Mitchell Starc ripped through England for 172 with a career-best 7 for 58, yet by stumps he was fielding more questions about Australia’s batting frailties than his own brilliance. Nineteen wickets tumbled on a wild first day of this Ashes opener, leaving an uneasy sense of déjà vu for the home side.
Starc’s haul ticked off a few personal milestones: his 100th Ashes wicket, a 17th Test five-for, and the rare feat of posting back-to-back career-best figures in consecutive Test innings. England, having chosen to bat, lasted only 32.5 overs. Still, by 6.20 pm Starc was discussing Usman Khawaja’s sore hamstring and another top-order wobble rather than reliving the spell that put Australia in charge — briefly.
“[The game is] probably [in] fast-forward, I guess,” Starc said. “It’s happening quickly.”
The pace of the day certainly suited him. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are both sidelined — Cummins hopes for Brisbane, Hazlewood is a more open-ended concern — so Starc carried the new-ball duties alongside Scott Boland. Pressure ought to have been sky-high. Instead, according to Starc, nerves never arrived.
“Not really actually, strangely quite calm for the week,” he said. “Even till we got to the ground, still had the sense of occasion, but until we were out there for the anthems, and then first ball was when sort of the beans start to go.”
Once the beans did go, England were soon going with them. The crowd of 43,591 had barely sat when Zak Crawley pushed the first delivery safely enough, only to edge the sixth to Khawaja at slip. For the third time in five Australian Ashes series, England were 0 for 1 after one over.
Boland struggled for length and Ben Duckett cashed in at a run-a-ball, but Starc’s next burst shut that down. A 142.6 kph in-ducker trapped Duckett dead in front. Joe Root followed seven balls later, undone by the wobble-seam ball Starc has honed so well. Angled in at the pads and straightening just enough, it forced Root into an awkward prod that carried to third slip. At that point no delivery in Starc’s opening spell dipped below 140 kph; England looked startled, if not quite shell-shocked.
From there the tourists never settled. Wickets fell to skied pulls, thin nicks and one peach that flattened Jonny Bairstow’s off stump. Even so, memories of last summer’s collapse against India hovered. When Australia lost three for eight shortly before the close, the ground fell into the familiar hush of hope turning to worry.
The day ended with Australia 89 for 5, Starc already contemplating another quick turnaround with the ball. The left-armer was asked whether he can keep covering for a batting line-up that keeps giving opponents a second invitation. He shrugged, half-smiled.
“[The game is] probably [in] fast-forward,” he repeated. The line felt less like an excuse and more like an admission that, while his deliveries are travelling fast enough, Australia’s fortunes can still change even faster.
The pitch offered bounce and a hint of sideways movement — helpful but not outrageous. Bowling coach Daniel Vettori suggested that lengths, rather than demons in the surface, decided the day. “Get it fuller and you’re in business,” he noted. England did just that late on, pitching it up and letting the new ball do the work.
There was, however, a clear difference in class between the opening spells. Starc located rhythm from ball one, Boland did not. For England, Chris Woakes found movement but leaked boundaries; Mark Wood’s extra pace was lively but occasionally wayward. In other words, both sides rode the line between threat and generosity, with Starc alone maintaining dominance.
That spells good news for the series as a spectacle but uneasy nights for Australia’s dressing-room. Until Cummins returns, Starc must keep producing at something near his best. The concern is obvious: even a small dip could leave Australia exposed, especially if the batting remains brittle.
Yet for all the what-ifs, day one will be remembered first for Starc’s burst. The wicket of Root — seven-ball duck, feet glued, wrists bent — will run on highlight reels all summer. It was classic Starc: late movement, full length, a speedometer north of 142 kph. The kind of ball that reminds you, in an instant, why left-arm pace is a different game altogether.
How much of a difference it makes by week’s end depends on whether Australia’s top order can match Starc’s clarity of purpose. For now, the hosts hold a slender edge. It could, just as quickly, disappear.
