Starc Reaches 100 Wickets in Ashes, England's Bowlers Are Weak and Unreliable
Starc Reaches 100 Wickets in Ashes, England's Bowlers Are Weak and Unreliable
Ashes 2025: Mitchell Starc claimed three early England wickets at Perth and took his 100th wicket in the Ashes. Starc became the 21st bowler in Ashes history to take 100 or more wickets. He became the 13th Australian to complete a century of Ashes wickets as well.
Mitchell Starc’s Record Spell
Mitchell Starc produced his best-ever figures in Test cricket, taking 7 for 58. This beat his previous best of 6 for 9 against West Indies in Kingston earlier in July 2025. It also gave him back-to-back five-wicket hauls.
This was Starc’s 17th five-wicket haul in Tests, making him the third-highest among Australian fast bowlers. He moved past Graham McKenzie, who had 16.
Starc also reached a big milestone by completing 100 Ashes wickets against England. Among the 11 fast bowlers who have more than 100 wickets against England, Starc is the only one who started his career in the 21st century.
Starc vs Stokes
Starc has now dismissed Ben Stokes 10 times in Test cricket, the most by any fast bowler. Only R. Ashwin has dismissed Stokes more often, with 13. Starc has also bowled Stokes out five times, the most by any bowler.
England’s Batting Struggles
England’s first innings lasted just 32.5 overs, their second shortest in the opening Test of an Ashes series. The only shorter effort came way back in the 1886-87 Ashes in Sydney, when they were bowled out in 35.3 four-ball overs.
This collapse continues a poor run. England have not batted more than 41 overs in their last four international matches. In the three ODIs against New Zealand before the Ashes, they were bowled out in 35.2, 36, and 40.2 overs.
Despite being bowled out for under 200, England’s scoring rate was 5.23 runs per over, the third-highest in Test history for such a situation. Only England in Sydney in 2013-14 (5.24) and West Indies in Multan earlier this year (5.40) scored faster while being dismissed under 200.
Rare Opening Wicket Event
Both England and Australia lost their first wicket at 0 for 1 in the first innings of this Ashes Test. This was the first time ever it happened in an Ashes Test, and only the eighth time in Test cricket history.
For England, this was the sixth time they’ve been 0 for 1 in the first innings of an opening Ashes Test in Australia. Three of those have come in their last five tours (2010-11, 2021-22, and now). In 2017-18, they were 2 for 1.
England’s Team Selection
This was only the second time in Ben Stokes’ 38 Tests as captain that England didn’t pick a specialist spinner. The other instance was also in the Ashes, at Lord’s in 2023.
It was also the first time since 1998 that England played a Test in Australia without a specialist spinner.
Australia’s Rare Debuts
Australia handed debuts to Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett, both aged over 30, in Perth. The last time Australia gave debuts to two players over 30 in the same Test was in 1946 in Wellington against New Zealand, nearly 80 years ago. Back then, Don Tallon and Ernie Toshack were among seven debutants in Australia’s first Test after World War II.