Watch: Mitchell Starc's Ripper In Ashes Opener Brings Ben Stokes To His Knees

Australia pace icon Mitchell Starc proved himself to be a behemoth in the cricketing spectrum, as he bagged his career-best figures of 7 for 58 in the first innings of the Ashes opener against England in Perth on Friday. In the match, Starc became the first left-arm pacer in Ashes history to claim 100 wickets, giving another fine example of his exemplary ability to make the new ball do the talking in the longest format of the game. Of the 7 wickets that Starc grabbed in the match, one which shone the most was his stumps-rattling delivery to England skipper Ben Stokes. 

Stokes failed to read the ball as the ball went through the gap between the bat and the pads to shatter his stumps. The England skipper dropped to his knees, with the act summing up how unplayable the delivery was from the Australian marksman. Here's the video:

MITCH STARC SEEEEEEED! What a ball to dismiss Ben Stokes. #Ashes | #PlayoftheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/PehDst540x

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 21, 2025

Starc reached the milestone of 100 wickets in Ashes Tests after picking up three in the innings. He is the 21st bowler in Ashes history to do so. The top three Ashes wicket-takers are: Late Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne (195 wickets in 36 matches at an average of 23.25), Glenn McGrath (157 wickets in 30 matches at an average of 20.92), and England's Stuart Broad (153 wickets in 40 matches at an average of 28.96).

As for the match, England were bowled out for just 172, thanks to Starc's stunning 7-for at Perth. After Stokes won the toss, the visitors lost their first wicket to Starc in the opening over at a packed Perth Stadium and never recovered. Thanks to Harry Brook (52) and Ollie Pope (46), England managed to reach a somewhat respectable score.

Other than Starc, Brendan Doggett bagged two wickets for Australia while Cameron Green claimed one. Australia don't have the services of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the match.

Topics mentioned in this article

Australia Cricket Team England Cricket Team Mitchell Starc Ben Stokes Australia vs England, Ashes 2025-26 Cricket