A breathless first day of the Ashes saw England’s fast bowlers deliver a masterclass in hostile, aggressive cricket, dismantling Australia for a paltry 172 before their own batting faced a stern examination in reply.
The anticipation for this series had reached a fever pitch, and the contest exploded into life immediately. After England’s Zak Crawley fell to the sixth ball of the day, a cascade of wickets followed. The tourists were bundled out in just 33 overs, a collapse engineered by a relentless four-man pace battery.
Jofra Archer set the tone with a devastating opening spell, clean bowling debutant Jake Weatherald with his second delivery—a searing, full-length ball that left the batter in a heap. From there, the pressure never relented. Supported by the sharp lines of Gus Atkinson and the later introduction of Mark Wood’s express pace, England suffocated the Australian top order.
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, the backbone of the home side’s batting, found themselves in a grim battle for survival. They were subjected to a brutal bodyline assault, with Smith struck repeatedly on the arm and hand. The pair’s partnership was the longest of the innings, yet it was a struggle defined more by defiance than dominance.
Just as Smith threatened a counter-attack after the interval, the breakthrough came. The pressure finally told, triggering a collapse from 28 for one to 31 for four, a period that swung the day decisively back in England’s favour.
While Australia’s Mitchell Starc produced a fiery spell with the ball to keep his side in the contest, the overarching narrative belonged to the visiting attack. By stumps, England’s pace unit stood as a formidable, monolithic force—daunting, immense, and seemingly without a visible weakness. On a day of 19 wickets, impeccable bowling, and breakneck drama, they issued a powerful statement of intent for the series ahead.