Historic First Ashes Test: Both Opening Pairs Fail to Score

Unprecedented Opening Pair Performance

During the first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium in Perth, a remarkable event unfolded as, for the first time in the series' history, both teams' opening partnerships failed to score any runs. England's Jack Crawley and Ben Duckett, along with Australia's Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne, were unable to contribute runs amidst the dominance of fast bowling at the venue.

England's Struggles with the Bat

After England opted to bat first, Mitchell Starc dismissed Crawley, who was cautious against the bowler. Starc, playing his first over, managed to bowl Crawley out for a duck on the last ball of the over, with Usman Khawaja taking an easy catch in slip. England's batting woes continued as they failed to surpass the 200-run mark, and Australia's situation was not promising either, with debutant Jake falling victim to an aggressive Jofra Archer on just the second ball of his innings.

Debutants and Key Partnerships

Weatherald joined the ranks of other debutants like Ken Mylman, Jack Moroney, Matthew Elliott, and Phil Hughes, becoming the fifth Australian to be dismissed for a duck on debut. In the match, England won the toss and chose to bat first. Despite Ben Duckett's impressive start with 21 runs off 20 balls, including four boundaries, England found themselves at 39/3, with star player Joe Root also falling for a duck to Starc. A half-century partnership between Ollie Pope (46 runs off 58 balls) and Harry Brook helped stabilize the innings, but England lost half their side for just 115 runs.

Starc's Milestone and England's Collapse

Later, Brook (52 runs off 61 balls, with five fours and a six) and Jamie Smith (33 runs off 22 balls, hitting six fours) attempted to mount a comeback. However, Starc (7/58) and Doggett (2/27) restricted England's scoring, which was marred by questionable shot selections. Ultimately, England was bowled out for 172 runs in 32.5 overs. Starc also became the first left-arm fast bowler to reach 100 Ashes wickets, now boasting 104 wickets at an average of 26.08, including five instances of taking five wickets in an innings. Australia ended the second session at 15/1, with Steve Smith (7*) and Marnus Labuschagne (6*) not out, while Jofra Archer dismissed debutant Jake Weatherald for a duck.