Mitchell Starc didn’t just influence the first Ashes Test — he owned it. His match haul of 10 wickets ripped through England twice, turning what briefly looked like an even contest into a brutal, one-sided statement of Australian dominance. England had carved out a first-innings lead of around 40 runs, but that advantage evaporated the moment Starc returned for his second spell of the match. From there, England’s resistance cracked, their control vanished, and their batting collapsed under the weight of relentless pace.
Starc began the match on the front foot, dismantling England with a devastating 7-for that set the tone. His pace was sharp, the swing was late, and the ball kept attacking the stumps — everything England’s batters hate facing in Perth. Even then, England managed to drag themselves to a score that looked respectable in context. Their lead after Australia’s reply gave them a foothold, but it was flimsy, and everyone knew it required a strong second innings to turn it into a true threat. That second innings never came.
Once England walked back out to bat, the unraveling was immediate. They were choked, rushed, and eventually blown apart. The collapse was total — a repeat dose of the same ferocity that had undone them earlier. Starc took another three wickets to complete his ten-wicket match tally, becoming the first Australian pacer in decades to achieve the feat in an Ashes Test. His spells weren’t just effective; they were suffocating. England’s shots became desperate, their edges frequent, and their footwork non-existent.
By the time England were bowled out for 164, the match felt over. A target of 205 on paper isn’t trivial in the Ashes, but the mood was one-sided. Australia walked in knowing they had broken England already, and a chase that could have been tense became almost casual. The batters did the rest of the damage — particularly Travis Head with his explosive century — but the foundation of the win was unmistakable. It was built by the bowlers, and Starc’s fingerprints were on every turning point.
What makes this Test more damning for England is how quickly they lost control after appearing competitive. A first-innings lead in an Ashes opener is usually something to build on, but this match exposed their fragility brutally. Their batting lacked resolve, their decision-making fell apart under pressure, and their inability to hold firm in Perth’s conditions gave Australia every opening they needed.
For Australia, this win is a psychological breakthrough as much as a scoreboard one. They’ve been searching for a pace-driven demolition to reassert their grip on the Ashes, and Starc delivered exactly that. His performance sends a reminder that when he finds rhythm, he is one of the most destructive fast bowlers in world cricket — the kind who bends entire matches to his will.
In the end, England’s brief advantage faded into irrelevance. Starc crushed their momentum, crushed their batting, and swung the series tone sharply in Australia’s favour. The opening Test didn’t just end in Australia’s hands — it ended on Starc’s terms.
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