A massive moment — Ben Stokes is out, caught behind off a thick inside edge off Starc, who has ten in the match.
This game turned on its head in the 25 minutes after lunch. England appeared to be sitting comfortably at the interval at 59 for one, for an overall lead of 99, but then in the space of 19 deliveries they lost four prime wickets for the addition of only 11 (Simon Wilde writes). It should have been worse than that, too, because Jamie Smith was dropped second ball by Usman Khawaja low down at first slip off Mitchell Starc.
It was Scott Boland who began the carnage with a remarkable three-wicket burst. Boland had previously had an anonymous game (although he had had an lbw verdict against Ben Duckett overturned just before lunch) but not any longer. First he opened up Duckett to take an outside edge that went low to Steve Smith at second slip, then had Ollie Pope caught behind going hard at a drive.
Duckett and Pope had just shared the longest partnership of the match both in terms of runs (65) and balls faced (93), but now the game reverted to its old type as batsmen came and went through a revolving door. Three balls after Pope went, Harry Brook – who top-scored England’s first innings with the only half-century of the game – edged to first slip for the fourth duck of the match for an England top-five batsman.
With Joe Root in and having started busily, getting off his pair first ball, and Ben Stokes joining him, Australia turned again to Starc, who had started the innings by condemning Zak Crawley to the first pair by an England opener for 26 years. Within two balls, Starc had swung one into Root enough to find the stumps via Root’s inside edge. In a blink of an eye England had slumped to 76 for five.
Another record for Mitchell Starc
That last wicket was Mitchell Starc’s 50th Ashes wicket in Australia — in ten matches — taken at an average of 21.50.
What have Australia had for lunch?! There were some signs just before the break that Scott Boland had started to find his range, after a modest first day performance, and four quick wickets, three for Boland in eleven balls, have brought Australia right back into the game (Mike Atherton writes).
Duckett edged low to second slip; Pope’s luck ran out when he edged through to the wicket-keeper, unable to resist a drive. A duck for Harry Brook who drive loosely to his third ball and edged to slip and most significantly of all, Root dragged on to Mitchell Starc for another single-figure score. Australia on a roll and right back in the hunt.
Amazingly, Jamie Smith has just been dropped on 0 by Usman Khawaja at slip off Starc. It’s all happening after lunch!
Crikey, it’s all happening. A thick outside edge from Smith flies towards the cordon but Khawaja can’t get his buckets under it. It definitely carried, and England have rather got away with one there.
Uh oh. Mitchell Starc back into the attack and Root chops a wide one onto his stumps. Three wickets in the last six balls and Root is out for a measly eight.
Jamie Smith joins the captain.
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Harry Brook is gone! Boland has another, luring Brook into a loose one outside off and draws the thick edge and Khawaja makes no mistake. He’s gone for a duck and out comes the captain.
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There’s another one, Australia are fighting back. Another for Boland as he just hangs one outside off stump to draw Ollie Pope’s outside edge and it’s caught behind by Carey.
He’s gone for 33 and Root is joined in the middle by his fellow Yorkshireman Harry Brook.
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Some great shots of Starc’s remarkable catch beginning to surface…
DARRIAN TRAYNOR/GETTY IMAGES
DARRIAN TRAYNOR/GETTY IMAGES
DARRIAN TRAYNOR/GETTY IMAGES
DARRIAN TRAYNOR/GETTY IMAGES
Joe Root is off the mark straight away through the leg side to get off the pair. That’ll settle the nerves.
Ben Duckett edges to Steve Smith in the slip cordon off Scott Boland. There’s an umpire review to make sure the Australia captain has got his fingers underneath it. It’s certainly carried and that’s a breakthrough for the hosts.
Duckett has to go for 28, and Joe Root, also on a pair, remember, comes out to join Ollie Pope.
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Elsewhere in Perth, Jacob Bethell And Will Jacks are bowling in tandem for England Lions against a Cricket Australia XI In a three day match at Lilac Hill (Elizabeth Ammon writes). The pair were released from the Test squad to go and play the last two days of the match down the road.
It’s of real benefit to England that they have the Lions team shadowing them for the first part of the tour. It means those not selected for the Tests can get some game practice and it also means there’s a big squad that England can call on if they suddenly have a raft of injuries.
We’re back up and running and Cameron Green has the ball in hand for only his second over of the Test match. He took Ollie Pope’s wicket with the last delivery of his solitary over yesterday, and it’s Pope to take strike.
The good news for Australia has been thin on the ground so far (Mike Atherton writes). Mitchell Starc has been superb, following up his seven wickets in the first innings with a magnificent one-handed diving return catch to dismiss Zak Crawley for a pair — the first pair for an England opener in the Ashes since yours truly (!) in Melbourne 27 years ago.
But that was that as far as Australia were concerned: there has been a drop off in quality when Starc is not bowling and the fielding has looked ragged at times. Ben Duckett has been keen to attack Scott Boland whenever possible and Ollie Pope has benefitted from numerous plays and misses. England lead currently by 99 and will be looking for two more good sessions to extend an already significant advantage.
Viewers in the UK were unhappy with a few aspects of the coverage of yesterday’s play on TNT Sports. Spectators heard audio from Perth before they saw the corresponding pictures — even hearing wickets before they fell on screen.
Read the story from Elizabeth Ammon here.
Todd Greenberg, chief executive of cricket Australia, has defended Usman Khawaja’s decision to play golf the day before the Test started.
“It (playing golf before a Test) has held him in good stead over the last couple of years. It’s not uncommon for a lot of them to play golf a day prior,” Greenberg told SEN radio in Australia.
“Did that correlate to any of the issues? I personally don’t think so.
“Usman’s a very seasoned campaigner, he knows his body well, and he knows how to get himself prepared for cricket. So I think that (saying golf was to blame) is drawing a long bow.
“A lot of people talk about cricket being played between the ears.
“So getting some time away from being in your hotel or at training I think is really important.
“I noticed Mitch Starc played golf with him, so it certainly didn’t impact his performance.”
Lunch – England 59-1, leading by 99
That’s lunch! It’s been a decent morning if you’re of an England persuasion, unless your name is Zak Crawley… A tough start to life down under for the big man.
Boland has struck Duckett on the pads and is given out on the field… The England opener sends it upstairs. Definitely no bat but height may be an issue…
Ball tracking show it was pitching outside leg stump and Duckett survives.
Zak Crawley’s out for a pair
The England opener’s rotten start to the tour continued as he was well caught and bowled by Mitchell Starc, who now has eight in the match.
It’s the first time ever in Test cricket that teams have been none for one in the first over of the first three innings of a match.
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England removed the sometimes stubborn Nathan Lyon quickly this morning, with Brydon Carse taking his third wicket of the innings.
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Out came Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett with England’s lead standing at 40, but the former failed to get off the mark again and was sent back to the sheds for a Test-match pair.
Duckett and Ollie Pope are building the lead nicely approaching the lunch break.
Hello again and welcome to the Times’ coverage of the first Ashes Test live from Optus Stadium in Perth. After a disappointing first innings with the bat yesterday, England came roaring back, inspired by their talismanic captain Ben Stokes.
Australia’s batsmen looked clueless against a fantastic barrage of fast bowling from England’s five seamers, who brought their team back into a strong position by the end of an enthralling first day of the series. Mitchell Starc, the main man in the first innings after a commanding seven-for, was summoned from the sheds to bat with his country really up against it, and returned not long later for 12 after being removed by Stokes.
The touring side should really be looking to bat for the day to keep up the momentum and press home their advantage in a match they almost have to win to have any chance of regaining the urn.
Let’s see what day two has in store for us — if it’s anything like yesterday, we’re in for a cracker.