The Ashes: Dismal England slump to 88-6 as Aussies roar back

13 hours ago7 min read

Perth erupted in a cacophony of Australian triumph as England’s batting lineup crumbled with the fragility of a house of cards, slumping to a dismal 88 for 6 on a devastating second day of the First Ashes Test. The collapse was as swift as it was brutal, a masterclass in fast bowling that evoked memories of the legendary Glenn McGrath’s most destructive spells.It began with the first-over dismissal of Zak Crawley, who was sent back for a duck by a stunning, instinctive return catch from Mitchell Starc that would have made any all-time great fielder proud. The carnage truly unfolded after lunch, a session that will be etched into Ashes folklore for Australian fans and a nightmare for English supporters.The pivotal moment arrived when Starc, with a ball that seared through the gate like a tracer bullet, clean bowled the talismanic Joe Root, a wicket that felt as significant as dismissing a king in a game of chess. The English collapse then accelerated at a dizzying pace, with Scott Boland entering the fray to produce a spell of almost unplayable seam bowling.He nicked off Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and the promising Harry Brook in quick succession, a triple-strike that tore the heart out of England’s middle order and left the scoreboard reading a pathetic 61 for 5. The situation went from dire to catastrophic when Starc returned to dismiss the dangerous Ben Stokes, the one man capable of a miraculous counter-offensive, leaving England’s hopes in tatters.This dramatic turnaround came after England had, against the odds, secured a slender 40-run first-innings lead, thanks largely to Brydon Carse taking the final wicket of Nathan Lyon to bowl Australia out for 132. Yet, that hard-fought advantage was vaporized in a single session of calamitous batting, a stark reminder that in the cauldron of the Ashes, momentum is a fickle and fleeting commodity.Analytically, this collapse exposes the fundamental flaws in England’s much-vaunted ‘Bazball’ approach when confronted with relentless, high-quality pace on a Perth pitch offering genuine bounce and movement. The Australian attack, led by Starc’s fiery 3-wicket haul and Boland’s metronomic precision, demonstrated a level of tactical discipline and execution that England simply had no answer for.The historical precedent is ominous; teams that surrender such commanding positions on the second day of an Ashes series in Australia rarely recover. The psychological blow of this collapse cannot be overstated—it grants Australia not just a firm grip on this Test, but a potentially series-defining surge of confidence. For England, the path forward is now a monumental test of character, requiring a rearguard action of Herculean proportions from the tailenders to even set a competitive target, lest this match, and perhaps the urn itself, slip from their grasp before the series has truly begun.

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#The Ashes

#England

#Australia

#cricket

#Test match

#bowling

#batting collapse

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