England cricket captain Ben Stokes claimed five wickets for 23 runs in six overs on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth, becoming the fifth English captain to achieve this feat in Australia. The historic day saw 19 wickets fall, the most in an opening day of an Ashes match in the last century.England, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, were bowled out for 172 runs, with Harry Brook scoring 52 runs and Ollie Pope contributing 46. Australian pacer Mitchell Starc dominated with exceptional figures of 7 wickets for 58 runs.In response, Australia struggled to 123 for 9 at stumps, trailing England by 49 runs. Nathan Lyon (3) and Brendan Doggett (0) remained unbeaten at the crease.Stokes, who had a disappointing performance with the bat, redeemed himself by dismissing Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland. His performance puts him in an elite group alongside former England captains George Allen, John William Douglas, Frederick Brown, and Robert Willis.The English bowling attack saw strong support from Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, who each claimed two wickets. For Australia, Alex Carey (26) and Cameron Green (24) were the top scorers in their struggling innings.Stokes has now accumulated 235 wickets in 116 matches at an average of 31.06, including six five-wicket hauls in his career.The dramatic day of cricket produced the highest number of wickets to fall on an opening day of an Ashes Test match in the past 100 years, highlighting the bowlers’ dominance from both teams.At stumps, the match remained delicately poised with England holding a slight advantage, having secured a first-innings lead with Australia still one wicket remaining.
