England’s decision to bat first in the series opener backfired almost immediately at Perth Stadium as Mitchell Starc tore through their top order in a thunderous opening spell to get the Ashes going. Starc set the tone with the new ball, dismissing opener Zak Crawley for a duck on the final delivery of the first over, inducing an outside edge that was safely pouched by Usman Khawaja at first slip.
The Australian pace spearhead continued his destruction, dismantling England's start. While Ben Duckett attempted a counter-attack, striking boundaries off Scott Boland to briefly lift the run rate, his stay was cut short in the seventh over. Starc trapped Duckett lbw for a brisk knock, leaving England at 33 for 2.
The situation worsened for the tourists just two overs later when Joe Root fell for his first duck in Australia. Root edged a seaming delivery from Starc to Marnus Labuschagne at third slip, reducing England to a precarious 39 for 3 inside the first hour.
Following the top-order collapse, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook attempted to stabilize the innings. The pair navigated a tricky period against the changing bowling attack, which included impressive deliveries from debutant Doggett.
Pope lived dangerously at times, surviving a close lbw shout and a caught behind appeal off Doggett’s bowling that was described as a "jaffa." However, both batters found the boundary rope to keep the scoreboard moving, with Pope punishing full deliveries and Brook timing the ball well through the covers.
The introduction of Nathan Lyon saw the batters employ a slightly more cautious approach, collecting singles and twos through the off-side. Brook and Pope managed to rotate the strike effectively against the spinner and the seamers, slowly building a partnership that threatened to bring England back into the contest. By the 19th over, England had moved to 84 for 3, with the run rate hovering above four runs per over despite the early loss of wickets.
Just as the partnership appeared set to carry England through the session, all-rounder Cameron Green struck a crucial blow on the final ball of the 20th over. Green trapped a well-set Pope lbw with a half-volley that hit the batter on the front foot in front of middle stump. The dismissal ended Pope's resistance and left England at 94 for 4 after 20 overs, firmly handing the advantage back to Australia in the opening session of the series.
