England Takes Command in First Ashes Test Against Australia

In an exciting second day of the first Ashes Test, England has established a commanding lead over Australia, thanks to a strong partnership between Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett. After Australia was bowled out for 132, England's response saw them reach 59/1 at the end of the session, with Duckett and Pope both unbeaten. Ben Stokes shone with the ball, taking five wickets to restrict Australia. The match continues to unfold at Perth's Optus Stadium, promising more thrilling cricket ahead.

By Narendra Chaudhary Nov 22, 2025, 10:32 IST

England Establishes Strong Lead

Following Australia's dismissal for 132 in reply to England's first innings score of 172, a solid partnership between Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett propelled England to a 99-run lead by the end of the first session on day two of the inaugural Ashes Test at Perth's Optus Stadium on Saturday. At the conclusion of the session, England stood at 59/1, with Duckett scoring 28* and Pope at 24*.

Stokes Shines with Five Wickets

On day two, Australia resumed at 123/9, with Brendan Doggett and Nathan Lyon at the crease, both yet to score. The duo attempted to reduce the deficit, but a spectacular catch by Ben Duckett concluded Australia's innings at 132 in 45.2 overs, leaving them 40 runs behind. England's captain Ben Stokes was the standout bowler, taking 5 wickets for 23 runs, including key dismissals of Travis Head (21 runs off 35 balls) and Cameron Green (24 runs off 50 balls), who had formed a partnership after Australia was struggling at 31/4.

Pace Attack Disrupts Australian Batting Lineup

The Australian top order faced early challenges from England's pace bowlers Brydon Carse (3/45) and Jofra Archer (2/11), leading to the quick dismissals of debutant opener Jake Weatherald (0), Marnus Labuschagne (9), Steve Smith (17), and Usman Khawaja (2).

England Expands Their Lead

With a 40-run advantage, England aimed to maximize their lead. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were tasked with building on this lead, but a stunning one-handed catch by Mitchell Starc resulted in Crawley being dismissed for a second consecutive duck, leaving England at 0/1 after just 0.5 overs.

Duckett and Pope then steadied the innings, with Duckett displaying aggression by hitting boundaries against both Starc and Boland. The pair effectively rotated the strike, with Pope managing to hit four threes due to the slow outfield. They achieved a half-century partnership in just 10.1 overs, with Duckett narrowly avoiding a leg-before-wicket dismissal on the last ball of the session, ensuring no further wickets fell.

Day 1 Summary: Starc's Dominance

On the first day, England won the toss and chose to bat. Despite Ben Duckett's promising start (21 runs off 20 balls), England found themselves in trouble at 39/3, with Joe Root dismissed for a duck by Starc.

A partnership between Ollie Pope (46 runs off 58 balls) and Harry Brook helped stabilize the innings, but England lost their fifth wicket at 115 runs. Brook (52 runs off 61 balls) and Jamie Smith (33 runs off 22 balls) attempted to counterattack, but Starc's impressive bowling (7/58) and Doggett's (2/27) restricted England to 172 runs in 32.5 overs.

Match Summary

Brief Scores: Australia: 132 (Alex Carey 26, Cameron Green 24, Ben Stokes 5/23) vs England: 172 and 59/1 (Ben Duckett 28*, Ollie Pope 24*, Mitchell Starc 1/13).