1st Time Since 1904: England Hit Historic Low With Defeat In Ashes Opener Against Australia
England cricket team batters failed to impress at all as the visitors were defeated in just 2 days by Australia in the first Ashes Test in Perth.
England cricket team batters failed to impress at all as the visitors were defeated in just 2 days by Australia in the first Ashes Test in Perth. It was a disappointing show from the batters in both innings and despite suffering a batting collapse on their own in the first innings, Australia registered an eight-wicket victory. Across both innings, England faced just 405 balls - the shortest combined total in a Test match since 1904. With 172 balls in the first innings and 164 in the second, it was only the third time in their history that the team faced less than 410 balls in a Test match. In 1904, England faced just 325 deliveries against Australia in Melbourne while in 1888, they faced 388 deliveries against Australia at Lord's.
Fewest balls faced by England in Tests
325 vs Australia, Melbourne 1904
388 vs Australia, Lord's 1888
405 vs Australia, Perth 2025
408 vs Australia, Sydney 1895
446 vs West Indies, Edgbaston 1995
476 vs India, Ahmedabad 2021
Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes emphasised the importance of allowing the hurt and frustration from a heavy defeat to Australia in the first Ashes Test to persist before turning attention to Brisbane.
Stokes and Co. lost the first Test of the Ashes series on Saturday, with the game ending in just two days and the hosts clinching an eight-wicket win. The shell-shocked English skipper, who called Travis Head's match-winning 123 ‘pretty incredible,' said he would wake up on Sunday with a focus on boosting England's morale.
“We've been in situations before where we have been behind in series, so our attitude that stands out that allows us to move on to the next game through good and through bad,” Stokes told reporters after the conclusion of the Ashes opener here at the Perth Stadium.
“We're a very good team at, I think, dealing with emotions when we need to think about what we have got coming up next. (And) I'm a pretty level-headed person in terms of success and failure, so I'll wake up in the morning and still be incredibly disappointed. But all of my focus and all of my energy will be going into getting the group back up and moving our thoughts and what we need to do onto Brisbane,” he added.
(With IANS inputs)
England Cricket Team
Australia Cricket Team