Chaos Erupts in Perth As Australia's Batting Order Thrown Into Disarray
Australian cricket fans witnessed a dramatic opening day to the Ashes series in Perth as batting stalwart Usman Khawaja was ruled out of opening the innings due to severe back spasms that kept him off the field during England's batting session. The unexpected absence triggered a chain reaction that saw Australia's batting order completely reshuffled at the Perth Stadium.
Team officials confirmed Khawaja's condition in an official statement, revealing the batsman had been battling back stiffness throughout the day. "Usman battled back stiffness through the day, he had a back spasm the second time he left the field," the statement read, adding that he had been stretching to overcome the spasm and did not have any pre-existing injury concerns before the match.
Batting Order Carnage After Khawaja's Absence
The timing of Khawaja's unavailability couldn't have been worse for the Australian camp. According to cricket regulations, players who spend significant time off the field during an opponent's innings face restrictions on when they can bat. This meant Khawaja, Australia's regular opener, was ineligible to take his usual position when Australia came out to bat.
Test debutant Jake Weatherald, who was scheduled to open alongside Khawaja, instead found himself partnered with Marnus Labuschagne, who had been recalled to the Test team after being dropped during the West Indies series earlier this year. The makeshift opening partnership lasted just two deliveries before Weatherald fell to a thunderbolt from England's Jofra Archer, trapped LBW for a second-ball duck on his Test debut.
The chaos continued as regular number four batsman Steve Smith had to promote himself to number three to face the innings' third delivery, with Khawaja still serving his required time before being permitted to bat. Eventually, Khawaja came in at number four but managed only two runs as Australia's innings collapsed dramatically.
Starc's Brilliance Overshadowed by Batting Collapse
Earlier in the day, Mitchell Starc had given Australia the perfect start to the Ashes series, producing a career-best bowling performance of 7-58 to dismantle England's batting lineup. The left-arm spearhead struck in the very first over of the match, dismissing Zak Crawley for zero in a reminiscent moment of his iconic first-ball wicket of Rory Burns at the Gabba four years earlier.
Starc continued his dominance, claiming the wickets of Ben Duckett (21) and star English batsman Joe Root for a duck before the first drinks break. His figures surpassed his previous best of 6-9 against West Indies in July, setting up what appeared to be a strong position for Australia after bowling England out for 172 in just 33 overs.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically when Australia came out to bat. Jofra Archer, consistently bowling around 150km/h, rattled Australia's top order in similar fashion to his 2019 Ashes heroics. England captain Ben Stokes then ripped through the middle and lower order, claiming his sixth five-wicket haul in Test cricket with figures of 5-23.
Australia's innings capitulated to finish the day at 9-123, still trailing by 49 runs, with only Nathan Lyon and debutant Brendan Doggett remaining to prevent England from securing a first-innings lead.
The dramatic day saw a total of 19 wickets fall, captivating a Perth record crowd of 43,591 that later swelled to 51,531 spectators. Cricket experts noted the curious timing of Khawaja's absence, with Channel 7's Peter Lalor describing the incident as highly unusual and comparing it to a similar situation involving David Warner in the past.
As the teams prepare for day two, all eyes will be on Khawaja's fitness and whether Australia can recover from their precarious position in what has already become a memorable Ashes opener.
