Mitchell Starc takes one-handed blinder to again dismiss Zak Crawley for a duck in Ashes opener
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Twice in two innings. Mitchell Starc dismissed English opener Zak Crawley for consecutive ducks in Perth in the Ashes opener. A duck of 6 balls in the first innings, followed by a duck of 5 balls in the second.
The Ashes opener started with a historic 19-wicket day in Perth. This was the first time in the history of Ashes in over a 100 years that 19 batters went down on the first day of play.
Australian bowlers dominated the English batsmen in the first innings as Mitchell Starc single-handedly demolished the English batting order. However, Jofra Archer and skipper Ben Stokes had a savage reply up their sleeves.
Despite just 172 runs in the first inning, England took a 40-run lead as they advanced to the third innings of the match in the first session of Day 2's play.
Mitchell Starc dismisses Zak Crawley with one-handed blinder
From Roaring yorkers to one-handed blinders - Mitchell Starc has it all when it comes to picking wickets. He got Crawley twice in two innings and both in the very first over of the game.
Starc, who had found the outside edge of Crawley's bat in the first innings, caught the soft portion of his bat in the second, which led the ball to be looped towards the middle of the pitch.
The lanky pacer shifted his body weight and stretched his muscles wide to grab the ball out of thin air.
WHAT A RIDICULOUS TAKE! Mitchell Starc sends Zak Crawley off for a pair! #Ashes | #PlayoftheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/1cg8PtLzx4
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2025
Nathan Lyon taken off the field after nasty blow to hip
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon came out to bat at no. 9 on Day 1, this might be the first time that he came out to bat on Day 1 of a Test match. Lyon looked patient and composed as he did not loose his wicket.
He survived on Day 1 and then alongside debutant and no. 11, Brendan Doggett he batted in the morning session of Day 2. He took blows to his body from the English pacers oozing fire.
With a nasty blow to his left upper hip bone, Lyon was taken off the field after his dismissal and did not take the field on Day 2 at Perth.
England reach 50 partnership in the second innings
After Zak Crawley was once again dismissed for a duck in the second innings in the very first over of play, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope took guard of the English innings.
The two batters tackled the brute pace of Mitchell Starc and guided the innings with a half-century partnership. The two also added on their 40-run lead from the first innings and took the lead to three figures in no time.
Australia need to break this partnership, especially Ben Duckett's wicket seems crucial due to his capacity to single-handedly pull off a stupendous effort to lead their team to victory.
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Australia National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team Australia vs England England vs Australia The Ashes Mitchell Starc Zak Crawley
