If you’ve just tuned in to the Ashes today, you’ve walked straight into a highlight reel titled Mitchell Starc’s Ashes wickets. Honestly, you’d think the bloke had breakfasted on pure menace. Within minutes of the first ball being sent down, Perth woke up to yet another episode of Starc’s favourite pastime: dismantling England’s top order like it’s a flat-pack cabinet built wrong. And with the match still LIVE as we speak, it’s already shaping up to be one of those chaotic Ashes mornings you end up texting your cricket mates about.

Starc’s Morning Rampage

Let’s talk destruction because that’s exactly what unfolded. Mitchell Starc’s Ashes wickets arrived thick and fast, and England did their best impressions of startled commuters facing a surprise train delay. First came the mess involving Zak Crawley, who lasted just long enough to regret his morning choices. Starc toyed with him: full, shortish, angling in, angling away like a cat fiddling with a confused pigeon. Eventually, Crawley poked at one on the rise, and that was that.

Zak Crawley is OUT for a duck in the first over 🤕

📺 Watch #TheAshes LIVE on TNT Sports and discovery+ pic.twitter.com/jilviPive4

— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) November 21, 2025

After Duckett’s wicket gone, then came the moment everyone had been waiting to see, or rather, waiting to see avoided. In walks Joe Root, primed to get cracking on that elusive first Ashes century in Australia. The cricketing world has been buzzing: Is this finally the moment? Will today be the day Root breaks the drought? The answer, evidently, was no. Root barely had time to adjust the sweatband on his sleeve before Starc nipped one that seamed away just enough to flirt with the outside edge. And flirt it did — thick, loud, straight to the slips.

Mitchell Starc has claimed his 100th wicket against England! #MilestoneMoment | #Ashes | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/vItwfdCK3X

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

Root did the classic seven-ball blink-and-it’s-over cameo; England fans blinked, commentators sighed, and Starc celebrated what would go on to complete his 100th Ashes wicket. For Root, it was yet more grief courtesy of Starc, the ninth time in Test cricket that the Aussie quick has sent him back early. And for Starc? Well, it was another addition to the growing collection of Mitchell Starc’s Ashes wickets, delivered with trademark left-arm wickedness.

Crawley Under the Microscope… Again

As for Zak Crawley, you’d think the Ashes scriptwriters could give the lad a kinder subplot. But no, his shot selection is, once again, the talk of the town. Former pros muttered about “no man’s land,” fans grumbled online, and even neutrals shrugged with a sympathetic “poor bloke.” It didn’t help that this wasn’t just any dismissal; it was yet another chapter in the slightly tragic anthology titled Crawley vs. the First Over. Starc clearly sensed the impatience brewing inside him and simply waited for the inevitable poke.

WHO ELSE!!!

The first wicket of the Ashes, and it was a peach of a delivery!#cricket #ashes #theashes #AUSvsENG pic.twitter.com/FSU53qiQpt

— Kayo Sports (@kayosports) November 21, 2025

To be fair, Crawley’s been under fire for a while, and this morning won’t silence critics. Being an opener in Test cricket is hard enough; being an opener facing a steaming Starc on a lively Perth morning feels downright medieval. And yet, here he is, becoming a recurring guest star in discussions about fragile English batting.

No Cummins, No Hazlewood… No Problem?

Here’s the funny thing, though. Heading into this Test, plenty of Aussie fans were sweating bullets. With both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing — two absolute pillars of the attack — the worry was that England might sniff an opportunity. Surely a weakened bowling lineup would give Root, Crawley, and the rest a bit more breathing room?

IT’S A DAY ONE MASTERCLASS FROM MITCHELL STARC! 🔥

HIS FIFTH ASHES FIVE-FOR! pic.twitter.com/Cpd7FB53Pd

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 21, 2025

Well… not quite. If anything, this morning proved that Starc doesn’t need backup musicians to put on a rock concert. With Cummins and Hazlewood resting up, it was left to Starc, Boland, and some fresh faces to carry the innings. Boland was a tad scratchy early on, but Starc? Laser-focused. Surgical. Almost rude in how precise he was. And when he completed that magical 100th Ashes wicket, it felt like a collective sigh of relief swept through Australian supporters: Maybe we’re alright after all.

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

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

Even stand-in captain Steve Smith couldn’t have asked for a better start. England are still in their first innings as I type, and while cricket can flip on its head in an hour, Australia look comfortable, surprisingly so, given the absences.

A Morning to Remember

So that’s where we stand: LIVE cricket at its chaotic best. England wobbling, Australia buzzing, and Starc stealing the whole show with another round of highlights destined to be replayed for years. Between Joe Root falling for yet another Starc-crafted duck, Zak Crawley catching fresh criticism, and that milestone 100th Ashes wicket, it’s already one of those mornings destined to be etched into Ashes folklore. And the best part? We’re only in the first session.