STARC vs England: How do you solve a problem like Mitchell Starc? AUS vs ENG 1st Test Ashes 2025

Australia and England are playing the first test match of the Ashes 2025 at Perth Stadium. However, Australian star pacer Mitchell Starc is dominating with his sensational bowling in the first Test against England in Perth. He took 7 wickets in just 12.5 overs with an economy rate of 4.52 and led England to an all-out at just 172 runs in their first innings.

Australian bowlers completely outsmarted English batters, and they showed great cricketing skills. However, Harry Brook and Ollie Pope tried to play a big knock but got out by scoring 52 and 46 runs, respectively. England’s star batter Joe Root got out at duck, but all credit goes to Starc, who bowled an exceptional spell.

England just played 32.5 overs in the first inning of the first test of The Ashes 2025 and were able to make only 172 runs on the scoreboard. This shows the completely dominating performance by Australian bowlers. However, English bowlers also had a good start and they got a couple of wickets.

Mitchell Starc’s Magic in Perth:

With both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood unavailable due to injury, Starc took all the responsibility of leading the bowling department, and he delivered. He got early wickets, dismissed Zak Crawley for a duck and then took the wickets of key players like Joe Root and Ben Duckett.

This was not just personal best figures for Starc but also the best Test bowling figures at the Perth Stadium. England need to tackle Mitchell Starc if they want to win this series else he is in rhythm and going to rule the Ashes 2025 with his exceptional bowling skills.

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Why is Starc so Difficult for England?

Mitchell Starc’s strength is his ability to generate sharp bounce and swing, both at high pace, makes it more lethal. For England’s batters, especially when they are facing the new ball in Australia’s fast and bouncy conditions, it feels like a nightmare.

Starc also swings the ball both ways, and with his left-arm angle, the ball mostly targets the stumps and pads, which makes things tough for batters. Most interestingly, Starc is known for keeping his line and length the same, which helps him to get early wickets.

What can England do?

England has always struggled against left-arm pacers like Starc in Australia. However, their latest approach is Bazball to win matches in test cricket but sometimes, the pitch demands more patience and stick to your basics. Therefore, England usually loses test matches on these tracks because they lose their wickets easily.

To Counter Starc:

1. England’s top order needs to respect his opening spells, especially with the new ball; aggression won’t help English batters to dominate bowlers like Starc in Australian conditions.

2. Batters must stick to their basics, play ball under their eyes, and leave deliveries outside off stump.

3. Targeting other Australian bowlers like Scott Boland or debutant Brendan Doggett for runs, which indeed batters like Harry Brook and Jamie Smith did in the first innings.

4. Most importantly, rotating strikes and not letting the Starc settle into a rhythm will also put pressure on Starc due to constantly changing the line and length.

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