first. They have gone with history at the ground. All five Tests here have been won by the side batting first. The teams are as expected.

Australia: Jake Weatherald, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett

England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood

Here's Matt Roller on England's decision to leave out Shoaib Bashir: "It has been signposted for a while but England’s decision to pick an all-seam attack is significant. They have invested heavily in Shoaib Bashir, selecting him in 19 out of 20 Tests between his debut and the Lord’s Test against India in July, but have decided that conditions in Perth won’t suit him. The previous five Tests at this venue have seen Nathan Lyon take 29 wickets, visiting spinners have only managed eight between them.It is only the third time since Ben Stokes took over that England have gone in without a frontline spinner, and they lost the previous two. But this balance should allow Stokes to use his quicks in shorter bursts, which is particularly relevant to Mark Wood. Wood hasn't played a Test match since last August after elbow and knee injuries, and reported hamstring soreness after eight overs in last week's tour match at Lilac Hill."

There have only been two Australian men with indigenous heritage to play Test cricket for Australia. Both of them, Jason Gillespie and Scott Boland, have presented the third member of their exclusive club Brendan Doggett with Test cap 472. It will be the first time Australia will have two indigenous men in the same XI. It's a full circle moment for Boland and Doggett who opened the bowling together for Australia's Aboriginal XI on the 2018 tour of England that celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first Australian Aboriginal team to tour England in 1868.

Meanwhile, David Warner has presented Jake Weatherald with cap No.473. It is a passing of the baton of sorts given Weatherald is the most similar player to Warner to debut since Warner retired. But Weatherald is also the sixth different opening partner Usman Khawaja has had since Warner finished. Australia will want to lock that revolving door for the remainder of this series.