Ashes 2025: Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood star as England unveil intimidating Ashes pace attack
Time and again, Australia were put on the back foot – figuratively and literally. Two-thirds of deliveries were played from the back foot – their most in an innings since such data was first collected almost 20 years ago. In the same timeframe, the Aussies have not been forced into as high a false-shot percentage of the 35% in Perth.
Most impressive was the way England worked over Steve Smith, the stand-in Australia captain and the most prolific Ashes batter since Don Bradman.
Smith had to delay watching Mastermind repeats long enough to face 49 balls for his 17. A false-shot percentage of 49% was the highest of his career.
Each time Australia looked like they might weather a storm, England had another option up their sleeve – the beauty of fielding five pace options, the first time they have done so in a red-ball Test in Australia since 1998.
Beyond the performance, the assembly of this England quintet is made more remarkable by the obstacles each man has had to overcome to be on the field.
How many seriously gave Archer a chance of playing Test cricket after four years of injury hell? He is only three games into a comeback that began in the summer, yet already looks like one of the premier fast bowlers in the world.
Ditto for Wood, playing in the same Test as Archer for just the second time in their careers. The Durham man has made his own comeback after 15 months away from Test cricket a couple of months shy of his 36th birthday. True to his word, he was best when fresh, slipping straight back into bowling thunderbolts.
Carse was serving a ban for historic betting offences little more than a year ago. Atkinson began his professional career against the backdrop of the unbearable tragedy of his mother dying in a road traffic accident.
And then there is Stokes, back in the city where his legend was born.
Twelve years ago, as a 22-year-old, Stokes announced his arrival as an England cricketer with a back-to-the-wall century against Johnson on a Waca pitch with cracks wide enough to swallow a small child.
Australia has not seen the best of him since then, with Stokes’ magic Ashes moments mainly coming at home. In that first tour of 2013-14 he was the shining light in a team that fell apart. In 2017-18 he was exiled because of the Bristol incident. Four years ago he was still feeling his way back from a mental health break.
In this first Test, Stokes made his return to Perth and his return to the England team after a shoulder injury kept him out of the final Test of the home summer. He registered his second five-wicket haul in as many Tests and best away figures in 11 years.
Fast bowling has been at the heart of some of England’s most famous Ashes triumphs in Australia and there is so much more to do before Stokes can get his hands on the urn in Sydney in January.
This Test is far from over, and a good position could be wasted if the batters do not pull their weight. Australia have Pat Cummins due back for the second Test. Twelve months ago, India were bowled out for 150 in Perth, won the Test, yet still lost the series 3-1.
This was just one day, but what a day.
