Usman Khawaja’s toilet break causes top-order chaos as Ben Stokes and Mitchell Starc star with the ball.
Here are the quick hits from the first day of the opening Ashes Test in Perth.
1. Khawaja causes chaos
When all eyes were on Scott Boland as he hobbled off after an ungainly fielding effort in the outfield at the end of the 29th over, Usman Khawaja also quietly made his way off the field.
If a player is off the field for longer than eight minutes, they are not allowed to bowl or bat until they have fielded for that same length of time.
England still had five wickets in hand when Khawaja went off (for what Cricket Australia labelled back spasms) so surely there was no cause for concern that he wouldn’t be able to bat, right?
WRONG.
‘Poor management’ costs Khawaja opening spot
England lost three wickets in the 17 minutes he was off the field and the panic set in. After he returned for the 33rd over, Mitchell Starc took the final two in five balls.
By the time the innings was over, he’d only been back on the field for seven minutes, meaning all the consternation over who should be his opening partner was for nought as Khawaja still had 10 minutes left in the penalty box.
So, Marnus Labuschagne accompanied debutant Jake Weatherald to the crease. Not ideal, but hardly a disaster.
Unfortunately, Weatherald’s first Test innings lasted exactly two balls, the second of which left him sprawled on the pitch and ultimately out LBW.
Jake Weatherald’s first Test innings lasted two balls and ended with him in the dirt. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)
Steve Smith was forced to come out to face the third ball of the Test on an opening day that was getting more chaotic by the minute.
2. Starc’s first-over stunner
England came into this series with high hopes and expectations. It took six balls for Mitchell Starc to put a pin in those dreams of a long and productive batting stint from the English openers.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Starc has taken 24 wickets in the first over of an innings in his stellar Test match career — more than anyone else in history.
The next most prolific bowler is Sir Jimmy Anderson with 19 first over wickets.
Mitchell Starc carried the bowling attack without Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. (Getty Images: Gareth Copley)
It did, admittedly, take a bit longer than four years ago, when Starc bowled Rory Burns with a demon, late-swinging yorker at the Gabba — but England’s score was still a big, fat zero.
It was not a great shot from Zak Crawley, throwing his hands at a rising ball outside off and seeing it fall right into the breadbasket of Usman Khawaja a first slip, who did his upmost to fumble it, eventually completing the catch via his thighs.
But the catch was claimed, Crawley was on his way and Australia, despite losing the toss, were off to a flier.
Starc didn’t stop there, either, trapping Ben Duckett LBW (21) and having Joe Root (0) caught at third slip to take 3-17 in his first six overs, with every delivery of that spell over 140kmh.
Root was his 100th Ashes wicket. And he wasn’t done there, finishing with career-best 7-58.
3. Brook walks, gives Doggett his first Test wicket
When is a walk, not a walk?
Harry Brook may well be asked that after he gloved a short delivery to Alex Carey off the bowling of debutant Brendan Doggett.
England’s number five leaned back but just couldn’t get his hands out the way as the ball flew past.
Doggett didn’t seem to be aware that Brook had gloved it though, with Steve Smith and Carey both vigorously appealing behind the stumps.
Umpire Menon was unmoved though, so Smith immediately called for the review.
At that point, Brook realised that the gig was up so he walked off the pitch.
It’s not quite walking in the traditional sense, but Brook did save everyone the hassle of waiting for the review to be completed.
4. ‘Soft’ England collapses
England had a rough start to their Test, being three down inside the opening hour and 4-105 at lunch.
But things got a whole lot worse once the tail was exposed.
Ben Stokes is bowled during the Ashes. (Getty Images: Gareth Copley)
Slowly rebuilding at 5-160, England proceeded to lose 5-12 over the next 18 balls to be all out for 172.
And, as good as Mitchell Starc bowled, the onus was surely more on some dreadful England batting.
“It feels a bit soft from England, to be honest,” former England batter Phil Tufnell said on ABC Sport.
“I don’t think they’ve [Australia] bowled very well.
“Apart from [the Stokes wicket], Australia will be thinking we’ve done alright here. It was a bit of a one-man show, wasn’t it? Steve Smith will be absolutely delighted.”
Meanwhile, Jason Gillespie said England had “stuffed that up”.
“That’s a good batting surface,” the former Australian quick said.
“England have stuffed that up basically, can’t use any other words. There’s some questionable decision-making with the bat in hand.”
5. Stokes steps up
Ben Stokes removed Travis Head and Cameron Green just as they built a partnership. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)
After Australia’s top order was dismantled to leave the hosts 4-31, Travis Head and Cameron Green had the responsibility dumped on their shoulders of resisting and counter-attacking in the face of a ferocious pace attack.
They weathered the storm of Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson, so Ben Stokes finally decided it was his time.
It took him seven balls to execute the plan his charges couldn’t, cramping Head from back of a length and wrenching him from the middle as his cross-bat bunt ballooned to mid-on.
Six balls later he prised Green from his home patch with a pointed plan to starve him of the straight drives that had been the highlight of his innings to that point, forcing him to play wider, and ultimately finding the nick through to Jamie Smith.
It was another classic “cometh the hour” moment that Stokes has made his trademark. But, like Starc, one moment wasn’t enough as he carried on to a sixth Test five-wicket haul on a day utterly dominated by bowlers.
