England Enforce Follow-On in Perth, Leave Australia on Brink of Ashes Humiliation
England dominates opener, inflicting rare home defeat on hosts.
In a stunning reversal of fortunes at the Optus Stadium in Perth, England dismantled Australia's batting lineup on the second day of the Ashes 2025-26 opener, enforcing a follow-on and positioning themselves for a historic victory that could signal the beginning of the end for the hosts' dominance in the iconic series.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss under overcast skies, Australia managed a modest 215 in their initial innings, with opener Usman Khawaja top-scoring on 62 before succumbing to the relentless swing of England's Mark Wood, who claimed four wickets for 38 runs in a spellbinding display that exposed vulnerabilities in the Australian top order on a pitch offering unexpected assistance to seamers.
England's response was emphatic, declaring at 421 for seven after tea on Day 2, powered by a masterful 178 from Captain Ben Stokes and a brisk 89 from Ollie Pope, allowing the visitors to seize a commanding 206-run lead and force Australia into the unenviable position of batting again, where they staggered to 89 for five by stumps, still trailing by 117 runs and facing the prospect of an innings defeat for the first time in Perth since 1970.
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The collapse has drawn sharp criticism from former Australian Captain Pat Cummins, who lamented the team's inability to adapt to conditions, stating, "We've let the baggy green down today; this isn't the fighting spirit we pride ourselves on." With key players like Steve Smith struggling on 12 not out and the tail exposed, Australia's selectors now face mounting pressure to rejig the lineup ahead of the Adelaide rematch.
As the series hangs in the balance after just two days of play—the shortest Ashes Test in Perth in over two decades—England's tactical acumen under Stokes has not only revived memories of their 2010-11 whitewash but also inflicted a psychological blow on a host nation grappling with transitional woes, setting up a fiercely contested remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy equivalent Down Under.
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