England Reduce Australia to 123-9 in Dramatic Ashes Opener

England's bowlers staged a remarkable fightback on a dramatic opening day of the Ashes series, reducing Australia to 123 for nine after the hosts had dismissed the tourists for 172 in the first Test at Perth Stadium on Friday.

Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first on a lively green pitch that favored pace bowling. England's innings lasted just 32.5 overs as Australian seamer Mitchell Starc claimed career-best figures of seven for 58. Starc dismantled the top order, starting with opener Zak Crawley for a first-over duck and including Joe Root, who fell without scoring after edging to slip. Ben Duckett made 21 before being trapped lbw, while Ollie Pope top-scored with 46 and Harry Brook added a brisk 52, featuring five fours and a six. The lower order offered little resistance, with England losing their final five wickets for 12 runs to slump to their lowest total in an Ashes opener since 2010.

Starc, stepping up in the absence of injured pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, accounted for six of those late dismissals, including Stokes for six and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for 33. "My role in the team is to go looking for wickets," Starc said afterward. "With...