Australia made a strong start in the first Ashes Test in Perth. England were struggling at 105/4 by lunch, mainly because of Mitchell Starc’s excellent bowling.
Starc removed Zak Crawley in the very first over and later dismissed Joe Root for a duck. He took three early wickets, putting England under heavy pressure. Cameron Green added to England’s problems by getting Ollie Pope out.
England captain Ben Stokes chose to bat first on a pitch known for extra bounce and movement. England came with an aggressive approach under coach Brendon “Bazball” McCullum, hoping to win an Ashes series in Australia for the first time in 15 years.
Playing XIs
Australia:
Khawaja, Weatherald, Labuschagne, Smith (c), Head, Green, Carey (wk), Starc, Doggett, Lyon, Boland
England:
Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Archer, Atkinson, Carse, Wood
About the Perth Venue
This is the first-ever Ashes Test at Perth Stadium. Usually, the first Test is held at Brisbane.
Australia has won most Tests here by big margins, but England will remember India’s strong performance last year at the same ground.
Batting first is usually the better option at this stadium because teams have won here by large margins after doing so.
Day 1 Highlights (Simple)
England reached 105/4 at lunch (Pope 46, Brook 28*).
Starc took 3/23, destroying England’s top order.
Zak Crawley and Joe Root both got out for ducks.
England used an all-pace attack, hoping to make use of the pitch conditions.
