Australian cricket media has reacted sharply to the national team's batting performance on the first day of the Ashes Test against England in Perth on November 21, 2025, labeling it a "shambolic" and a "car crash". Despite Mitchell Starc's impressive bowling performance, where he took seven wickets to dismiss England for a paltry 172, Australia's top order crumbled, ending the day at 123-9, trailing by 49 runs.
Fox Sports highlighted the "top-order frailties" of the Australian batting lineup, with Jake Weatherald falling for a duck and Marcus Labuschagne only managing nine runs. Captain Steve Smith also struggled, scoring just 17 runs off 49 balls, while Usman Khawaja was dismissed for a mere two runs. Nic Savage of Fox Sports noted that Australia collapsed to 4-31 after a "high-octane burst" from England's pace attack, despite a batting reshuffle. Former Australian batsman Mark Waugh, in commentary, expressed his disbelief at the collapse.
Ben Stokes led England's fightback with the ball, taking five wickets for 23 runs. His performance included dismissing Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. Daniel Nuttall from Fox Sports noted that England's strategy of picking four specialist pace bowlers worked effectively, with the Australian batsmen displaying "rash and reckless decision making".
The Independent's Cameron Ponsonby observed that the Australian batting lineup appeared "frazzled" and played "fast and loose" against Stokes, knowing that Mark Wood or Jofra Archer awaited them. This led to some questionable shot selections and ultimately contributed to their downfall.
The Australian batting display was in stark contrast to Starc's brilliant bowling performance, which saw him achieve a career-best of 7/58. He led the charge as Australia initially dominated England, raising hopes of a strong start to their Ashes campaign. However, the batting collapse quickly turned the tide in England's favor.
Usman Khawaja's absence at the start of Australia's innings added to the confusion. He was initially deemed unable to open due to "back stiffness" and a subsequent back spasm delayed his return, forcing him to come in at number four.
The day saw a remarkable 19 wickets fall, the most on the first day of an Ashes Test since 1909. This highlights the challenging conditions and the dominance of the pace bowlers from both sides. While the English media lauded their team's hostile bowling and strategic master plan, the Australian media were left to dissect their team's "brainless" batting performance.
