Australia close on 123-9 after England skittled for 172: Ashes first Test, day one – as it happened
I think we all deserve a lie-down, don’t you? I’ll leave you with Ali Martin’s report from Perth Stadium, where 19 wickets fell in a coruscating start to the 2025-26 Ashes.See you tomorrow for the second, probably penultimate day.Don’t be late!This is a bit of a weird statgasm: the fastest innings in Ashes history (where the batting team was bowled out)5.49 runs per over England 592 (107.4 overs) v Australia, Old Trafford, 20235.
24 England 166 (31,4 overs) v Australia, Sydney, 2013-145,23 England 172 (32,5 overs) v Australia, Perth, 2025-265,17 England 283 (54.
4 overs) v Australia, The Oval, 20235,13 England 407 (79,2 overs) v Australia, Edgbaston, 2005Australia’s highest is 4,77 runs per over, when they made 327 from 68,3 overs at The Oval in 1934, though they have scored faster while chasing targets.
The opening day of this Ashes series has set an absurdly high bar for what is to come.England played their supporters back at home, a collapse to 172 all out like waking up to a horse’s head in the bed, only for Ben Stokes and his stable of quicks to deliver a more telling statement of their own.If they did not know it before, Australia are now well aware that this is a very different England side to those of the past.The fast forward but fragile batting was a known quantity, granted.But it now comes with a pool of high-octane seamers who will test techniques and tickers in equal measure.
25 2nd Test, Melbourne, 1901-0222 2nd Test, The Oval, 189020 Only Test, The Oval, 1882; 2nd Test, Melbourne, 1894-95; 4th Test, Old Trafford, 190919 1st Test, Perth, 2025-2618 Only Test, Sydney, 1887-88; 1st Test, Lord’s, 1896More from Brydon CarseIt was brilliant,The atmosphere was electric; the energy right through the day was awesome,[On defending 172] Stokesy kept it really simple and just told the bowlers to give everything,I thought the way Gus Atkinson and Jofra started was phenomenal,[On Ben Stokes] As Ducky (Ben Duckett) said a couple of weeks ago, he’s in Beast Mode at the moment.
Hopefully that pays off for him throughout the series,Stokesy came up with that idea (for the whole squad to walk onto the field together) last night,Luckily we came in at about 8,30,I think if it’d been half an hour later we might have got more stick from the Aussie fans!The guys who got runs today took the positive option.
Even at the end, Alex Carey put us under pressure by being proactive,I thnk our batters will know what gameplan to go with,The longest partnership all day was 14 overs between Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith,It was dizzingly eventful,It feels like five minutes ago that we weer wondering why Ben Stokes hadn’t brought himself on to bowl; now he’s got five wickets to his name.
England are in a good position but Australia know that third-innings horror stories are a feature of the Ashes, particularly when England tour Australia.The most famous of all, Adelaide 2006, isn’t a relevant precedent here – but Brisbane 1990 could be.I doubt Ben Stokes will be off to Kerry Packer’s casino tonight though.What a day.Everyone who came to watch got value for money with nineteen wickets.
Fantastic last session from everyone and it’s put us in a good position going into tomorrow,[On Ben Stokes] He’s amazing: his character, his resilience… it’s everything this team strives to be and that was a game-changing spell,There’s enough assistance with the pace and the bounce,I tried to hit the wicket as hard as I could throughout the day,There were a couple of balls in there that was pretty delighted with.
It’s always nice to get one of the best players in the world out.Thoughts at this difficult time with those who don’t appreciate Test cricket.The first day of the Ashes was one for the books, with wickets falling throughout.Let’s hear what Brydon Carse made of it.39th over: Australia 123-9 (Lyon 3, Doggett 0) Nathan Lyon sees out the final of the day from Archer, clipping a couple of runs through midwicket off the last ball.
The players stroll off the field while the rest of us trying to work out what the hell just happened.Nineteen wickets have fallen, the most on the opening day of an Ashes Test since 20 were taken at Old Trafford in 1909.And I was there!38th over: Australia 121-9 (Lyon 1, Doggett 0) The umpires checked whether it was a clean catch.It was – Brook has become such a reliable slip fielder – and Stokes held the ball up to the crowd in celebration of his five-for.WICKET! Australia 121-9 (Boland c Brook b Stokes 0) Ben Stokes can do anything.
Sod the Ashes, get him on world peace.He has bulldozed a five-for, his first against Australia since 2015, in just six overs.Boland was squared up and edged low to second slip, where Brook took a smart low catch.There goes the eighteenth wicket of the day.E-I-G-H-T-E-E-N.
Carey makes room to uppercut Stokes straight to Carse on the boundary at third,Not sure what Carey was trying to do there, especially as he looked in total control playing orthodox cricket,Four wickets for Stokes, three of them caught by his Durham mate Carse,37th over: Australia 120-7 (Carey 26, Lyon 1) Archer returns for the last knockings of a pulsating day’s play,A lot goes on but nothing happens.
“Has anyone talked about the quality of the pitch?” says Andy Flintoff,“Seventeen wickets falling on the first day anywhere but Australia would be followed by howls at its unfairness,”I’d like to let it marinate before offering a judicial verdict but right now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the pitch,There hasn’t been much sideways movement and the bounce has been consistent (if extravagant),A par score is probably closer to 250.
36th over: Australia 118-7 (Carey 25, Lyon 0) “Such a shame about the booing of players on both sides,” writes Ian Sargeant.“Just about the only blot on the day’s play.I know it’s pantomime season and that’s what the lagered few will be saying it is – but it does annoy me.Smith has done his time and is one of the modern greats.Stokes and Carey have done nothing wrong.
Let it go and enjoy what’s in front of you,”I guess it doesn’t help that many of the crowd have been drinking pints of Booing Juice since 10am,Mitchell Starc’s run-a-ball cameo ends when he drags Stokes straight to Carse at mid-off,Ben Stokes, a bowler reborn in 2025, has his third wicket,35th over: Australia 112-6 (Carey 22, Starc 9) Carse has an LBW appeal caught in the throat when Carey inside-edges onto the pads.
Starc edges a big flash just wide of the diving Duckett in the gully,Carey, such a busy, purposeful player, drives Carse superbly through mid-off for four,He has 22 from 21 balls and Australia trail by 60,34th over: Australia 103-6 (Carey 16, Starc 7) Starc, who might not be the player who scored 99 all those years ago but is still a quality lower-order batter, thumps Stokes through extra cover for three,It feels like this game is moving inexorably towards a one-innings shootout, give or take maybe 20 runs either side.
The run rate has increased dramatically in the last hour,Australia scored 49 from the first 23 overs; they’ve added 54 from the last 11,They’re playing Bazball!33rd over: Australia 104-6 (Carey 16, Starc 7) Starc spoons Carse over Archer at mid-off for a couple,That was an odd shot, a check drive with his weight going all the wrong way,Nothing odd or unconvincing about Carey’s second boundary, a zesty slap through extra cover for four that brings up the Australian hundred.
At the same stage of their innings, England were no longer batting: their 172 all out came from 32.5 overs.“No one really talked about Cummins’ batting, did they?” says Phil Harrison.“But England are one wicket away from Nathan Lyon.”A few people talked about it; I only know this because I’ve listened to approximately 491 Ashes podcasts in the last fortnight.
Jonathan Howcroft also mentioned it earlier in the day,We sometimes forget that Boland and Lyon scored vital runs that famous Edgbaston victory two years ago,Not that I’d fancy their chances tonight,32nd over: Australia 91-6 (Carey 11, Starc 1) Carey tickles Stokes down the leg side for four, though it wasn’t far wide of the diving Smith,Two left-handers at the crease now, so it might be time for Jofra Archer to come back.
“I know I’m a luddite who hasn’t got over the boundary no longer being a rope,” writes Mojo Wellington, “but looking at that photo of Archer and Stokes, it is really disheartening to see yet another brand logo snuck on to the England shirt.There is now (at least) four different company logos whacked on there.How long before England cricketers resemble Formula 1 drivers?!”I thought you needed speed to win in Australia? Hang on, I’m confused now.Stokes strikes again! Green will feel it was a loose shot but it was beautifully done by Stokes.After bowling everything back of a length, he went slightly wider on the crease to bowl a fullish delivery that straightened off the seam.
Green, who couldn’t resist the drive, snicked it to Smith and Stokes punched the air with a knowing certainty.31st over: Australia 83-5 (Green 24, Carey 4) Carse falls over in his follow through, which enables him to inadvertently block a straight drive from Carey.It whacked him between the shoulder blades and he bounced straight to his feet.30th over: Australia 79-5 (Green 23, Carey 1) Alex Carey is booed to the crease by the Barmy Army.Ach, let it go, he’s done his time – and he didn’t really do anything wrong in the first placee.
Carey has been in career-best form in the last 18 months, specialising in tough runs when Australia really need them.How many bloody times? Ben Stokes, the man who makes things happen, has made something happen just when England needed it.It was a nothing delivery, in truth, good line and just short of a length from around the wicket.Head flick-pulled straight to Carse at midwicket and walked off shaking his head.That’s a biggie for England.
29th over: Australia 76-4 (Head 21, Green 21) As Brydon Carse returns to the attack, Tim de Lisle writes in with a typically brilliant stat: in his fledgling Test career, Carse averages 60 at home and 19 away,Four runs from his first over back, including a thick edge from Green that drops short of Duckett and then gets through him for a couple,“Dear,” writes Fabrice H,“We are looking for reliable supplier partners to meet our request,Your products interest us, could you provide us with a catalog of your products? We work with payment deadlines of 7 or 14 days by bank transfer after delivery of the goods
‘We excel at every phase of AI’: Nvidia CEO quells Wall Street fears of AI bubble amid market selloff
Global share markets rose after Nvidia posted third-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates, assuaging for now concerns about whether the high-flying valuations of AI firms had peaked.On Wednesday, all eyes were on Nvidia, the bellwether for the AI industry and the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, with analysts and investors hoping the chipmaker’s third-quarter earnings would dampen fears that a bubble was forming in the sector.Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, opened the earnings call with an attempt to dispel those concerns, saying that there was a major transformation happening in AI, and Nvidia was foundational to that transformation.“There’s been a lot of talk about an AI bubble,” said Huang. “From our vantage point, we see something very different
Nvidia earnings: Wall Street sighs with relief after AI wave doesn’t crash
Markets expectations around Wednesday’s quarterly earnings report by the most valuable publicly traded company in the world had risen to a fever pitch. Anxiety over billions in investment in artificial intelligence pervaded, in part because the US has been starved of reliable economic data by the recent government shutdown.Investors hoped that both questions would be in part answered by Nvidia’s earnings and by a jobs report due on Thursday morning.“This is a ‘So goes Nvidia, so goes the market’ kind of report,” Scott Martin, chief investment officer at Kingsview Wealth Management, told Bloomberg in a concise summary of market sentiment.The prospect of a market mood swing had built in advance of the earnings call, with options markets anticipating Nvidia’s shares could move 6%, or $280bn in value, up or down
Uber hit with legal demands to halt use of AI-driven pay systems
Uber has been hit with legal demands to stop using its artificial intelligence driven pay systems, which have been blamed for significantly reducing the incomes of the ride hailing app’s drivers.A letter before action – sent to the US company by the non-profit foundation, Worker Info Exchange (WIE), on Wednesday – is understood to allege that the ride hailing app has breached European data protection law by varying driver pay rates through its controversial algorithm.James Farrar, the director of WIE, said: “Uber has leveraged artificial intelligence and machine learning to implement deeply intrusive and exploitative pay-setting systems that have damaged the livelihoods of thousands of drivers.“Through this collective action, we intend to get a fairer deal for drivers and ensure Uber is held financially accountable for the harm caused by this unlawful use of AI.“This case is … about securing transparent, fair and safe working conditions for all platform workers
Facebook and Instagram to start kicking Australian teenagers off platforms as social media ban looms
Australian Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be notified starting Thursday that their accounts will be deactivated by 10 December, as Meta begins to comply with the Albanese government’s social media ban.Users affected by the ban will receive 14 days’ notice of their pending account deactivation through a combination of in-app messages, email and SMS before their access is cut off.The ban will affect users on Facebook and Instagram, as well as Threads, as an Instagram account is required to use that platform. Messenger is excluded from the ban – but Meta has had to develop a way for users to keep access to Messenger without a Facebook account as a result of the ban.Meta will begin stopping access to existing accounts and blocking under-16s from registering new accounts from 4 December, with access removed for all affected accounts by 10 December, the company said
TikTok to give users power to reduce amount of AI content on their feeds
TikTok is giving users the power to reduce the amount of artificial intelligence-made content on their feeds, as it revealed the platform hosts more than 1bn AI videos.The change, which is being tested over the next few weeks before a global rollout, comes as new video-generating tools such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo 3 have spurred a surge in AI content online.The Guardian revealed in August that nearly one in 10 of the fastest-growing YouTube channels globally only show AI-generated videos. Many qualify as “AI slop”, the term for low-quality, mass-produced content that is often nonsensical or surreal.Jade Nester, TikTok’s European director of public policy for safety and privacy, said: “We know from our community that many people enjoy content made with AI tools, from digital art to science explainers, and we want to give people the power to see more or less of that, based on their own preferences
Meta wins major US antitrust case and won’t have to break off WhatsApp or Instagram
Meta defeated a major challenge to its business on Tuesday when a US judge ruled that the company does not hold a monopoly in social networking.The case, brought by the US Federal Trade Commission, could have forced the tech giant to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp, with the former FTC chair accusing the company of operating a “buy or bury” scheme against nascent competitors. The tech giant bought WhatsApp for $19bn in 2014. Losing either the image-based social network, which generates an estimated half of Meta’s revenue, or the world’s most popular messaging app could have done existential damage to Meta’s empire.The US district judge James Boasberg issued his ruling on Tuesday after the historic antitrust trial wrapped up in late May
Overseas-trained doctors leaving the UK in record numbers
Prozac ‘no better than placebo’ for treating children with depression, experts say
Councils in north of England and Midlands to get more funding in shake-up
Keeping youths in care out of trouble | Letter
How prohibition-based policies caused a cannabis problem | Letters
Musical comfort at the end of your life | Brief letters