Overview:
He was named the Player of the Match in Perth and has been at his best in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who are recovering from injuries.
Mitchell Starc is unstoppable in the ongoing Ashes series against Australia. After taking 10 wickets in the series opener at the Optus Stadium, he dismissed two England batters in his first two overs of the second Test in Ashes 2025-26.
Ben Stokes’ decision to bat first in the pink-ball Test once again backfired as Ben Duckett was sent back to the pavilion in the first over of the match. The southpaw was caught by Marnus Labuschagne in the slip cordon. Ollie Pope, who replaced the opener, didn’t last long as he chopped the ball onto the stumps, giving the legendary pacer his second wicket. He faced just 3 balls.
Starc has an impressive track record in day-night Test matches, and it will not be easy for the English batters to deal with him in Australia. He was named the Player of the Match in Perth and has been at his best in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who are recovering from injuries.
Australia won the first game by 8 wickets as the contest ended in just two days. Travis Head’s sensational hundred in the fourth innings took the hosts to victory on a pitch that had something for the bowlers.
Playing XIs
Australia: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.