England's fast bowlers exploded into life on a bouncy Perth pitch, leaving Australia reeling as the first Ashes Test day delivered an unforgettable spectacle.
In a display of ferocity that has been missing from English cricket for far too long, captain Ben Stokes spearheaded a five-man pace attack that tore through Australia's batting line-up to take 19 wickets on day one. The most impressive individual effort was from Jofra Archer, who bowled with incredible speed and accuracy to claim career-best figures of seven for 58.
Zak Crawley was the first England batsman to fall, caught behind off Mitchell Starc's second ball. Ollie Pope batted sensibly but couldn't prevent his team's batting collapse. Harry Brook played some attacking cricket but ultimately fell to a sharp piece of bowling from Brendan Doggett.
Brook's innings of 52 from just 32 deliveries will be remembered as one of the greatest in English cricket history, with him spending more time running down the pitch to confront the Australian bowlers than standing still. The rest of England's batting line-up quickly followed suit, with their last five wickets falling for a mere 12 runs.
The bowling attack showed remarkable unity and discipline, with Archer being supported by Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson. Even the usually prolific Steve Smith was tormented, bowled by Stokes after being forced to shuffle up the order due to Usman Khawaja's absence from the field.
The Australian batting line-up will need to be more focused if they are going to prevent England from taking a 1-0 lead in the series. They lost nine wickets for just 30 runs, with Travis Head and Cameron Green providing some resistance before falling to Atkinson and Stokes respectively.
As for England, their fast bowlers have finally found their form and will be hopeful of causing further damage on day two. With the game still very much in their sights, it remains to be seen if Pope can keep his cool and guide his team to victory.
In a display of ferocity that has been missing from English cricket for far too long, captain Ben Stokes spearheaded a five-man pace attack that tore through Australia's batting line-up to take 19 wickets on day one. The most impressive individual effort was from Jofra Archer, who bowled with incredible speed and accuracy to claim career-best figures of seven for 58.
Zak Crawley was the first England batsman to fall, caught behind off Mitchell Starc's second ball. Ollie Pope batted sensibly but couldn't prevent his team's batting collapse. Harry Brook played some attacking cricket but ultimately fell to a sharp piece of bowling from Brendan Doggett.
Brook's innings of 52 from just 32 deliveries will be remembered as one of the greatest in English cricket history, with him spending more time running down the pitch to confront the Australian bowlers than standing still. The rest of England's batting line-up quickly followed suit, with their last five wickets falling for a mere 12 runs.
The bowling attack showed remarkable unity and discipline, with Archer being supported by Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson. Even the usually prolific Steve Smith was tormented, bowled by Stokes after being forced to shuffle up the order due to Usman Khawaja's absence from the field.
The Australian batting line-up will need to be more focused if they are going to prevent England from taking a 1-0 lead in the series. They lost nine wickets for just 30 runs, with Travis Head and Cameron Green providing some resistance before falling to Atkinson and Stokes respectively.
As for England, their fast bowlers have finally found their form and will be hopeful of causing further damage on day two. With the game still very much in their sights, it remains to be seen if Pope can keep his cool and guide his team to victory.