Joe Root’s Australia hoodoo deepened dramatically on a volatile opening day in Perth, where the former England captain endured a pair of low scores as Mitchell Starc ripped through the visitors. Root fell for a duck in the first innings and managed only eight in the second, emblematic of England’s sudden and brutal collapse on an Optus Stadium surface that favoured pace and bounce.
Starc was the architect of Root’s misery on both occasions. In the first innings a length ball that straightened from around leg stump produced a thick outside edge, safely pouched by Marnus Labuschagne at slip. That early scalp set the tone. When England pushed back in the second session and looked set after a solid partnership, Scott Boland’s incisive spell removed Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in quick succession to leave England wobbling at 76 for 4.
Steve Smith then handed the ball back to Starc — and he delivered again. The decisive blow came when Starc bowled a full, tempting delivery that induced Root to drive; the ball took the inside edge and smashed into the stumps. The crowd’s roar turned into stunned silence as England collapsed in the space of two overs.
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Commentator Stuart Broad sat with his head in his hands, a rare public display of disbelief, while others struggled to hide their shock at how quickly momentum shifted. Root’s struggles in Australia have been well documented; despite an extraordinary Test career, he has yet to find the consistent big scores on Australian soil. That narrative hardened in Perth, where tabloids and pundits — never shy of provocation — amplified the pressure.
Another massive strike from Starc 🔥
Root dragged on, pressure mounting, momentum rolling Australia’s way.The Ashes drama keeps rising. 😍💥#AUSvENG | THE ASHES | 1st Test Day 2 | LIVE NOW pic.twitter.com/mmtS1YUyI2
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 22, 2025
Matthew Hayden’s cheeky wager about walking naked at the MCG if Root failed to score a hundred only underlined how much the milestone has become part of the tour’s storylines. Root tried to shrug off the barbs before play, calling the banter “all part of the fun,” but on the field, the Ashes grind is never forgiving.
England’s second innings unpicked further. Ben Stokes managed only two before Starc struck again, and by the end of the second sessio,n England were 95 for 6, the top order dismantled by a combination of Starc’s raw pace and Boland’s nagging accuracy. Australia earlier had been bowled out for 132, but Starc’s ferocity — highlighted by a sensational return catch to remove Zak Crawley and a career-defining seven-wicket haul — swung the contest back in the hosts’ favour.
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Twenty-six wickets fell in the first four-and-a-half sessions, confirming this Perth pitch as a sublime yet cruel theatre for bowlers. For England, Root’s failures became the most visible symptom of a deeper problem: negotiating extreme bounce and pace in a venue that is as punishing as it is exhilarating. For Australia, Starc’s vintage display was a reminder of exactly why he remains one of the most feared fast bowlers in world cricket — at home or away.
