First Test — Perth Stadium, Nov 22, 2025
- The first Test between Australia national cricket team and England cricket team ended inside two days — one of the shortest Tests in the history of the Ashes. Australia won by eight wickets, immediately taking a 1–0 lead in the five-Test series.
- Key performances: Travis Head scored a brilliant century — a match-winning 123 that turned the game in Australia’s favour.
- The pace attack was lethal: Mitchell Starc claimed a career-best and devastating haul (seven for 58 in one innings, and aggregate 10 wickets in the match), wrecking England’s top and middle order.
Pitch & Controversy
- Surprisingly, despite the rapid finish and dramatic collapse by England, the pitch at Perth got a top “very good” rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC) — meaning, according to them, it offered a fair balance between bat and ball: good carry, consistent bounce, limited seam movement.
- That rating sparked debate: many argue the match ended so quickly because of exceptional bowling and poor batting rather than adverse pitch behaviour — a talking point about evolving styles in Test cricket.
Team news & what’s ahead
- For the second Test (scheduled at The Gabba, Brisbane), Australia will still miss their captain Pat Cummins and pace ace Josh Hazlewood due to injury.
- Stand-in skipper Steve Smith will lead, and the seam attack will depend on bowlers like Mitchell Starc, and others filling in. Reuters+1
- On England’s side — their aggressive “Bazball”-style batting was exposed brutally. But sources suggest they might stick to that approach despite the rout, rather than drastically changing game plan.
Significance:
- Such a rapid Test result underlines how unpredictable Test cricket remains — even with traditionally safe pitches. Great bowling + poor batting = dramatic finishes.
- It puts immense pressure on teams to be mentally and technically sharp from ball one. For fans, it’s high drama — but for players, margins are razor-thin.
