Mitchell Starc produced one of his finest Ashes performances, completing a ten-wicket haul in the ongoing first Test at Perth Stadium. The left-arm quick, who dominated Day 1 with seven wickets, added three more on Friday, reaching the milestone when he removed England captain Ben Stokes during a fiery spell. The wicket came in classic Starc fashion. Stokes, on 2, was opened up by a short-of-length ball that straightened late and found the edge. Steve Smith held the catch at second slip, sealing Starc’s tenth and marking the 11th time he has dismissed Stokes in Tests. Stokes paused to speak briefly with new batter Gus Atkinson before walking off. Starc’s match figures of 10/78* make him the first Australian seamer to claim a ten-for in an Ashes Test since Craig McDermott’s 11/157 at the same venue in 1990-91. England, resuming under pressure, reached 104/6* after 27 overs on Day 2, extending their lead to 144 after bowling Australia out for 132 earlier in the morning. At the end of the 27th over, Starc’s figures for England’s second innings stood at 3/28 from nine overs.Watch the moment Starc completed his 10-wicket haul in the match Starc’s dominance over Stokes has become a defining subplot of their rivalry: 309 balls, 191 runs and now 11 dismissals, placing the England captain just behind Jonny Bairstow (12) among the batters most frequently removed by the Australian quick. Reflecting on his seven-wicket burst on Day 1, Starc had said he simply aimed to stay aggressive despite Australia missing Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. “I mean, it’s always the plan, isn’t it? But it doesn’t always happen that way. I’ve just been pretty fortunate to have done it a few times. But it’s always been my role to be aggressive, look for wickets,” Starc told reporters. He added: “I’ve never been one to worry about economy rates. My role is to go looking for wickets, especially with the new ball, and hopefully make inroads into the opposition.”
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England hold the lead heading into the afternoon session, with the match still finely poised and ample time left in the contest.With wickets falling in quick succession on both sides, the possibility of an early finish cannot be ruled out either.
