Australia went 1-0 up at the Perth Stadium in a helter-skelter start to the Ashes. Here are the talking points from the chaotic game.
Root and Crawley under different microscopes
Zak Crawley's start to the series couldn't be more different to the one he got England off to in 2023. At Edgbaston, he scythed the first ball for four, alleviating the nerves of fans watching through their fingers. At Perth, he played two loose drives in two balls and edged the second. In both innings, England were 0-1 after his wickets – albeit the second time thanks to an awesome catch from Mitchell Starc. You'd sense Crawley still has some time left. His opening partnership with Ben Duckett is key to England's philosophy and his ton and three half-centuries from the summer are still fresh. Nevertheless, bagging a pair in one of the biggest matches of his career doesn't inspire confidence.
Crawley's failures were exacerbated by the collapses that followed. Both times, Joe Root was out for rare twin-failures. The last time Root didn't make double digits in either innings of a Test match was 2022, and the threat of Matthew Hayden's nude figure parading around the SCG is still viable.
Australia's opening shuffle
Usman Khawaja had a strange Test match. He was off the field for some of England's first-innings routing, apparently had a back-spasm in the toilet, and was ineligible to open as a result. He then hobbled off the field again on day two, giving Travis Head centre-stage. Khawaja was also under-fire for competing in a golf tournament the day before the start of the Test, although there is no suggestion from the Australia camp that that's where he picked up the injury.
Starc admitted Australia were "caught off guard a little bit" by the uncertainty over whether Khawaja could open in the first innings, and with Steve Smith's seeming reluctance to move up to the top, Nathan Lyon was reportedly considered as an option. Australia have struggled to replace David Warner at the top, with Jake Weatherald the latest to be given the job. Khawaja has 10 days to rest his back to ensure Australia don't have to fudge the solution to a second opener's absence.
Third umpire controversy
The most controversy during the game happened as England collapsed on day two. Jamie Smith was given not out caught down the leg side, and when Australia reviewed, TV Umpire Sharfuddoula initially agreed. However, after a review process which lasted five long minutes, he changed his mind, convinced that a spike on Snicko after the ball passed Smith's bat was actually a delayed response from the ball brushing the edge. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the decision, the process should be scrutinised. Sharfuddoula spent a long time looking for every possible angle to find evidence to overturn the on-field decision, despite originally seeming to be comfortable that the ball hadn't hit the bat. That was a standard that wasn't applied to every referral, whether they were English or Australian.
Pitch hypocrisy
Day One of the game drew ire from some over alleged double-standards over reaction to the surface. Nineteen wickets fell on the first day, more than on the first day of any Ashes Test since 1909. R Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik were among several former India players to compare the lack of criticism of the pitch to that the Indian pitches have received. Eden Gardens drew criticism after South Africa's recent victory over India, after the match ended before Tea on day three.
Travis Head – ultimate Bazballer
Head's match-winning century in the evening session of day two was the second-fastest Ashes hundred – only second to Adam Gilchrist's 57-ball blitz at the WACA. Moved up to open to cover Khawaja's absence, Head flipped the script to beat England at their own game, whacking four sixes and 16 fours en-route to 123 off 83 balls. It was the ninth time Head has opened the innings, but the first time he'd crossed three figures as an opener. Nevertheless, his average jumps from 42.34 to 55.50 when he opens, and his strike rate moves above 90. Whether Khawaja's back recovers or not, there's a genuine case to keep him there for the Brisbane Test.
Starc shines solo
The Perth Test was huge for Mitchell Starc before it began. With both Cummins and Hazlewood absent, Star would be without the rest of his 'big three' group who have been so key to Australia's success. But any thoughts over how England could take advantage of their absence were thwarted by Starc's brilliance. He took his career-best Test figures on day one as he brutalised England, and similarly terrorised them after lunch on day two before an ill-advised short-ball ploy against the tail skewed his figures. With Hazlewood now also a doubt for the second Test, but Cummins set to return, Australia will have their fearsome attack pretty much back together, with Starc having ensured they come back to a series-lead.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
