Australia v England: Ashes first Test, day one – live
Key events
14th over: Australia 28-1 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 17) A poor over from Carse. He starts with a short ball that Smith cuts for his first boundary, then feeds him another to hook for four. Carse will always bowl potential wicket-taking deliveries, and he beats Smith later in the over, but right now England need him to be more disciplined.
If I were Ben Stokes, I’d be tempted to bring on Ben Stokes at this end.
This is terrific stuff, not least because of the contrast in styles. England’s innings was played at 3x: after 13 overs, they were 59 for three.
13th over: Australia 20-1 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 9) Smith has another windy woof at a very wide delivery from Archer. He’s struggling, more so than Labuschagne. Stokes moves Pope to short leg and almost gets an instant reward when Smith fences a short ball in the air to his right.
Labuschagne shoulders arms to a nipbacker from Archer that barely misses off stump. A good leave, ultimately, but for a split-second Labuschagne’s heartbeat will have turned into a drum and bass track.
“Hello Rob,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “When you say bruises the first image that comes to my mind is that of Phil Edmonds showing off his bruises in a typical James Bond on the beaches style during the 1986 West Indies tour! THAT is the standard.”
Ah yes, a gift from Patrick Patterson. I think the picture is somewhere near the bottom of this piece.
12th over: Australia 19-1 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 8) Carse gives Labuschagne a serve at the end of the over; Labuschagne walks after him to give a bit back. It’s getting hot out there.
Labuschagne is not out
There’s a murmur on Snicko, nothing more, as the ball passes the bat – but the third umpire decides that’s not enough to overturn the decision. That’s fair enough, even if some of the Barmy Army aren’t entirely in agreement with the adherence to protocol.
England review for caught behind against Labuschagne!
A full delivery from Carse is laced through extra cover for three by Labuschagne. Maybe that’s why Jofra hasn’t pitched it up too often.
Carse beats Smith with an excellent good-length delivery. England go up for caught behind but it’s not a convincing appeal and Stokes decides not to review. The ball hit the flap of the pad rather than the edge; Smith was already in position to review if the umpire gave him out.
There’s plenty happening for the England bowlers. Smith is surprised by a delivery that climbs from nowhere, then Labuschagne survives a big appeal for caught behind. This time England do go upstairs. I think it might be a wasted review.
11th over: Australia 15-1 (Labuschagne 6, Smith 7) The rest of the over passes without incident. Archer has bowled well but, if you’re being picky, his length has been fractionally short.
10.2 overs: Australia 15-1 (Labuschagne 6, Smith 7) Archer’s first ball hits Smith on the back elbow, the second time he’s been struck there in this innings. His second rams into the right hand and Smith calls the physio onto the field. He’s okay to continue but he’ll have a few bruises when he wakes up tomorrow.
I suppose there’s nothing wrong with the odd bruise if you get it doing the thing you love.
The players are back on the field. And Jofra Archer is back in the attack.
“Smith and Marnus have already faced more balls… than every England batter other Brook and Pope,” notes Rown Sweeney. “Madness.”
Teatime reading
If you only buy one cricket-themed Christmas present, make it Steven Finn’s new book. The prologue alone made me want to punch the air and weep like a baby. It’s an unmitigated triumph, one of the best books on the mental side of sport I’ve ever read.
“Morning from Kigali,” writes Liam Taylor. “If anyone out there is looking for the Test Match Special overseas link, it doesn’t appear to be available for this series. You can still listen to TMS abroad by downloading the Cricket Australia app, which also lets you listen to a range of Australian commentary. Hope this helps anyone looking for it – in the time that it took me to find it, three England wickets fell…”
Crikey, you are quick.
Tea
10th over: Australia 15-1 (Labuschagne 6, Smith 7) Brydon Carse, my outside bet for player of the series should England win, replaces Atkinson after a fine spell of 4-3-2-0. His second ball is too full and driven crisply through the covers for three by Smith, who is starting to look good after a scratchy start.
A snarling, seaming lifter from Carse beats Labuschagne outside off stump. The rest of the over passes without incident and the players walk off for tea. It’s been Australia’s day so far – they trail by 157 runs after Mitchell Starc razed England for 172 in just 32.5 overs.
Time for me to find a coffee shop that is open; we’ll be back for an extended evening session.
9th over: Australia 12-1 (Labuschagne 6, Smith 4) Wood hits 151 kmh (94 mph) with the first ball of his second over. But so far the Aussies have looked relatively comfortable against his extreme pace – there have been a couple of thick edges but no more than that. Wood has made them play at almost every delivery in the first two overs.
“I thought Australia were a bit sloppy this morning,” writes Chris Paraskevas, “and even Mitchell Starc didn’t really hit his previous heights with those spells.
“I also don’t think the England batters being proactive was such a bad idea, and the total isn’t a complete disaster.
“The one thing I did notice was that none of the batters seemed willing to build a partnership, unlike their opening bowlers, who complemented each other with bounce v skid. Perhaps only Pope and Brook, with one a little more withdrawn and the other expansive.
“Undoubtedly Weatherald was thrown by having another partner, so the dynamic of batting/bowling of pairs across the series will be crucial, noting both teams are prone to collapse.”
It was a strange innings, wasn’t it? England were rolled for 172, which looks pathetic and familiar, but at times they treated the Australian bowlers with contempt. I’m still trying to make sense of it. That said, there’s no doubt it’s a below-par total.
8th over: Australia 9-1 (Labuschagne 5, Smith 3) As well as England have bowled, they have got to break this partnership quicksmart because Labuschagne and Smith know exactly how to navigate a situation like this. If they are together after 20 overs, Australia will be in a healthy postion – even if they’re still scoring at one run an over.
“I was given the choice of going to watch Carlisle United at Boston or the Ashes at Perth,” writes David Stoddart. “It was a difficult choice.”
(David has also attached an envy-inducing pic of himself, in Carlisle United garb, overlooking the action at the Optus. No time to upload it, alas, but I can confirm his view is better than mine and probably yours.)
7th over: Australia 7-1 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 2) Smith fences Wood’s first ball behind square on the leg side. Pope collects near backward square leg and misses a run-out chance with Labuschagne short of his ground.
Labuschagne is beaten twice later in the over, the second an old-fashioned bit of chin music. Wood hasn’t bowled in a first-class game since August 2024 but his pace is already up at 93mph. He is – and I say this with nothing but love – an utter freak.
6th over: Australia 6-1 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 1) Smith misses a woolly hook at Atkinson, then survives a big shout for LBW. Ben Stokes calmly motions that it’s too high – but it was a cracking delivery that came back to beat Smith on the inside. Replays confirm it was going over.
Apparently the first six overs weren’t exciting enough, because here comes Mark Wood.
“Morning Rob,” says Guy Hornsby, and I was tempted to give the old Chappelli reply until I realised Guy hadn’t actually said good morning. “We’ve seen this one before, eh? The last time I checked the score before my alarm we were 100-odd for 4. Having seen some of the sub-optimal shots we played in the latter part of that innings, 172 feels apt, really. It doesn’t seem that – in the face of some excellent bowling – we came with our heads totally screwed on. Still, long way to go, and our attack, as it often is, needs to pull us back into the game. One down…”
At the risk of being the grown-up in the room for the first time in my life, I think we should reserve judgement on England’s performance until the end of the game. Okay, fair enough. Till the close of play?
5.4 overs: Australia 5-1 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 1) Smith is hit painfully on the right elbow by Atkinson, who is bowling beautifully. There’s a break in play while he receives treatment.
5th over: Australia 5-1 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 1) Smith pushes Archer into the covers for the first run of the innings, then Labuschagne times a sweet boundary through mid-on. That’s the risk of going fuller.
“I was expecting England to fare slightly better against a depleted Aussie attack but their gung-ho approach – Smith and Brook’s counter-atrack was fun to watch – was always going to lead to trouble against the ever-lethal Mitchel Starc,” writes Colum Fordham. “When Brook was out, surely Atkinson and Carse needed to buckle down and help Smith get a hal-decent score. But no, Bazball at all costs.”
The ease with which the lower order was wiped out is a concern for England. There was an assumption they would score runs, and they can all bat, but Australia routinely detonate England’s Nos 8-11 in their own conditions. Even Chris Woakes, probably England’s best long-term No8, had to fight tooth and nail to average 21 in Australia.
4th over: Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Labuschagne bat-pads Atkinson on the bounce to Pope at short leg. He’s leaving on length as much as possible but looks tentative when Atkinson draws him forward.
As I type that, Atkinson is squared up by a good one that zips past the edge. He can maybe afford to go a bit fuller – but then England are building pressure by joining the dot balls. In fact they’re joining the maidens: that’s four in a row to start the innings. They’ve beaten the bat at least eight times in those four overs, possibly more. I knew I should have brought my abacus.
3rd over: Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Smith has an almighty wipe at a very wide ball from Archer, making contact only with the still Perth air. That’s the sixth play-and-miss in the first 15 balls to go with the wicket of Weatherald.
Another maiden from Archer, not quite as menacing as the first but still extremely encouraging for England. Australia just need to get through this spell because life will get easier.
“However the rest of this Test goes, I think it’s pretty clear that England are going to win the run-rate battle,” writes Thomas Jenkins. “Who cares about the war when you can win the battle?”
2nd over: Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) All that talk about why Marnus Labuschagne had to bat No3 and here he is opening on day one of the series. He leaves the second ball from Gus Atkinson, which zips over the top of off stump. Plenty of excitement behind the stumps but it was a safe leave on length, something Labuschagne does so well in Australia.
He’s beaten by a cracker next ball, pushing tentatively at a fuller one that whooshes past off stump, and then plays and misses at an even better delivery that snarls off the seam. England’s bowlers have started with ferocious purpose.
“Is this the one-day Ashes?” asks Sandy C. “Just tuned in after a long day here on the west coast and England have already ‘completed’ their first innings?! What?! I initially thought the match had been delayed upon seeing the small number of overs bowled – but oh wow, England were a little too keen to get back to the dressing room! Hoping Australia can close the gap in the next four hours which is as long as I can be awake.”
1st over: Australia 0-1 (Labuschagne 0, Smith 0) Smith is beaten twice in the first four balls, once on either side of the bat. A storming start from Archer, who gets a pat on the back from almost every England player at the end of a wicket maiden.
WICKET! Australia 0-1 (Weatherald LBW b Archer 0)
Jofra Archer strikes second ball! He eats left-handers for breakfast, lunch and tea. Weatherald fell over a full, straight delivery and was sent flying when the ball hit the pad. What a start.
Steve Smith is the new batter. He and Jofra have met before.
This looks really close…
England review for LBW! Jofra Archer starts the innings with an excellent delivery that beats a nervous, crooked poke from Weatherald. Archer has such a good record against left-handers – and he thinks he’s got another when Weatherald is knocked off his feet by a full delivery that hits him on the pad.
It’s given not out but Ben Stokes goes upstairs. I think it pitched outside leg. If not, Weatherald is toast.
The debutant Jake Weatherald walks out to bat alongside the stand-in opener Marnus Labuschagne. As Martin said, Usman Khawaja was off the field for too long during the England innings so he will bat later in the day.
India were bowled out for 150 on day one of last year’s Perth Test and went on to win by 295 runs. But that pitch was more moist, much tougher for batting on day one – and Jasprit Bumrah bowled one of the greatest spells of the 21st century. England need something Bumrah-adjacent, probably from Jofra Archer.
Thanks Martin, hello everyone. If anyone can explain what we’ve just watched, I’m all ears. England scored at 5.23 per over – the third fastest completed innings in Ashes history – yet they didn’t even reach 200. The main reason was a career-best performance from Mitchell Starc, who took 7 for 58 and made hamburger out of England’s much hyped batting line-up. In the circumstances, particularly the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, it was a staggering display.
England have paid a huge price for some outlandish batting but Mitchell Starc deserves all the credit that comes his way. The left-armer finishes with his best figures in a Test innings with seven for 58. And on that note, let’s all take a moment to catch our breath as Rob Smyth prepares to take the new ball for Australia’s innings.
Usman Khawaja spent quite a bit of time off the field during the England innings – and with a collapse of five wickets in three overs the veteran will not be able to open for Australia. After all the conjecture over Marnus Labuschagne’s role in the batting lineup, in the in-form, designated No 3 will presumably now open alongside debutant Jake Weatherald.
England all out for 172
Mitchell Starc finishes with seven for 58 – and will begin the second innings on a hat-trick – as Mark Wood swipes at a short ball and skies a top edge for Alex Carey to claim with the gloves. Perhaps harsh on a No 11, but that sums up the England collapse of five for 12.
WICKET! Smith c Green b Starc 33 (England 172-9)
England’s hopes of putting together a competitive total now rest with Jamie Smith but the keeper-batter can’t resist a shorter ball from Mitchell Starc and is caught at deep midwicket. Common sense appears to have been checked-in at Heathrow and lost somewhere in transit. Starc has six for 58.
32nd over: England 168-8 (Smith 29, Archer 0) Oh, my! Brydon Carse cops a bouncer smack bang on the grille. It barely moves him, on the outside at least, but that is enough to shake any batter. A quick check and Carse is back into action. But Brendan Doggett has shown that he has a mean shorter ball and the right-hander is caught on the boundary a few balls later with a frankly ridiculous attempt to respond.
WICKET! Carse c Labuschagne b Doggett 6 (England 168-8)
Brydon Carse is crunched by a bouncer that he sees too late, then hoicks a shorter ball later in the over straight down Marnus Labuschagne’s throat at backward square. It’s a good catch on the move from Labuschagne, but a silly shot to begin with.
31st over: England 167-7 (Smith 28, Carse 6) Australia have been able to strike whenever England look like working their way back into the game. That’s Starc’s fifth five-wicket haul in the Ashes. Brydon Carse shows more intent with a boundary at third man but a swing and a miss is more in keeping with the times as Starc returns to his familiar line just outside off.
WICKET! Atkinson c Smith b Starc 1 (England 161-7)
Mitchell Starc has a five-for. Gus Atkinson dabbles outside his off-stump with no real intent. The nick carries to Steve Smith at second slip and the left-armer has England in all sorts.
30th over: England 161-6 (Smith 28, Atkinson 1) Brendon Doggett makes his mark in just his sixth over in Tests with the critical wicket of Harry Brook. The Brook-Smith partnership ends on 45 runs from 30 balls. Steve Smith sends a bat pad in for the final delivery to Gus Atkinson as Australia smell blood only 30 overs into the series.
WICKET! Brook c Carey b Doggett 52 (England 160-6)
Brendan Doggett has his first Test wicket and what a time to grab it. Brook swings half-heartedly at a shorter ball down the legside, there is a noise on the way through and Carey and Smith are especially keen to review the decision. Doggett is less certain but is hardly going to argue. Brook makes his way from the field before the inevitable arrives and Australia have the wicket they surely wanted most.
29th over: England 152-5 (Brook 50, Smith 22) Smith’s turn to crunch back-to-back boundaries as he initially punishes a tiring Starc for bowling too full. The left-armer overcorrects and Smith pulls him to the backward square boundary. Harry Brook brings up his half-century from 58 deliveries with one six and five boundaries, before Smith finishes the over with another boundary. Boland dives to – unsuccessfully – prevent the ball reaching the rope at fine leg, but hits the turf heavily and is forced to hobble off the field. 14 runs from the over.
