Ben Stokes was described by Ben Duckett as being in “beast mode” in the run-up to the Ashes, and the England captain lived up to expectations with an extraordinary fightback in the first Test.
Stokes’ hopes of becoming only the fourth captain in the past 50 years to lead England to an Ashes series victory in Australia appeared to be under immediate threat on the opening day in Perth, but despite choosing to bat first, he was bowled out for just 172, less than 33 overs later.
Mitchell Starc recorded career bests of 7-58 on a pitch dubbed the “Green Monster” by the Australian media, but some impressive bowling from Stokes and his five-man pace attack turned the match back in the tourists’ favor.
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Nasser Hussain reflects on England’s defeat for 172 on the first day of the first Test in Perth
Brydon Kearse and Jofra Archer took two wickets each and Stokes smashed the Australian batting line to 5-23 in six overs, leaving the hosts at 123-9, still 49 runs adrift of England’s first-innings total.
The 19 wickets were the most on the first day of an Ashes competition since 1909, with England poised to claim their first Test win Down Under since 2011, and Kearse praised his captain for getting his team back into the contest.
“He (Stokes) is great,” Kearse said after the first day. “You know, his character and resilience is everything this team strives for and that was clearly a game-changing spell in that session.
“I think Duckie (Ben Duckett) made a comment the other day that he’s been in beast mode ever since he got to Australia, and that’s no surprise. The way this team runs through brick walls is something that everyone respects.”
“Stokesey said, ‘Let’s smash the wicket hard’ and we did everything we could. He said something very simple. There were 45-50 minutes until tea, and he told the players with the ball, ‘Just give it your all.’
“The way Gus and Jofra started was phenomenal. During the last session we kept it going as a group of five seamers. I thought we were pretty relentless. It’s an incredible day of Test cricket. I think everyone who came to watch today thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”
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England captain Ben Stokes says ahead of the first Test how hopeless it is to become Australia’s Ashes-winning captain
Stokes’ “scene-stealing” spell
England had dismissed all of Australia’s top four by 17 runs or less amidst relentless pace bowling, but Stokes removed Travis Head to end a frustrating 45-run stand for five wickets and spark a flurry of second-half wickets.
“Under Stokes and (Brendon) McCullum, I’ve never seen (England) bowl better with the new ball. I don’t think so,” former England captain Michael Atherton said on Sky Sports Cricket’s Ash Daily podcast.
“I thought Archer was really good today on either side of the break, and all the care and attention they gave him in getting him back into Test cricket was completely justified. I thought Gus Atkinson looked sharp and accurate, and then Brydon Kearse came on and got the big wicket of Steve Smith.”
“Australia looked a bit unsettled by their fast bowling, but this was clearly England’s plan from the beginning: to bring in bowlers with enough firepower to outwork the Australian batsmen and take 20 wickets in these conditions.”
“They really softened Australia up and then Stokes came close at the end. I mean, it was a scene-stealing performance, he got five wickets at the end, kind of like what he did at Lilac Hill.”
“He really dug in behind some nice fast bowling early on. Not taking anything away from Stokes’ wicket there, but initially I thought Australia might have been softened by England’s four fast bowlers.”
Jofra Archer recorded 2 wins and 11 losses on his first day in Perth.
Stark: “It’s been a long time” for Australia!
Australia have won 13 of their 15 home Test matches against England, drawing the other two, and Starc insisted the hosts would not panic if they were unable to get off to a strong start.
“I thought both teams bowled very well,” Starc said. “We knew how England wanted to play the game, creating chances with an attacking approach and I thought we bowled very well.
Starc dismissed Zak Crawley in the first over of England’s innings
“Even in a period where it felt like a mess in some ways, we still beat them to 172. Both teams probably want to change their approach, but sometimes you can sit there and say both teams bowled pretty well.”
“It’s not the first time we’ve been on the field for a long time and things didn’t go our way, but we’re pretty calm off the field. We’re going to take the same approach tomorrow and be pretty calm and pretty level. Who are we with a 50-odd lead? We still have a long time left in this game.”
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Former England cricketers Chris Woakes and Michael Vaughan answer rapid-fire questions ahead of the Ashes
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
always UK and Ireland
1st Test: Friday 21st November – Tuesday 25th November (2:20am) – Optus Stadium, Perth 2nd Test (day/night): Thursday 4th December – Monday 8th December (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane 3rd Test: Wednesday 17th December – Sunday 21st December (11:30pm) – Adelaide Oval 4th Test: Thursday 25th December – Monday 29th December (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground 5th Test: Sunday 4th January – Thursday 8th January (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
