PERTH: The inform left-arm star pacer Mitchell Starc took career-best figures for the second straight innings in Test cricket, finishing with 7 for 58 as England crumbled to 172 in Optus Stadium, Perth.
The English skipper Ben Stokes made the call to bat first after winning the toss with four wickets down for 105 at lunch.
Till lunch, Mitchell Starc was the stand-out on the first morning of the Ashes. Starc took three of England’s top four in a devastating opening six-over burst.
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.
Pat Cummins
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.”
Hazlewood blow
Australia have suffered another blow ahead of the Ashes opener against England after fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was ruled out due to a hamstring injury on Saturday, further weakening their bowling attack after the loss of captain Pat Cummins.
Hazlewood went to hospital for scans on a possible hamstring injury during a domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday, but was initially cleared of a strain and was set to travel to Perth for the first Ashes test.
However, later tests confirmed a hamstring injury for the 34-year-old, who will be replaced by Michael Neser
Mark Wood relief
England breathed a sigh of relief after pace spearhead Mark Wood was cleared of a hamstring injury.
Fast bowler Wood left the field complaining of hamstring stiffness after bowling eight overs for an England XI against a second-string England Lions side during an Ashes warm-up game.
“Following precautionary scans, England fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of any concerns regarding his left hamstring,” England’s cricket board (ECB) said in a statement.
The 2005 Ashes Series That Defined 21st-Century Test Cricket
The 2005 Ashes in England are often called the greatest Test series of the modern era. England and Australia played five intense Test matches from July to September 2005. England won the series 2–1, their first Ashes win since 1986–87, ending almost 19 years of Australian dominance.
From the start, the series felt different. Australia arrived as world champions, led by Ricky Ponting, with stars like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Adam Gilchrist. England, under Michael Vaughan and coach Duncan Fletcher, had quietly rebuilt a strong side with players like Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, and Simon Jones.
The second Test at Edgbaston became the symbol of the whole contest. England won by just two runs, one of the narrowest victories in Test history. The match went down to the last wicket and last session, keeping millions of viewers glued to their screens.
This test series became the inspiration of most played videogame ‘SA sports Ashes 2005’ for millennial kids. Late on in contemporary times multiple related videogames has been developed to capture the lasting essences of England vs Australia Ashes series.
Individual performances were outstanding. Shane Warne took 40 wickets in the series, showing why he is considered one of the greatest spin bowlers ever played the game. Andrew Flintoff who mounted immense fame in the series produced epic all- round performance and Pietersen, the leading run-scorer with 473 runs, became national heroes.
Both Flintoff and Warne were named Players of the Series.
But the real legacy of the 2005 Ashes goes beyond numbers. The series brought Test cricket back into the centre of English sporting culture. Packed grounds, free to air TV coverage, and dramatic finishes made cricket feel exciting and modern again.
In many ways, the 2005 Ashes showed what 21st-century Test cricket could be fast-paced, emotional and thrilling enough to capture a whole new generation of fans.
Also read: After Pat Cummins, another Australian pacer ruled out of Ashes opener
