Perth, Australia – The opening Ashes Test between Australia and England at Perth's Optus Stadium concluded in under two days, prompting widespread discussion and criticism, most notably from Indian cricket star Ravichandran Ashwin. Australia secured a dominant eight-wicket victory after England suffered a dramatic batting collapse, igniting a debate about their aggressive "Bazball" approach.
England's batting woes were evident in both innings, managing only 172 and 164. This marked their shortest combined total in a Test match since 1904, facing just 405 deliveries. Day one saw a staggering 19 wickets fall, the most on the opening day of an Ashes Test in over a century. Mitchell Starc spearheaded the Australian attack, claiming 10 wickets, including a career-best 7-58 in England's first innings. On day two, Scott Boland's post-lunch burst further dismantled England's batting lineup.
Chasing a target of 205, Australia's Travis Head counter-attacked, scoring a blistering 123 off 83 balls, reaching his century in just 69 deliveries, the fastest Ashes hundred by an opener. Marnus Labuschagne sealed the victory with a six.
Ashwin didn't hold back in his assessment of England's performance. Questioning their shot selection and lack of responsibility, he criticized their "reckless" batting approach. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin questioned the repeated use of reckless strokeplay, saying, “How reckless will reckless suffice? I am actually thinking, where will the bandwidth of the word 'reckless' remain? If you keep putting everything into that bandwidth, how reckless can even reckless get?". He further added, "As a batting group, how reckless can you be? Because on the first day, you were knocked out for 172, you lost five wickets in the space of 12 or 15 or maybe 20 runs. After that your bowling attack wrestled the initiative back, gave you a 40-run lead. And your first job as a batting unit is to give your bowlers enough rest… The England bowlers, I am sure, would have wanted to put their feet up, and in no time they are back on the park looking to defend 200, which is paltry".
Ashwin also highlighted what he sees as "double standards" in the cricket community. He pointed to the criticism leveled at the Eden Gardens pitch during India's recent Test against South Africa, where the match concluded in three days due to a challenging turning surface. Ashwin questioned why pitches favoring pace and bounce, leading to collapses in countries like Australia, are not subjected to the same level of scrutiny as spin-friendly surfaces in the subcontinent. He posted on X, "Only 19 wickets fell at Perth today but an excellent days cricket. Oh no! What if the same happens tomorrow in Guwahati?".
Former England captain Michael Vaughan echoed concerns about the impact of the defeat on England's morale. He said that England's embarrassing capitulation in Perth is going to "damage them", stating a team can't be competitive without brains. Vaughan added, "You can't just play one way, which is what they've done, and they've come unstuck".
The Perth Test broke several records, concluding in the shortest Ashes contest by balls bowled in over a century. It was also the first Ashes Test in 100 years to finish in less than 48 hours. England now faces an uphill battle to recover in the series.
