The 2025-26 series got its first big dose on day two of the first Test in Perth when Jamie Smith was given out caught behind on review.
The boos from England’s fans were inevitable – the subsequent chants too. What was the right call?
The incident happened in the 28th over of England’s second innings. Jamie Smith’s dismissal in England’s second innings of the first Ashes Test was a controversial moment on another thrilling day of cricket.
England had continued their momentum from day one by quickly dismissing Nathan Lyon and navigating the morning session with a lead of 99 runs.However, Australia fought back after lunch and a beautiful spell of bowling from Scott Boland, aided by Mitchell Starc, saw the tourists lose four wickets for 11 runs in just 19 deliveries.
Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root were all skittled during the combined spell from the two experienced Australians and when Starc nicked off Ben Stokes England had truly collapsed.
Smith was the only recognised batter remaining and attempted to guide a short ball from Brendan Doggett away on the legside.
The two-day result has ensured it’s now the fastest Ashes Test victory since 1888.
So while it’s jubilation for the Aussies, England let the match slip – first with a 20-minute post-lunch horror show and then with the ball late in the day.
Here are the First Test Talking Points …
HEAD THE HERO WITH EPIC CENTURY
It is the fluke of fortune that has put Australia firmly on top in the Ashes, one that has shaken Travis Head out of his funk and the innings likely to prove the defining moment in this series.
When Usman Khawaja trudged off the ground midway through Saturday when crippled by the back spasms that sparked a furore on a frenzied Friday, he looked twice his 38 years.
But more on that later. The timing of his exit gave Australia an extended period to reconsider who was best suited to partner debutant Jake Weatherald and the answer leapt at them.
Head had been turned to in Asia beforehand in Test cricket with success. He has also played with freedom at the top in white ball cricket as well. He also clearly needed a spark.
If a change is as good as a holiday, the decision to promote Head to open gave the left-hander what former opener David Warner described as a “free hit” to have a crack.
9/105! England Collapse after lunch | 04:20
Have a crack he did, with Head unleashing one of the most remarkable innings seen on Australian cricket given the circumstances of the match and the pressure he was under.
A century reached in 69 balls equalled Warner’s record for the fastest hundred scored by an opener, the richest of rewards after the vice-captain put his hand up for the responsibility.
It is the equal-second fastest century in Ashes history behind Adam Gilchrist’s extraordinary ton of 57 balls at the WACA, located on the other side of the Swan River, 20 years ago.
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As rapidly as Head scored, it is well worth noting that he took time to get going, scoring just three runs off the first 14 balls that he faced as he adjusted to the tempo, pace and bounce.
Then he put England to the sword with an innings that, according to the tourists’ former skipper Michael Vaughan, is “going to damage” them, with good reason.
Head smashes ‘Unforgettable’ Ashes ton | 01:48
Ben Stokes had been England’s dynamo on Friday, securing five wickets as Australia collapsed in an extremely disappointing opening innings.
But in the 17th over of an extraordinary innings, the South Australian spanked the English skipper for four boundaries in the over, including three to start the over.
Seeing the ball like a watermelon, the dynamo proceeded to spank Jofra Archer back over his head, the ball ballooning off his bat twice as fast as what it had arrived at.
Bazball? This was Travball at its most fearsome and it pricked the pride of England and illustrated a truth of England’s much-debated approach to Test cricket.
As swiftly as England score, they also force a load on their bowling attack, who rarely get a significant time to rest. And while they were fast and furious on Friday, they did not back up.
From being in a position where they could have buried Australia, England ended up on the end of a humiliating defeat against a team without Pat Cummins, without Josh Hazlewood, with Khawaja maligned and with Nathan Lyon bruised, battered and barely used.
Perish and Australia would have been in no worse position given the 31-year-old had been in a lean spell for months in all formats dating back to the second Test in the West Indies.
Lengthy review ends Smith’s innings | 02:27
But he flourished. And if last summer serves as a template, where Head batted himself into form in the second innings in Perth before dominating in Brisbane and Adelaide, the Bazballers could be in for a long, long summer.
A summer that may not be as long for Khawaja as first thought.
Because every run Head blasted as an opener was a reminder of what his veteran teammate was unable to do – both in the first innings, and in the second, which was so successful for the hosts he never even got a chance at the crease.
Former Test spinner Kerry O’Keeffe had acknowledged on day one Khawaja’s back spasms “completely disrupted” Australia’s first innings, suggesting his spot in the Test side was in jeopardy.
Nobody with any real credibility is suggesting Khawaja’s decision to play some golf in the lead-up to the Test is, by itself, a problem. Many others out there in Perth did the same.
“How is he right now? Not well,” Steve Smith said of Khawaja after play on Saturday night.
“He is not moving particularly well in there, the old fella. But his preparation was the same as it’s been for every Test match, I think, that he’s played.
“There was nothing out of whack there by any stretch. And unfortunately, he just pulled up a bit lame early on in the game. And know that happens when your back goes on you. I’ve been there myself when your back seizes up and it is not a nice place to be, so I can feel his pain right now.
“He obviously was no good yesterday and he was reasonable this morning. I think it was that one that went over the top of us that he jumped up for and landed. I actually thought it was his knee at one point. Alex (Carey) said, ‘I think he has done his knee.’
“I was like, ‘Alright.’ It wouldn’t have been good. But unfortunately it was the same thing … and he just said before it was probably one of the best back spasms he has ever had given the circumstances of this fella right next to me.”
Vaughan slams Poms’ poor decisions | 04:05
Smith conceded it was a testing time on Friday when the Australians were unable to open with Khawaja.
“I mean, it was a little frustrating. It wasn’t ideal. It all happened pretty quickly. I got told just before we got the last minute – it was 12 minutes, I think – that he needed to be on the field to go and bat,” he said.
“It was all really quick and I think that is why we landed where we landed yesterday with probably him (Head) not up top. Today we had a little more time to go through it and work it out.
“I mean, those things can happen in the game. It is no-one’s fault. We move on.”
But, as O’Keeffe pointed out on Friday: “Khawaja averages 18 in his last six home Tests. In terms of selection he’s now on the springboard.
“He needs runs in the second innings – he has to open regardless of his back – and he possibly has enough credit to go to Brisbane.
“But if he were to fail, his career may be over. He’s 38. Usman’s under the cosh.”
He never even got the chance to fail on Saturday.
Which raises the question of whether he’ll get the chance in Brisbane.
Starc takes his 10th Wicket of the match | 00:59
HEAD’S HEROICS PRAISED … BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ENGLAND?
With 204 to defend on Saturday, England would have felt they were still a strong chance in the First Test – given that would need to be the highest innings total of the match for victory.
But with the ball is where it simply unravelled for the visitors.
Aussie great Mark Waugh felt star quick Jofra Archer went “missing” at a time his team needed him the most.
“What they needed was for Jofra Archer to bowl a better opening spell,” Waugh said on Kayo Sports’ live Ashes coverage.
“He’s gone a bit missing in this innings.
“He’s only bowled the four overs but his first over was a real loosener.
“When you’ve got 200 on the board (to defend) you need a bit of momentum, you need your strike bowler to really rip in and to create a bit of atmosphere and a bit of energy.
“It was just a little bit flat I thought when Archer bowled today.
“He’s the one that can break the game open, so if he gets another chance tonight he just needs to rip in.”
“Sh*t no” – Head reacts to Ashes hundred | 04:06
Bowling great Brett Lee agreed he would have wanted to see Ben Stokes bring himself on at a time where the Aussies were putting the match out of England’s reach.
“Were the England tactics right through the passage of play, in the first 14 overs against Australia?” he questioned.
“I was calling for Stokes after the first couple of overs. The opening bowlers don’t have to bowl four on the tort – that’s the game plan normally.
“Stokes has got a knack of getting a wicket.”
Waugh said it appeared Stokes was carrying a heavy load as both captain and bowler.
“To me it looks like he is the only one talking out there,” Waugh said,
“He’s doing a lot of the talking and clapping and a lot of others are just going through the motions.”
And that going through the motions show Head cash in and punish England – lifting Australia to a 1-0 Ashes lead.
YOU BEAUTY! BOLAND’S BACK
Among the lore of the Australian cricket team is the theory that it is harder to get out of the team than it is to break into it, though the nation’s bowlers including Scott Boland may disagree.
It is remarkable given the record of the Victorian superstar in Australia, but after a testing opening day continued his struggles against England, it was argued in some quarters that his career was in peril.
If Boland was blasted off his length and struggled for rhythm when posting figures of 0-62 from 10 overs, his response on Saturday with the game slipping away was superb.
Starc strikes as Root goes cheap again | 00:56
Dashing opener Ben Duckett did his best to knock the veteran off his length again, batting out of his crease and charging forward. But Boland had devised a strategy to suit.
More than once he was able to angle the ball into the advancing Duckett, who was left muttering “f*** it” more than once after being struck on the body by the big Victorian.
Shortly after striking the English opener with a painful blow to the forearm, Boland secured his first wicket for the match when snaring an edge from Duckett which flew to Steve Smith.
It remains to be seen whether it makes a difference, but Australia had been beaten in the two previous Tests where Boland went wicketless, so that omen was immediately put to bed.
But Boland was not finished yet, snaring Ollie Pope two overs later and then Harry Brook in his following over for a duck. He later snared Brydon Carse for 37 to finish with 4-33 in the 12th over, figures far more in keeping with his usual output in Australian conditions.
“You don’t often see Scott Boland not bowl the right line or length,” ex-Aussie star Brett Lee said.
“It just proved he’s human!
“That spell, where he picked up three wickets in no time whatsoever, that changed the tempo of the game.”
“I felt a bit better than yesterday. It was one of those days where you don’t feel great at the crease, but I put that behind me last night,” Boland told Fox Cricket.
“Obviously I’ve thought about it a lot because I wanted to start the series well. (I’m) really happy with how I’ve come out of today.
“I did want to start a bit fuller yesterday (but) I did find my national length today and that worked.”
Former Australian great Mark Waugh said Perth Stadium had proven a difficult venue for bowlers to get used to but praised Boland for making vital adjustments on Saturday.
Brook duck! Boland Flips the Script | 03:02
“I think he just bowled a better line and length then yesterday when he was a bit too full,” Waugh, a commentator for Kayo Sports which is broadcasting the Ashes series, said.
“I think he probably thought at Optus Stadium, you’ve got to bowl a bit fuller to hit the stumps, so he pushed it probably a metre too full and he ended up bowling lot of half volleys, and he wasn’t as consistent in his line and length as he normally is.
“We just don’t expect him to see Scott not right in the zone. But everyone’s entitled to a bad day. The thing is he’s rectified it very quickly and today he’s back to his best.
“He dragged his length back a bit and it was enough to get the English batsmen driving on the up. He is a great bowler and he adjusted quickly today.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan also praised the veteran for fighting back against a batting order which blasted him on Day 1 and at Edgbaston and Leeds in 2023.
“It was exceptional by the big Victorian after being frustrated yesterday when he could not find his groove,” Vaughan said on the Kayo Sports broadcast.
BUMPER CALLS QUESTIONED … BUT SKIPPER BACKS THE PLAN
Former Test spinner Kerry O’Keeffe was mystified Australia’s decision to turn to a bumper ploy as England tailenders Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson added valuable lower-order runs at Perth Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The pair combined for a 50-run partnership for the eighth wicket as Australia’s fast bowlers persisted with a bounce barrage during the afternoon session, with the duo unfazed by Steve Smith’s decision to spread the field.
Carse and Atkinson combined for four sixes in a stand that helped England extend their lead to beyond 200, a target that looked in significant doubt before the decision to deploy a short-pitched barrage against the pair.
‘Big Moment!’ – Review saves Duckett | 01:48
O’Keeffe noted that Mitchell Starc, who was again superb and finished with 10 wickets for the match, and Boland had ripped through England’s middle order when bowling on a good length and wondered why the tactics were changed.
“I don’t agree with these tactics at all,” O’Keeffe said in Fox Cricket commentary.
“I know they both fetch bouncers, but the way to get them out is to bowl full stump, get a couple of slips in and they can nick off. I don’t get this at all.
“(Australian debutant Brendan) Doggett is a pitch-up bowler – he’s not a bouncer bowler at all – and they are asking him to do something that he doesn’t do in first-class cricket, which is bowl bumpers every ball.”
Australian skipper Pat Cummins, during an extended interview on Kayo Sports’ coverage of the Ashes, said it is something they will review. But he also felt the circumstances that saw several English batters caught in the outfield needed to be factored in.
“It is always a good question. It is hard, particularly in a scenario like here where the ball might be seaming. For seven of the eight batters, it worked really well. But then Atkinson played really well,” Cummins said.
“That is the beauty of a five Test match series. You are always tweaking your tactics. So we will have a look at it after the Test. It is balancing it up. It is one of the toughest decisions, because you have so many options.”
Waugh, too, pointed to the situation that saw Australia bounce back into the Test as an indication the tactics were largely sound.
“I think tactics are crucial, no matter what the time the game is. But it’s interesting,” Waugh told foxsports.com.au.
“Every run is crucial here at the moment and you have to expect some sort of partnership. I mean, at the end of the day, Australia have done a great job to get back into the game, because I thought at 1-65 the game was gone for Australia.
“So you can’t really question the tactics today by the Australians. They have just got to bat better and if they bat better, they can still win the game.”
Starc’s simply absurd one-handed snare | 00:38
The Australians eventually secured a breakthrough, with Carse and fellow tailender Jofra Archer each dismissed by short balls from Doggett, who finished with 3-51 from nine overs.
20 MINS OF MADNESS ROCKS ENGLAND
As Waugh noted, the game was slipping away from Australia, just as it had a year ago when India put the hosts to the sword on the second day after a similarly astonishing opening day to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series.
While Zak Crawley’s hour start to the summer continued by making a pair, Duckett and Pope had clinched the momentum back England’s way and the tourists were on top as they headed into the lunch break at 1-59 with a lead of 99.
There were some fraught moments. Duckett survived both a nasty blow to the elbow and a tight LBW review from a Boland delivery late in the first session and it seemed the luck was with England.
But that all turned in a horror 20-minute period.
Just eight balls after lunch, Duckett was squared up by Boland and Steve Smith’s catch proved millimetre perfect in the slips.
His dismissal sparked a nasty collapse where England lost four wickets in the space of 19 balls – and it could have been five in 22 balls had Usman Khawaja held onto his chance off Jamie Smith.
“I just wonder at 1-65, Australia looked flat with the ball and England were going well, I just think England got into a false sense of security and thought it was just going to happen for them with the bat,” Waugh said.
“There was three particularly poor shots there, Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Harry Brook. Those three shots were loose.
“Stokes got a good ball, but those three were crucial. Just loose driving on the up shots. They were shots that would be suitable in England or the sub continent, but not in Perth. Those three shots were not ones you should be driving at and Joe Root was the disappointing one because he is not that type of player.”
“We were sitting up here talking about them putting on potentially 250 to 300 by the end of the day,” former Aussie opener David Warner said.
Joe Root’s warm up wobble! | 00:41
“Then those three shots form those three players that you wouldn’t expect that from, but in these conditions in Australia you just can’t afford to do that against world class bowling.
“Scott Boland was putting them on a handkerchief like he was. They are three drives on the up that just aren’t there. That’s just searching.
“Brook in the middle not moving his feet. Pope was under the pump a little bit with Boland’s spell and then Joe Root just wasn’t Joe Root at all.”
Harry Brook, England’s hero in the first innings, went without troubling the scorers, Joe Root chopped on against Mitchell Starc, while Ollie Pope gave Alex Carey his third catch of the match behind the stumps.
When Ben Stokes fell to Starc for a remarkable 11th time in Test cricket, England were on their knees at 6-88.
“That’s what I love about Test cricket. In the space of 20 minutes, the game can totally change,” former Aussie star Brett Lee, a commentator for Kayo Sports which is broadcasting the Ashes series, said.
“The game plan after lunch has been to come out and go bang, bang, bang. Joe Root chops on. Starc (was) brilliant again. (It was) great captaincy to get him on.”
