The opening match – Australia vs England 1st Test – of 2025-2026 Ashes has been heavily influenced by the bowlers. The first day of the Test saw 19 wickets fall, highlighting dominance of both England’s and Australia’s pace attacks.
On the second day, England’s first wicket fell in a manner that made cricket history, with Zak Crawley brilliantly caught by Mitchell Starc for a duck.
Remarkably, this marks the first time in Test cricket history that the first wicket has fallen for zero in the first three innings of a match.
In England’s first innings, Crawley was dismissed for zero by Starc, while Australia’s first innings saw Jake Weatherald fall LBW to Jofra Archer on the second ball of that innings.
Starc then struck again in England’s second innings, once more sending Crawley back for a duck. On the fifth ball of the first over, Crawley misjudged a delivery’s bounce and Starc completed a stunning one-handed catch.
Watch Mitchell Starc’s Stunning Catch
WHAT A RIDICULOUS TAKE! Mitchell Starc sends Zak Crawley off for a pair! #Ashes | #PlayoftheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/1cg8PtLzx4
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2025
After Crawley’s dismissal, England found some stability through a partnership between Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope.
England’s first innings concluded at 172 runs, with Mitchell Starc claiming 7 wickets. Australia seemed poised to dominate, but England’s bowlers fought back, dismissing the visitors for 121 on the first day, with Ben Stokes taking 5 wickets. On Day 2, Nathan Lyon’s wicket reduced Australia’s total to 132 runs.
England’s second innings began shakily, with Crawley again dismissed for a duck by Starc. However, Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett steadied the innings with a solid second-wicket partnership. At the time of reporting, England were 59 for 1, leading by 99 runs.
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