Starc celebrates seven as England collapse before tea in Ashes opener

PERTH: Australia got their Ashes defence off to the perfect start on Friday with frontline quick Mitchell Starc decimating England’s batting lineup by claiming a career-best 7-58 to help bowl the visitors out for 172 before tea on day one of the Perth Test.

The hosts trailed by 157 runs in the first innings, entering the tea break on 15-1 after debutant opener Jake Weatherald departed for a second-ball duck, lbw to paceman Jofra Archer.

After a fiery opening session where Starc picked up three of the four English wickets to fall, including Zak Crawley in the first over for a duck, the 35-year-old firebrand returned from lunch with a 141 kph inswinger which clean-bowled captain Ben Stokes for six.

Harry Brook counter-attacked with a 61-ball 52 before tamely gloving debutant seamer Brendan Doggett (2-27) to keeper Alex Carey.

The wheels then fell off completely for England as their aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach saw the last four wickets add only 12 runs.

Starc, standing tall in the absence of injured stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, was mobbed by teammates in the 31st over when he had Gus Atkinson (one) caught in the slips to record his fifth Ashes five-wicket haul and 17th overall.

A first-ball Mark Wood duck, top-edging Starc to Carey, concluded England’s innings.

Marnus Labuschagne (six not out) took the place of opener Usman Khawaja, who had been off the field for too long, to begin Australia’s reply.

Following Weatherald’s departure Labuschagne was joined at the crease by Steve Smith (seven not out), standing in as captain for Cummins, with the two batsmen surviving a hostile spell of fast bowling in which Archer and Wood touched 150 kph.