Historic Day in Ashes Test: Starc and Stokes Shine with Five-Wicket Hauls

A Memorable Opening Day at the Ashes Test

Perth [Australia], November 21: In a remarkable display of bowling, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc and England's captain Ben Stokes made history by both achieving five-wicket hauls on the first day of a Test match. This feat had not been accomplished since the 2005 Ashes at Lord's, where Steve Harmison and Glenn McGrath were the last to do so.

Starc dominated the English batting order, claiming an impressive seven wickets, while Stokes matched his performance with a five-wicket haul of his own. After winning the toss, Stokes chose to bowl first, leading to England's batting collapse, where they were bowled out for just 172 runs, losing their last five wickets for a mere 12 runs. Starc's bowling figures stood at 7-58 over 12.5 overs, taking out key players including Zak Crawley and Joe Root.

In a twist of fate, Australia's batting lineup faced an even steeper decline, with Stokes achieving figures of 5-23 in six overs, dismissing Travis Head and Alex Carey among others. By the end of Day 1, Australia found themselves in a precarious position at 123/9, trailing by 49 runs.

This marked the first occasion in two decades where two bowlers from opposing teams secured five-wicket hauls on the opening day of a Test. The last occurrence was during the 2005 Ashes at Lord's.

Notably, this was only the fourth instance since 1950 where bowlers from rival teams took five wickets on the first day of a Test match. Previous instances include Richard Collinge and Gary Gilmour in 1974, and Frank Worrell and Bill Johnston in 1951.

The first day of the Ashes opener in Perth was historic, as it marked the first time in 116 years that 18 or more wickets fell on the opening day of an Ashes Test. The last such event occurred in 1909 during the Old Trafford Test.

Additionally, the 19 wickets that fell on this day set a record for the most in a century, surpassing the previous high of 17 wickets during the 2001 Trent Bridge Test and the 2005 Lord's Test.