Ashes 2025-26 : Mitchell Starc floors England captain Ben Stokes with an absolute Jaffa on Day 1 of Perth Test

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Ashes 2025-26 began with high drama at Perth as Australia’s pace pack, led by Mitchell Starc, put England under severe pressure on the opening day of the first Test. England opted to bat under clear skies, backing their aggressive ‘Bazball’ template, but quickly found that the extra pace and bounce of Perth combined with Starc’s left-arm angle was a different challenge altogether. By the middle of the second session, the visitors were tottering at 127/5 in 27 overs, scoring at 4.89 but bleeding wickets at crucial junctures.

The highlight of the day and potentially of the series came at 24.5 overs, when Starc produced an absolute jaffa to remove England captain Ben Stokes. Having already knocked over Zak Crawley for a duck, trapped Ben Duckett lbw and sent Joe Root back for 0, Starc arrived at Stokes with tails up and figures that screamed menace. Scrambling the seam from over the wicket, he went a touch fuller and a fraction closer to off stump, dragging Stokes into a tentative forward press. Expecting the familiar outswinger, Stokes played for movement away, only for the ball to nip back sharply through the gaping gate and crash into the stumps, sending middle and off cartwheeling.

Stokes, who managed just 6 from 12 balls, could only turn and stare at the wreckage as Starc wheeled away in celebration, teammates engulfing him while Perth erupted. The dismissal summed up the duel perfectly: a fast bowler reading the batter’s setup, changing the angle and length by a small margin, and being rewarded with a delivery that would have challenged even the most in-form batter. By then, Starc’s figures read 4 for 34, a spell that had ripped the heart out of England’s much-vaunted top order and set the tone for Australia’s Ashes defence.

MITCH STARC SEEEEEEED! What a ball to dismiss Ben Stokes. #Ashes | #PlayoftheDay | @nrmainsurance

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 21, 2025

Also READ: Ashes 2025-26: Fans brutally troll Joe Root as Mitchell Starc removes England superstar batter for a 7-ball duck | Perth Test, Day 1

Despite the collapse unfolding around him, Harry Brook continued to embody England’s new-age batting philosophy, counter-punching to reach an unbeaten 45 off 54 balls with five fours and a six. He first joined Ollie Pope at 39 for 3 and helped engineer a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket, one of the few periods where England looked settled. Pope, compact and busy at the crease, compiled a well-crafted 46 off 58 deliveries before falling lbw to Cameron Green after a DRS review upheld the on-field call.

By lunch, England were 105 for 4, the run rate healthy but the position fragile, with Brook on 28 and Stokes attempting to rebuild. Starc’s post-interval strike to castle Stokes at 115 for 5, however, tilted the contest decisively Australia’s way. Jamie Smith added a brisk 8* off 8 balls, but with only the lower order,  Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood – to follow, the onus remained firmly on Brook to drag England towards respectability.

Australia’s support cast ensured constant pressure from the other end. Scott Boland, though wicketless with 0 for 57 from 9.1 overs, probed relentlessly on a tight line, while Brendan Doggett and Nathan Lyon controlled the scoring in short spells. Green’s solitary wicket of Pope added vital balance to the attack. The fall-of-wicket pattern, 1/0 (Crawley), 2/33 (Duckett), 3/39 (Root), 4/94 (Pope), 5/115 (Stokes), underlined how frequently Australia struck just as England looked to build partnerships.

With England five down for 127 and plenty of overs left on Day 1, Australia hold a firm grip on the Ashes opener. Starc’s searing spell, capped by that unplayable jaffa to Stokes, has already given this series its first iconic moment and left England’s batting blueprint under early scrutiny in Perth.

Also WATCH: Joe Root’s struggles in Australia continue as Mitchell Starc bags 100th Ashes wicket on Day 1 of Perth Test