On the opening day of the first Test of the Ashes 2025/26 at Perth Stadium in Perth on Friday (November 21), we experienced complete dominance from the pacers.
After England chose to bat first, they scored 172 runs. However, it became huge for the hosts Australia, who were struggling at 123/9 at the stumps of the day. The opening day of the Ashes 2025/26 experienced 19 wickets with 295 runs.
Here are some key stats of the opening day of the Perth Test in the Ashes 2025/26
England 172 all out
England were all out for 172 runs in 32.5 overs (197 balls).
It was the third-lowest completed total for England in the first innings of a Test match in Australia since 2000. The top two in this list are 147 (2021 Brisbane) and 159 (2006 Melbourne).
It was the third shortest (by balls) first innings of an Ashes Test on Australian soil. The top two in this list are 143 balls (England vs Australia in 1887 Sydney) and 193 balls (Australia vs England in 1902 Melbourne). (Credit: Cricbuzz)
Mitchell Starc recorded seven wickets
Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc had the bowling figures of 12.5-4-58-7.
It was the best bowling figures for Mitchell Starc in a Test innings. His previous record was 7.3-4-9-6 vs West Indies at Kingston in 2025.
It was the fifth-best bowling figures in an innings by a left-arm pacer in the Ashes history.
Player (Team) | Bowling figures | Venue | Year |
Dick Barlow (England) | 34.2-20-40-7 (4 balls per over) | Sydney | 1883 |
Mitchell Johnson (Australia) | 17.2-8-40-7 | Adelaide | 2013 |
Dick Barlow (England) | 52-34-44-7 (4 balls per over) | Manchester | 1886 |
Bruce Reid (Australia) | 22-12-51-7 | Melbourne | 1990 |
Mitchell Starc (Australia) | 12.5-4-58-7 | Perth | 2025 |
Mitchell Starc recorded his seventh six-wicket haul or more in a Test innings.
After the former Pakistan left-arm pacer Wasim Akram and Sri Lankan left-arm pacer Chaminda Vaas, Starc became the third left-arm pacer to record seven six-wicket or more hauls in a Test innings. With one more, Starc will set a new record in this list.
Test debutant Jake Weatherald scored a duck
Australian opener Jake Weatherald was dismissed for a duck on his international debut.
Jake Weatherald became the second Australian opener to record a duck on his Test debut innings on home soil. Matthew Elliott was the first one in this list (vs West Indies at Brisbane in 1996).
Jake Weatherald became the fifth Australian opener to record a duck on Test debut on home soil. The other four names in this list are Jack Badcock (vs England at Brisbane in 1936), Ken Eastwood (vs England at Sydney in 1971), Matthew Elliott (vs West Indies at Brisbane in 1996), and Nathan McSweeney (vs India at Perth in 2024). Apart from Eastwood and Weatherald, all other players recorded their Test debut ducks in the fourth innings of their respective Test debut matches.
English Test captain Ben Stokes claimed a fifer
England captain Ben Stokes claimed a five-wicket haul (6-1-23-5).
Ben Stokes became the sixth English captain to record a five-wicket haul in the Ashes history.
Player | Bowling Figures | Venue | Year |
Stanley Jackson | 14.5-2-52-5 | Nottingham | 1905 |
Johnny Douglas | 17.5-6-46-5 | Melbourne | 1912 |
Sir Gubby Allen | 6-0-36-5 | Brisbane | 1936 |
Freddie Brown | 18-4-49-5 | Melbourne | 1951 |
Bob Willis | 29.4-3-66-5 | Brisbane | 1982 |
Ben Stokes | 6-1-23-5* | Perth | 2025 |
(*Ben Stokes’ record can be changed)
After Gubby Allen (4 times), Bob Willis (3 times), Arthur Gilligan (2 times), Ben Stokes became the fourth English Test captain to record multiple five-wicket hauls, as it is his second Test five-wicket haul as a skipper.
Ashes 2025/26: 19 wickets on the first day
A total of 19 wickets fell on the opening day of the Perth Test.
It is the record number of wickets fallen on the opening day of an Ashes Test in the last 100 years. (Credit: Cricbuzz)
